Our Hardy Grandparents

Written for the Hardy Reunion on April 9, 1977 in Logandale, Nevada

Grandpa and Grandma Hardy were married in the St. George Temple on December 2, 1890.

They were the parents of nine children and forty-two grandchildren. Their little son, Gile Wilford, age two and a half years, died of typhoid and pheumonia. Their other children all grew to adulthood.

Our grandparents were great people and set good examples for us to follow. They taught their children well and were always interested in their grandchildren and wanted them to do the right things.

The Church was very important in their lives and they always tried to live its teachings. I didn't have the privilege of knowing Grandpa Hardy, but Grandma Hardy came to visit us quite often, and she told me many things about her life and family. She was always so proud and happy to hear of an accomplishment of one of her grandchildren. I'll always treasure the memories I have of her and the time that she spent visiting us in our home in Logandale.

It is very important that we should all try to honor their name and do the things that would make them proud and happy.

Author Unknown

1931-1996 Richard Clair Hardy

Richard Clair Hardy was born August 25, 1931 and graduated from Las Vegas High in May, 1949.  He had graduated from Primary and received his Individual Priesthood Awards each year and was a Senior Scout and a member of the Air Squadron 104 in Las Vegas.

Richard's father died when Richard was only 11 years old and this had a lasting affect on him.  Uncles stepped in to do the things his father would have done and the extended family in Las Vegas was a great help to his mother in raising her three boys alone.

After high school he attended BYU for one year where he was very active in Brigadiers, a social unit.  He decided to join the Navy because he did not have enough money to continue in college and maintain the type of social life he enjoyed.  After two years in the Korean War he was able to come back to BYU under the GI bill and he again attended BYU.

However, in 1955 Richard was called to the Spanish American Mission and served in Texas for two and a half years.  His mother had never given up on her dream to see Richard on a mission.  She was an inspiring influence in his life. The last year of his mission he was the Branch President in Alice, Texas.  This was when Richard knew he loved planning, organizing and managing and he did it well.   He also became proficient in Spanish and learned to love the Spanish people.  It was always his desire to serve another mission, perhaps in Mexico or South America.

                                                   

Returning to BYU he now managed Brigadiers and had that great social life he wanted.  He graduated from BYU in 1959 in Accounting and Finance and joined the firm of Central Federal in San Diego that summer.  He married Janet Anderson, a kindergarten teacher,  on October 23,  1959 after a six week courtship.  They lived in east San Diego until Janet's last year of teaching was completed.

Moving to the Pacific Beach Ward area Richard became Elders Quorum President and then a Counselor in the Bishopric.  After that most of his service was as the Ward or Stake Executive Secretary or a counselor in the Bishopric until he was called to the High Council.  He did not enjoy this role as much as he liked to be “hands on” in serving the Lord.

After leaving Central Federal as an appraiser he worked for Mansfield Mills, an investment counsel firm, where he soon became their manager and learned how to do marketing through letters.  He loved this aspect of business.  Richard was an extremely hard worker and it was during this time that Richard had his first heart attack and “died on the surgery table”.  Thanks to prayers and blessings he survived but was told he needed to change his lifestyle.  When this business was sold and he had a non-compete agreement he learned the second trust deed business with Jones Mortgage.  Richard enjoyed this business very much and was able to bring his expertise of letter writing and advertisement to the business and soon became a partner.  It worked very well until the recession in the early 80’s .  Richard had established Help-U-Sell Real Estate to help manage foreclosures and it became a very frantic, desperate time and they needed to branch out into brokering of first mortgages as well.  This is when Janet came into the business to help.  Richard eventually formed his own business, Choice Mortgage, which he managed as well as Help-U-Sell Real Estate.

Richard and Janet were blessed with their first child Johnny ten months after marrying.  Janet had been able to complete one more year of teaching kindergarten and then became a full time mother and they bought their first home just before the second child Linda arrived.  Within four years Maria and James were also in the family   When the youngest was three they moved to La Jolla where they lived until the youngest James had completed his mission.  In 1988 they moved to Rancho Bernardo which was to be their retirement home.  Richard had a five way bypass surgery during this move and his final heart attack in 1996 when  Richard was age 65.  He never was able to retire.

