William Harden

William Harden (1878-1966)

William Harden is my Great Grandfather and the father of my grandfather, Jack Harden.  He was born May 28, 1878 in Brazil, Clay County, Indiana, and he died in January 27, 1966 in Indiana.  I have just the vaguest memory of him.  What I mostly remember is a grumpy old man in a wheelchair.  But I'd probably be grumpy too, if I had gangrene and had to have my leg amputated. 

Most of what I know about him I have learned from relatives, or from my research.  His parents were John William Harden and Jeanetta Frances Crawley.  He was one of eight children, being their fifth child and youngest son.  His father died when he was thirteen.  At that point he quit school and went to work in the coal mines in Indiana to help support his mother and sisters.

Most of the younger family generations called him “Pop”.  I’m not sure when he acquired this name, perhaps when he became a father.  Among family members there are discrepancies concerning his legal name.  The name that appears the most often on documents is “William Harden”.  Some family members say that his name was “William Dean” or “William Edward”.  I have not found proof for either of these name variations.

He married Delphia Maude Keiser late 1907 or early 1908.  Supposedly, they took the train from Terre Haute, Indiana to Paris, Illinois to get married.  But thus far, I have not found their marriage license to confirm this information.