My Great Grandfather Charles Harding

Charles Harding

*Compiled and Edited by W. Craig Burrell

Key Points

Born: 2 May 1838, Caldwell County, Missouri

Parents: Dwight Harding and Phebe Holbrook

Spouse and Marriage: Matilda Josephine Zundel, 30 September 1865

Death: 8 July 1899, Willard, Box Elder County, Utah

            Charles Harding had the fortune of being born into a Latter-day Saint family. His parents accepted the restored gospel while they were living in New York. His father, Dwight Harding, was baptized on January 3, 1833; and his mother, Phebe Holbrook, was baptized on January 20, 1833. Soon after, on February 12, 1833 the two were married.

            Dwight and Phebe made their first home in Weathersfield, Seneca County, New York where their oldest son, George, was born. In the year 1834 when George was still an infant they moved to Kirtland, Ohio. The next year, 1835, they moved their family to Keytesville, Chariton County, Missouri where their second son Alma was born.

            Persecution against the church was great; however, they remained with the main body of the church and moved to Caldwell, Clay County, Missouri in the summer of 1835 where they remained for three and a half years. The saints were then driven out of Clay County. They sought refuge in Far West where Charles Hardy was born April 2, 1838. Later that same year on November 1, 1838, Dwight along with the other men was forced to lay down their arms and leave Missouri.

            The family traveled to Quincy Illinois where they lived for three and a half years. While they were here, Phebe had their first daughter, Elizabeth Jane, born on October 23, 1840. Soon after this they moved to Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois where they resided for five years. They built a comfortable home on Fulmer Street. Two daughters were born to the family here: Nancy Ann and Phebe Eliza, who died as an infant.

            Persecution against the church persisted. Charles was eight years old when his family left Nauvoo in the spring of 1846. They traveled to Iowa and settled on Mosquito Creek seven miles from Kanesville. Not long after their arrival in Iowa, Dwight moved his family to Ponco. Good grazing was available there for livestock and the Indians were friendly. They planted crops that would later be harvested and used by other saints traveling west.

            In the spring of 1848 they moved to Council Bluffs. Here Dwight and Chauncey Call contracted to build the first jail in Council Bluffs. While living in Council Bluffs Dwight received word that the Harding estate had been settled and his share would be fifty dollars. The family needed this money for their trip west. Fifteen year old George was sent on foot 100 miles to the nearest government mail station to receive the money.

            Charles Harding was thirteen years old when the family left Iowa on their journey to Salt Lake City (June 16, 1851). They traveled with the John G. Smith Company. The family consisted of Dwight and Phebe, three sons: George, Alma and Charles, and two daughters: Elizabeth Jane and Nancy Ann. The weather was agreeable on the trip. They endured the normal hardships that pioneers experienced traveling across the prairie with teams and wagons.

            Nevertheless, they did have Indian problems. One day, while they were slowly wending their way along the wagon trail following the emigrant wagons, they noticed some Indians keeping close to their wagon and occasionally slipping their provisions out. The Harding children decided the only thing for them to do was to sit on the sacks of crackers to prevent further loss. This scheme, however, proved to be ineffective. When they stopped, they found the cracker sack to be half empty. The Indians had cunningly slipped the crackers out from under them a few at a time.

            They arrived in Salt Lake City on September 15, 1851. After a short stay in the Salt Lake Valley, they traveled to Bountiful to the home of Phebe’s brother Joseph Holbrook. North Willow Creek was recommended to them as a favorable place to settle. While the family rested, young George traveled north to explore the area. He came back with a favorable report.

            The family arrived in what is now Willard, Utah on September 26, 1851. A few families had settled there the previous spring. Dwight acquired seventy-five acres of land. They immediately began to haul logs to build a house.

            Dwight Harding was involved in building many of the early houses in Willard. The early ones were made out of logs. Later several houses were built out of adobe. Building materials that today are available in any hardware store were non existent in early Willard. A blacksmith, Will Wilker made flat nails out of old iron such as used wagon tires. He sold them for seventy five cents a pound.

            Education was important in the Harding home. Charles attended the first school in Willard with sixteen other children. Their first teacher was Henry Thatcher who spent the winter in Willard on his way to California. Dwight helped build a school house of logs in 1852.

            Dwight Harding taught his sons many gospel principles. In the spring of 1853 he had an opportunity to teach them a lesson in charity. One morning they were about ready to go into the field when a man by the name of Christensen drove into the yard. He said Brigham Young had sent him to Willard to get a load of wheat. Many emigrants were entering Salt Lake City and he was having a hard time obtaining food to feed them.

            Brother Christensen had stayed the night before at another home in Willard. He had been told that Dwight Harding had the only wheat they knew of in the settlement and that was very little. He was somewhat discouraged when he drove with his wagon into the yard. He disliked the thought of going back to President Young with an empty wagon. When he asked for the wheat, Dwight replied. “I have between three and four bushel of wheat in the bin. I have prepared land to plant six pecks of it. My boys and I are now on our way to the field to work. You go into the granary. There you will find a peck measure. Fill it six times using a little board to smooth it off even. Clear a space in the corner of the bin to place my share in, and then you can take the rest.”

            When Dwight and his sons came from the field at noon, Brother Christenson was still sacking wheat. He had his wagon full of sacks which he had filled and sewed up, and he was just finishing the last sack. Dwight said, “I see you were able to find your load of wheat. Where did you get it?”

            “I got it from your bin. I did just as you said. I measured out six pecks for you and placed it in a corner of the bin. I have taken my load from what was left.” Brother Christensen replied.