Richard and Martin Hardy Families.

Family was extremely important to Richard.  He always wanted to attend the Hardy and Earl Reunions in Las Vegas and spent many a weekend in Las Vegas catching up on what was happening with the Scott Hardys after their father died.  He loved the summer trips with all the family to Big Bear Lake and the winter trips to Park City skiing.  He loved taking the children to the amusement parks and all the things he had missed as a child.  He always wanted all of his brothers’ families to be part of his life and started the Hardy Reunions at Torrey Pines Park.  He loved planning them and urging everyone to come.  His brother Martin fully supported him in his efforts.  He honored his parents, his brothers as well as the wives of he and his brothers with programs at these reunions.  He wanted all the grandchildren to know about their family.  He was tireless in these efforts.

You would not find Richard on the golf course or lounging around the house.  His only recreation was a few ski runs at Christmas with his grandchildren.  The rest of the time he was “at work” usually from 7 to 9 and sometimes longer.  His clients loved it because he would “drop-in” on the way home from work and apprise them of what was happening in the trust deed business and perhaps sell them a new investment.  He was always one on one with his clients and very close to them.  This was his  greatest expertise and would later be his downfall.  In the late 80’s he invited some friends to come in and speak to his clients about investments in the Bakersfield and Tulare area.  Many of his clients purchased these investments.  When the investment turned sour they urged Richard to take over and because he wanted to serve them, he took the project on.  It was too far away and a disaster from the beginning and although Richard ended up in saving most of his clients, his own financial resources became depleted and his business at home suffered.  It dragged on until after he passed away.  But as one of the escrow officers said, “If he had just had a little more time, it would have all been completed.”  It was an unfortunate ending to an otherwise exceptionally excellent business career.



In fact, Richard was really an extraordinary man because as busy as he was he was never too busy to give time to those in need. Over the years there was a trail of relatives and others less fortunate that Richard had either taken into his home or gone to them and helped with jobs, financing on cars, advise, or whatever was needed.  Janet once counted 29 people who had lived with them for over 3 months or more in a ten year period.  And this doesn’t include the countless others he has helped.  His friends and family knew to “just ask Richard”.  Janet often said no matter what time of day or night, no matter how tired Richard was, if Janet needed anything Richard always said, “No problem, I can take care of it.”  He was always ready to give of himself.  Expressions of love and appreciation after his death were “gentle, honest, kind, hard worker, always going beyond the call of duty”.  One man said he was a prince in this world and too good for it, the world could not be what he wanted it to be.

In 2011 Richard had a posterity of four children, 15 grandchildren, three son-in-laws, and four great-grandchildren.  His wife Janet lives in Lake Almanor, CA and his son John passed away in 2004 of a heart attack.

Dudley Leavitt Pictures

"Earl" Qualities

"Earl" Qualities, Characteristics and Traditions

by Wilma Adams & Barbara Earle

My mother (Lois Emily) remembers having two separate houses until her mother, Elethra Calista, died then Aunt Viola and her family all moved over to our house because it was the bigger of the two houses. The only time Aunt Viola said a cross word to her was after Bunkerville had had a small earthquake - which was very upsetting to all the small children. Later on when mother was washing dishes on a table she took her knee and wiggled the table. This reminded the little kids of the. earthquake and scared them, especially Aunt Winona. Aunt Viola scolded mother for scaring the children.

Elethra Calista had a pretty singing voice and she and Aunt Viola often sang duets together. Elethra singing soprano and Aunt Viola singing alto.

My mother believed in getting up and getting your work done and then you could go and play. She always gave me a list of jobs to complete and when I thought I was finished she would check off my list with me to be sure I had done a good job. Then I was through and could go play. I have done the same thing with my children and they are doing the same thing with their children. Mother often used lists for other things as well as jobs. If she was not going to be home for supper, I had a detailed list of what I was to prepare and set up for the evening meal.

SERVICE: This is a broad topic that includes going where the Lord calls you to go and talking the tasks that the Lord wants you to accomplish. Certainly evident in our ancestors as they left the Salt Lake City area and. moved to the "Big Muddy". Service also includes accepting and going on missions for the church. In generations that have followed the J. I. Earl family we can see that we have sent missionaries to every continent around the globe, all going willingly to serve the Lord and carry forth His message.

