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Abraham Harding was born about June 14, 1720 in Warwick, Kent, RI, USA. Son of Stephen and Sarah King.
In the revolutionary war he served as Second Lieutenant in Colonel William Allison's regiment of the New York Militia. [citation needed]
Quoted from his grandson, Amos Harding, and recorded in the Harding bible that went to Amos' son Mordicai Rice Harding:
"Amos Harding, born in Orange Co., N. Y., March 10, 1764. Son of Abraham Harding, born near Waterford, Conn., in 1740. Son of Abraham Harding, born at Warwick, R. I., in 1720. (was a soldier in Revolutionary War) Son of Stephen Harding, born at Providence, R. I., 1681."
(Amos quoted) "Grandfather came to Connecticut from Rhode Island in 1732, where my father (Abraham) was born. In 1762 they left Connecticut, and came to New York. The next year father married Hulda Tryon in Connecticut. I was born a year later. When I was 13 years old father and family and two uncles moved to Luzerne county, Pennsylvania. Here they all remained for many years. In 1778 when the Indians came down the river out family had gone to Jenkin's Fort which was in command of my uncle Stephen. We came back to the Valley in the fall and rebuilt our house and sheds. Father and I cleared a large tract of timber land and when I married Phoebe Tripp in 1784 he gave me one-half of this cleared land. We lived on the farm 16 years and then moved up into Susquehanna county in 1800, and remained there until 1820 when I moved here." [1]
He married his wife Anna Dolson around the year 1741.
Abraham passed away in about 1806. He was buried in Clifford Cemetery in Clifford, Susquehanna, PA, USA.[2]
The DAR had assigned Ancestor A050147 to this man; however, the record is now marked "Future Applicants Must Prove Correct Service." Comments are: "Previous Residence and Service belongs to Abraham Harding A050148; Residence Must be Proven Before Service Can be Evaluated." Also, "Anna Dolson was NOT this man's wife." (Noted 2 Oct 2022)
A payroll record for Allison's militia unit has been found but not a list of soldiers.[3]
See also:
Harding, Wilber J., The Hardings in America : a genealogical register of the descendants of John Harding, of England born A.D. 1567. Info on birth place, parentage, relocation, marriage, military service
This PDF shows relationship to president WG Harding.
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H > Harding > Abraham Harding Sr
Categories: New York Militia, American Revolution | NSSAR Patriot Ancestors
Mercy (Vibber) Harding clearly lived past the time her father made out his will in April 1761. She and her husband were living in Nova Scotia in the 1760s, where their daughter Mercy was married. Mercy's father died in 1770, when Mercy and Abraham left Nova Scotia. They probably returned to Connecticut at that point.
Both the marriages and the births of the children overlap too much for both women to have been married to the same Abraham. Besides the fact that this Abraham would have been twelve years old when he married Mercy.
It would seem prudent at this time to detach Abraham from Mercy Vibber and her daughter. None of the source information attached to Harding-559 matches Mercy Vibber's Abraham.
So, there are many possible scenarios:
Scenario 1. Abraham Harding married Anna Dolson and older daughter of Isaac Dolson and she was dead before the time of Isaac Dolson's will:
Willbook A, pgs 237-240 ...26 May 1794, seal 2 June 1794 will Isaac Dolson, town Minisink, co. Orange, NY. 2 May 1794- son Issac my lands -- grson(grandson) James Dolson -- to wife Sarah Dolson furniture + remainder of estate bet sd wife + 2 daus Margaret Saidner (or Gardner) + Alcha Harding--- at death of son Isaac the lands to my dau Alcha 2 children Isaac + Sarah -- appt. wife Sarah + James Dolson + son-in-law Abraham Harding sole exs ?? Sideal Napes, Abraham Osborn David Sherwood
Issac (his mark) Dolson
Abstracts of Wills, Admins. and Guardianships in NY State, 1787-1835 New England Historic Genealogical Society
Scenario 2. Abraham Harding, married Mercy Vibber and had all the children with her and then she died. Abraham married 2nd, Aeltje (Anna) Dolson (1755-1802) and had 2 more children Isaac and Sarah as the will says above. A couple things support this. If you look at the details of the two Abraham's of New York in the 1800 census, one in Deer Park has to be Abraham (1779), son of John, son of Abraham, and the other must be Abraham, Sr. The problem is, only one person in the household is over 45, so that means if Anna was still alive, she was younger that 45. And if she was born in 1755, she may have been 44 at the time of the census. Now, Isaac was never a child listed of Abraham in the Hardings In America, but in Hartford Twp, Susquehanna County, PA, in 1820, who is this Isaac Harding? Could this be the missing Isaac Harding, son of an Abraham and Aeltje Dolson Harding as mentioned in the will above? Isaac son of John Harding is account for in 1820 living in Exeter Township, Luzerne County, PA, just a few miles south. There is an extra Isaac of age in 1820!
One important detail to note on the marriage of Abraham Harding to Mercy Vibber is that that the actual documentation in the preacher's diary states that he married in 1734 Abrah Harden and Mercy Vibber in the "north parish" of New London (Connecticut Colony) later Montville, CT. The only issue is that Mercy Vibber's father was Church of Christ and the Hardings were Baptists and Abraham Harding was staunch enough Baptist to use his military money to help fund the beginning of the Baptist Church of Clifford. So was the marriage of Abraham Harden, really Abraham Harding or not? I sure can't find an Abraham Harden that fits other than our Abraham Harding.
Scenario 3. Isaac Dolson had two daughters, Anna (1720) and Aletje (1855) that married two different Abraham Harding's and the older child was left out of the will. Seems unlikely but maybe Anna was dead. I know histories state that Abraham, SR waited until after his wife died in 1802 to come to Clifford, but maybe this was a generated fact based on "a" wife of "an" Abraham dying in NY in 1802. Maybe Aeltje who married a different Abraham died in 1802. It is possible Abraham (1779) was married once before, but the issue here is it appears he is in the census in Deer Park, single with 2 children in 1880. This is also not recorded anywhere. Abraham (1779), son of John, didn't start having known children until 1807 in Deer Park. So there are some unusual things that are not lining up.
I am open to people's ideas. I am not ready to say that anything is 100% correct because there are a lot of questions no matter which path is taken. There could be a scenario 4 where the mother of Abraham (1744) is basically not even known.
The crazy part is in 1800, where the household of Abraham Harding in Minisink has 10 people living in it. Daniel Albertson has already married Sarah and she is living in that household. It could be Isaac has married and has a few children, but a couple of these children in 1800, have to be either Abraham and Anna's or deceased relatives children. It could be one of the other grandchildren are living with them as well.
In the 1800 Abraham Household: Minisink, Orange, New York Free White Males Under 10: 1 Free White Males 10 thru 15: 2 Free White Males 16 thru 25: 1 (Could be Isaac) Free White Males 45 and over: 1 (Abraham) Free White Females Under 10: 2 Free White Females 16 thru 25 2 Free White Females 26 thru 44 1 (Anna)