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John Hardie
(1760 - 1833)
John Hardie
was born in 1760, the fifth child and first son of Joseph
Hardie and Marion Messar. He was christened on 24 Jun 1760
in Clackmannan Parish, Clackmannan. John moved from Clackmannan
to Fife sometime before 1785.
John married
Isabella Cousin in 1785 in Saline, Fife. Isabella was the
third daughter and 7th of 10 children born to William Cousin
(b. abt 1730 - ?) and Isobel Gentleman. William was an established
farmer in Saline, Fife.
John & Isabella
initially resided in Saline, where they worked as tenant farmers
on a small property known as "Broomie Knowe." The 1840 and 1850
Ordnance Survey maps identify the location of Broomie Knowe about
a mile and a half southeast of Saline. A "broomie knowe" is a knoll
or small hill covered with broom, a flowering plant. It has been
suggested that John and Isabelle did not reside at Broomie Knowe,
instead living in a stone cottage in Saline, however David's Birth
records indicate that the family were living at Broomie Knowe at
the time.
It was during
their time at Broomie Knowe that John and Isabella had 11 children
between 1787 and 1807, including 8 sons and 3 daughters as follows:
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Joseph
Hardie. Born 1787. Baptised 15 Jun 1787. Died
11 Jan 1845 |
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Isobel
Hardie. Born 1788. Baptised 26 Oct 1788. Died 28 Sep
1859 |
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William
Hardie. Born 7 Jun 1790. Baptised 13 Jun 1790.
Died abt 1873 |
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John
Hardie. Born 14 Mar 1792. (Died as Infant) |
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Marrion
Hardie. Born 1794. Baptised 18 May 1794. |
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John
Hardie. Born 6 Mar 1796. Baptised 15 Mar 1796. Died
17 Aug 1848. |
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David
Hardie. Born 18 Feb 1798. Baptised 25 Feb 1798.
Died 29 Apr 1856. |
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James
Hardie (Twin). Born 12 Aug 1800. Baptised 17 Aug 1800.
Died 5 Jan 1866. |
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Robert
Hardie (Twin). Born 12 Aug 1800. Baptised 17 Aug 1800. |
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Helen
Hardie. Born 1 Dec 1802. Baptised 5 Dec 1802.
Died 11 June 1886. |
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Alexander
Hardie. Born 12 Apr 1807. Christened 19 Apr 1807. |
The family grew
and became more prosperous and sometime after 1807, they moved to
Kinross, Fife. It was there that John built the first home that
he chose to name "Thorny Hill" after the dominant shrubbery. Investigations
indicate that the property was located about three and a half miles
east of Saline. The best information suggests that it was on a hill
now serving as a large sheep and cattle farm owned by John Graeme
and called Craigluscar Farm. Currently, the location is marked by
the rocky remains of a sizable structure that had obviously been
a house and barn. The building had a very nice view of the Firth
of Forth to the south as well as the low rolling hills all around.
The original thorny shrubs are no longer apparent. There is one
very stark and wind swept tree at the top of this hill next to the
ruins.
Some time after
1814, John and Isabel moved their family to Viewfield, a house and
property on what was then the outskirts of Kinross. They lived out
the balance of their life there. John invested in his sons Joseph
merchantile in Kinross and appears to have been active in assisting
all his children to establish stable professions.
John passed
away on 28 May 1833 at the age of 72. Isabella outlived him by 4
years, dying on 12 June 1837 at 74. Both
John and Isabella are buried in the cemetery in Saline, Fife. The
monument is a long horizontal slab that is intended to be set on
six short pillars in the manner of a table top. The pillars are
broken and fallen over, so the stone is also fallen. It has a coat
of moss, and it has suffered some damage from the elements. The
inscription states:
In
Memory
of
John Hardie
Fueur of Viewfield
Tenant of Broomie Knowe
died 20th day of May 1833
And of his Wife
Isabel Cousin
died June 12, 1837
And of
Joseph Hardie
Merchant in Kinross
died 11 January 1845
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