Service also includes being willing to work where the Lord needs you. My mother and father always had several church callings and were always busy keeping the kingdom rolling along. There is not a task that is too menial. It was not in their dispositions to question why a calling was given - just to get in and serve. And they were always rewarded with many blessings.

Service includes looking for ways to be of service. Taking a meal to someone in need without someone having to arrange it. Giving of their time and efforts without being recognized. Just being of service because it was the right thing to do.

INDUSTRIOUS AND HARDWORKING: I don't recall ever seeing my parents just sit and watch television. They always had something to do while they watched. And they did not watch much. They were not afraid of using a little elbow grease. They made rugs or quilts out of old materials. They did lots of canning to provide for the family and to not let anything go to waste.

THRIFTY: They made do or did without. Waste Not Want Not was almost second nature to them. My mother, Lois, sewed pieces of cloth together to make the various pieces for a quilt, which you can see when you look closely at any of her many quilts. She did not throw out much at all when she made something "new".

EDUCATION: Again both of my parents were always studying - usually the scriptures. Both boys and girls had to be well-educated and well-read, College was encouraged and almost everyone attended -. Lois taught classes at the Lion House in Salt Lake City for many years. Mother always told me she would feel sorry for me if I did not get good grades but I had better get an A in Deportment. My mother (Lois) often gave readings of stories in her younger years. Dramatic readings were also enjoyed. Music was always encouraged specially the pinao.

TEMPLE: Always #1 goal – to be worthy to attend and to attend as often as possible. Mother always had a temple apron she was working on so the visual was always there that it was very important to be worthy to get to the temple. My parents served in the Salt Lake Temple Presidency for may years.

HOSPITABLE: There was always room at the table for one more mouth. And often an extra one was added. BIG family meals were almost commonplace. Mother had a table that folded up to quite a small table which was pushed against the wall, took up very little space; but opened up to seat a lot of people. Visitors were always welcome and came often to stay with our family.

IMPORTANCE OF EACH SOUL: Children did not always follow the ways the parents thought they should go but they were still loved and accepted into the family. They were always encouraged to change their ways but still they were accepted for themselves. Today we see too many families disown a child that is not following the expected path. This was not the case with my parents. They encouraged you but also accepted you and above all loved you.

. .

1869-1928 Heber Herbert Hardy and Betsy Leavitt

 

Betsy and Heber
with Merlin (Richard's Dad), Dudley and Warren

Our Hardy Grandparents

 

Written for the Hardy Reunion on April 9, 1977 in Logandale, Nevada

Grandpa and Grandma Hardy were married in the St. George Temple on December 2, 1890.

They were the parents of nine children and forty-two grandchildren. Their little son, Gile Wilford, age two and a half years, died of typhoid and pheumonia. Their other children all grew to adulthood.

Our grandparents were great people and set good examples for us to follow. They taught their children well and were always interested in their grandchildren and wanted them to do the right things.


The Church was very important in their lives and they always tried to live its teachings. I didn't have the privilege of knowing Grandpa Hardy, but Grandma Hardy came to visit us quite often, and she told me many things about her life and family. She was always so proud and happy to hear of an accomplishment of one of her grandchildren. I'll always treasure the memories I have of her and the time that she spent visiting us in our home in Logandale.

It is very important that we should all try to honor their name and do the things that would make them proud and happy.

Author Unknown

Heber Merlin Hardy       19 Apr 1892-4 Oct 1924
Warren Decator Hardy   23 July 1894-8 May 1969
Dudley Leavitt Hardy      14 Jan 1897-  1 Sep 1938
Ethel Ramona Hardy        2 Feb 1899-26 Sep 1952
Tamsen Hardy                  10 May 1901- 4 Jun 1979
Emma Lorena Hardy        8 Feb 1904-11 Sep 1979

Gile Wilford Hardy            5 Feb 1906-25 Oct 1908
Rozella  (Rose)Hardy        9 May 1908- 1 Dec 1986
Grant Hardy                      21 Feb 1910-   6 Sep 1965

1852-1934 Joseph Ira Earl

Joseph Ira Earl & wives

My great grandfather Joseph Ira Earl was a polygamist. He had two wives, Elethra Calista (Kissie) Bunker and Agnes V iola Bunker. Calista and Viola were both daughters of Edward Bunker Sr., but from two pioneer polygamist wives. Calista was born of Emily Abbott and Viola of Mary McQuarrie, both spending much of their growing up years in Bunkerville, Nevada, at the time of the living of the United Order there.