            Dwight looked at his boys in amazement. They all knew the amount of wheat there was in the bin, yet here was the evidence that a load of wheat had been taken out and their share was left. They walked into the house. Dinner was ready, but they could eat very little; their minds were filled with wonder.

            Early in the spring of 1858 Brigham Young called for 150 men to go to the Salmon River country to assist some of the saints that had been sent there to colonize the area. The saints had been threatened and harassed by a band of Indians. Many of the settlers had been killed. Cattle and horses had been stolen. Charles and his brother George were among the men sent there from Willard. They rode through a stand of cedars as they entered the Bannock Valley. As they emerged into the open they saw several dead horses on the ground and other evidence of an Indian raid. On closer inspection they found the body of Bailey Lake of North Ogden pierced with arrows. Captain Cunningham, who was over the mission sent the ten men from Willard back to North Ogden with the body.

            They packed the body with snow in a wagon. The snow was knee deep and they had to break a trail in the snow for the team and wagon. They started their trip from a location where Arbon, Idaho is today. The first night they stayed in Malad. The next day they traveled to Willard. Charles was riding a pony (saddle horse). He rode ahead to Willard and asked the bishop to have fresh men and horses ready to haul the corpse the remaining ten miles to North Ogden. This was a remarkable trip considering it is thirty five miles from Arbon to Malad and most of this trip was traveled in knee deep snow. After resting for the night they traveled another seventy one miles from Malad to Willard in one day.

            Charles and his brother George made many trips freighting goods in from California and sometimes Montana. He also made three trips back east. The three Harding brothers established a store in Willard. Most of the goods they freighted in were for the Willard store, but sometimes they hauled goods for the Walker Brothers Store in Salt Lake City.

            The three Harding Brothers: George, Alma and Charles built four different stores in Willard. The first store consisted of two rock rooms that are now part of the George Hardy home that was located on the west side of the road at Center Street and 100 West. Their merchandise included: dishes, dress goods and calicos, home medicines, stoves, tubs, washboards etc.

            The second store was built on the southeast corner of Alma Harding’s lot on Main Street. The store was located on the west side of Main Street just north of 100 South.

            The third store was built next to the Charles Harding home on the west side of main street just south of 100 South. This store was made of rock by Shadrack Jones and Dan Tooey. Peter Baird did the carpentry work. It was a two story structure. The lower part was used as a store and the upper part was used for the school. Charles managed this store. He had a likeable jovial personality and was strictly honest and honorable. . They expanded their line of merchandise. Customers came in from Malad and Promontory valleys. Since Willard was on the main road there was always a steady train of emigrants stopping on their way west. This store burned down.

            The fourth store was built on the east side of Main Street just south of Center Street. It was a two story brick building. The store was on the lower level. Nancy Harding had a millinery department in this store. The upper floor was used for recreational purposes. It had a hardwood floor and a stage. It was referred to as the Opera house. This store was also destroyed by fire.

            On September 30, 1865 Charles was married to Matilda Zundel the daughter of John Jacob Zundel and Sarah Forstner Zundel in the endowment house in Salt Lake City. They were blessed with twelve children, six boys and six girls: Joseph Alonzo (1866), Charles Don Carlos (1867), George Forstner (1869), Matilda Josephine (1871), Daniel Fenton (1873), Jacob Dwight (1876), Sarah Phebe (1877), Lewis Henry (1879), Clarice Melena (1882), Elizabeth Louise (1884), Jenny Lavern (1887), and Ivy Lavon (1892).

            Charles put his children to work on a very successful farm. They had a large orchard with a great variety of fruit trees including 26 different kinds of apple trees. They had a large garden and stored vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, and cabbage in a root cellar. They raised several kinds of berries. After the railroad was built, the berries were picked, crated and shipped to Salt Lake City. They raised corn and small grains. Harvest time was a special event for the kids when the thrashing crew came. They raised sorghum cane and had the only molasses mill in town.

            They had milk cows and hogs at the farm in Willard. Draft horses, light driving horses and saddle horses were kept on the farm. In addition Charles and his bothers ran a ranch at Promontory where they raised cattle and sheep.

            At times there was an opportunity to hire out and make extra money. The United States Army, Johnston’s Army, was camped at Camp Floyd west of Lehi, Utah between 1858 and 1861. The Harding Brothers contracted to haul wood to the camp. They cut the wood east of the camp and used horses, mules and oxen to haul it. They had to hire extra men to accomplish this.

            The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, the Harding brothers and their teams were hired on to help build the grade. The famous Fresno scraper was not invented until 1883. The scrapers they used were much less efficient. Charles worked for Union Pacific at Fort Bridger.

            When Charles was called to serve for his church, he always responded positively. On October 15, 1875 he left his young family and served a mission to Massachusetts to labor among his relatives there. Several of his children followed his example and served church missions.

            Charles and Matilda instilled in their children a desire to learn. They supported education in Willard when they could. It has been mentioned that the upper story of the third Harding Brothers store was used as a school. Only one of their eleven children that grew to be adults did not attend college. All of them did not attain a degree, but two sons became medical doctors and one became a dentist.

            As a young man Charles and his sister Elizabeth were members of the Willard Dramatic Association. Some of their plays were taken to other towns. He supported similar activities in the community. The upper story of the fourth Harding Brothers store in Willard was called the Opera house. Dances, plays, concerts and recreational activities were held in this facility.

            Charles Harding had a pleasant agreeable nature and made many friends. He was easy to approach and children adored him. He was a gifted story teller and loved to joke with his customers. He was a good neighbor and an honorable man.  

            It is a shame that not many of his grandchildren had the opportunity to know him. Charles died at the age of 61. He had been infected with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and died July 8, 1899.

*Source: Dwight Harding Family Book, 1968, Glen F. Harding M.D.