In 1884, Prophet President John Taylor was in a meeting in St. George with church leaders. He was still encouraging and urging plural marriage with proper priesthhod recommends. Joseph had much to weigh, but most priesthood leaders he respected were living this holy law. Federal authorities in Nevada were not as critical as those in Utah. In a letter to his brother Frank, Joseph said "When I was impressed that the time had come for me to enter the practice of plural marriage, the first thing I did was to make it known to my wife Calista. She gave her consent without hesitation. I then asked the Lord to direct me to some woman that would make me a good companion and would be agreeable to my wife Calista. The three of us were recommended to the temple by the Bishop for this work. Our recommends were sent to President John Taylor, who gave his consent, he being the man who held the keys of the sealing power at that time."

On December 11, 1885, Calista accompanied Joseph to the St. George Temple to give him her sister, Agnes Viola, in marriage. (Daughter Lois:)"The three entered into this high order or marriage fully converted that it was a God-given principal, and determined to live it to the best of their ability. Mother had given me her personal testimony that is was a righteous law, but that to live by properly, one must cast selfishness and jealousy from the heart." Viola was 17 years of age and Joseph was 33. Calista and Joseph had been married 5 1/2 years.

Many years later daughter Amy said to Mother Viola, "Mother, now that I'm married, I just can't understand how you could live in polygamy." Viola replied "I was taught it like you were taught tithing. It was a part of the gospel, a part of the Church. It was a commandment of the Lord. I just looked around Bunkerville and I could see the different young men and I could see your father. He was a student of the scriptures, he took care of his mother and his sisters who hadn't married, and he was an honorable man, and an ambitious man, and I just felt like that, he had asked me to marry him, and I thought he was a marvelous man for his times, and that he believed in the kind of education for his children that I wanted."

Joseph continued in his 7 Mar 1921 letter to Frank, "Sometime after Viola and I were sealed, Calista told me that she had known for some time that I would marry Viola. I asked her how she knew it. She answered that the Lord had revealed to her that I me for Calista and her growing family and moved Viola right across the street into a 2 room adobe house.

Joseph and Viola had 10 children: Nettie May, Agnes Winona, Milton Sylvester, Marion Bradley, Mary Melba, Amy Viola, Zella Verona, Nellie Marie, Rulon Allen and Joseph Donal. 16 of these two families were raised to maturity. If you have trouble keeping track of which goes with which mother, you are not alone. Uncle Donal, who was raised with them said "I was 15 year old before I realized I technically had some half brothers and sisters." Many years later when cousin Ken Earl came home from the service to a large family gathering, he said "Can somebody help me figure out who are my whole aunts, and who are my half aunts?!" But nobody cared.

For 16 years, Calista and Viola helped with one another's families across the street from one another. According to Aunt Lois through Wilma, one of the reasons for their ideal relationship was Joseph's absolute fairness. He spent the evening with one family but went across the street to spend the night and the next morning with the other family. The next day he reversed the process. They always knew how they could plan. He was a wonderful provider and they always had what they needed, but the children all helped.

After Calista passed away, which was a very sorrowful time, Joseph and Viola held a family meeting, carefully asking for input from Calista's 3 older children. Everyone agreed that both families should be moved together to the large adobe house. Louis said, "If Aunt Viola had moved a rug or a chair or a picture, I would have rebelled. She ached for her mother. But Viola did not change a thing. She moved quietly to keep things going for both families. Louis and Elethra called her Aunt Viola, but Calista's other children caller her Mother or Mama. There were 15 total including two small babies in the house.

1845-1893 Caroline Lucy Blake

This is one of the sadder stories told of the polygamy years and some of it is rumor.  Does anyone have any recent information? 

                                                      written by Roberta Blake Barnum

Caroline Lucy Blake was born July 3, 1843, Blandford, Dorset, England, the 3rd child of Benjamin Frederick and Harriet Hollis Blake.  She was only 10 years old when her family emigrated from England out to Salt Lake city, Utah and was a young woman of 16 when her family was called to the "Dixie" Mission. 

Caroline's father was a furniture maker and they owned one of the finer homes in St. George, Utah.  Her future husband Warren Hardy worked for her father.  They married March 5, 1864 in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Warren and Caroline moved to St. George where Warren owned a farm down by the river.  They built a shack type house and started their life together.  I feel a little sad for Caroline as it didn't seem as if luxury or happiness was to be hers.  As her family grew, she continued living on in the shack by the river.

These were the polyygamy years so ten years later Warren took himself another wife (Sarah Hannah Smith Apr 26, 1875) and another one (Martha Aurelia Johnson Dec 18, 1879).  He seemed to prefer Sarah and built her a fine home in St. George.  He furnished a comfortable home for Aurelia also.

It was gossiped that as soon as Caroline's children were old enough to be weaned that Warren would take them to the second wife (Sarah) to raise, leaving Caroline free to do the cooking for his hired hands.  Her teenage sons (one was Richard Hardy's grandfather Heber Herbert) were permitted to live with her as they were needed to work the farm.  They hauled their water from the river and one day as Caroline was carrying some heavy buckets of water, one of the hired men by the name of Booth, just could not stand to see how hard she had to work and offered to carry the water.  He gave her many a hand after this and they became good friends.

Warren was real indignant upon learning of Mr. Booth's attention to his wife.  There was light thrown on the situation and some of the townsmen decided to tar and feather Mr. Booth and burn Caroline at the stake.  Upon learning of the coming events, Caroline's sons packed her belongings into a wagon.  They warned Mr. Booth and it was agreed that they would bring their mother to Middleton (four miles east of St. George) and he'd take her away.

Caroline had her two youngest children with her at this time.  The boys drove her into St. George to say goodby to her family.  They stopped at Blakes and it was a very sad occasion indeed.  One son stayed in the drivers seat so they could hurry if need be.  One son was on the ground by the wagon and he said, "Mother, you can't take the little ones because if you do they will never quit chasing you."  The boy grabbed the children from Caroline's arms and as he did she cried, "Oh, no, not my babies," and fainted dead away.  The other boy hurriedly hit the horses and drove away to save his mother.

Caroline never had the privilege of seeing her children and family again.  Mr. Booth took her into Idaho and it is believed that she had two more sons by him but until more research can be done it isn't known if there was a divorce from Mr. Hardy or a marriage to Mr. Booth.  One of her sons born in Idaho was called Lebby believed to be Celeb.  The family has not found out where they went but she died  Apr 4 1893.  (Recorded in her mother Harriet Holis journal).  It is believe that she was buried in the old Twin Falls Cemetery in Idaho just ten years after her exile from St. George.  She was a small amd petite person as were all the Blake girls.

I do not wish to make Mr. Hardy sound like a cad as we find many fine qualities about him and under such trying conditions, we find many were imposed upon without the other parties even being aware of it.

Warren Hardy was 12 years old when he came to Utah with his parents.  In Salt Lake City, he fell in love with pretty Caroline Lucy Blake.  He was 24 years old when he married her.  He went south in 1858.  Warren was trained in carpentry work, with a special skill for broom making, cabinet and furniture making.  The Warren Hardy house, water wheel and cabinet shop were located on East Main Street, on highway 91, St. George, Utah, near the present site of the Wittwer Motel.  In Warren's mill he made many kinds of furniture and ground both wheat for flour and salt rock into fine salt for people with his lathe and grinding stone.  This provided jobs for his sons both in his mill and on his farm by the river.

Warren was never very well after Caroline left and upon learning of her death, he died the same year, 8 months later Nov 22, 1893  in St. George Utah.

Caroline had light hair, blue eyes, weighed 100 lbs and was 5 ft. 2 inches tall.