Bennington

HARD, James & Zadok

Vermont Historical Magazine, No. XI, October 1867, p 134
(extracted from a section on the history of Arlington Bennington County, 
Vermont)

According to carefully transmitted tradition, there was in London [England] 
at the time of the great plague, a family by the name of HARD. All perished 
but James, a lad fourteen years of age, who was by the public authority 
apprenticed to the celebrated Capt. KIDD, whom he served in various 
capacities for seven years. (This was before KIDD became a pirate.) Being 
then free, James HARD came to Strafford [probably means "Stratford" in 
Fairfield County, since other places mentioned in this biography are in 
Fairfield County, but could be "Stafford" in Tolland County], Connecticut, 
then to Newtown [Fairfield County, Connecticut], where he [James HARD] 
married a woman by the name of TOMLINSON and died at the age of one hundred 
and seven years. From the above circumstance, the HARDs were, for several 
generations, called "KIDDs." James HARD left two sons, Joseph and James, and 
several daughters. James the younger was an opulent farmer of Newtown [in 
the original text, Newtown is followed by "Ma" or "Me," through which a line 
has been drawn, and written in the margin is "Ct"; submitter agrees should be 
Newtown, Fairfield County, Connecticut; Massachusetts then had a "Newton" in 
Middlesex County but no "Newtown" and Maine had neither at that time], 
married Hannah KIMBERLEY [submitter assumption KIMBERLEY is a surname]. They 
had eleven children. Zadok, the youngest, came to Arlington [since a state 
other than Vermont is not specified, submitter assumes Arlington, Bennington 
County, Vermont; at that time there was no Arlington in Connecticut] in 1768. 
Ann, who married Andrew HAWLEY, came perhaps, a year or two earlier. Capt. 
James, the oldest, married Hester BOOTH and came a few years later. Capt. 
James HARD was a devoted loyalist.

Zadok HARD, Esq., brother of Capt. James, was a loyalist in principle, but 
actively employed on his farm, gave very little occasion for complaint. It 
was said that he secreted and fed the loyalists who fled to him for shelter. 
For this, and perhaps other kindred offences, he was several times arrested 
and heavily fined. He seems to have had a habit of assisting the needy, as 
many well authenticated anecdotes show. On a certain occasion a negro who 
had run away from his master fled to the house of Zadok HARD for protection, 
and was not betrayed. On another occasion twenty-five famished American 
soldiers were fed at Esq. HARD's house, on Mrs. HARD's express invitation. 
It certain that no needy person ever left the house unrelieved. He [Zadok 
HARD] married first, Chloe NOBLES of Brookfield [Fairfield County], 
Connecticut. Their children were Hannah, Lemira, Belus, Chloe, Lucy, Noble, 
Polly, Zadok, Jesse, Sylvanus, and Sarah. [The article states "married 
first," implying another marriage, but ends without elaborating.]

Submitted by Cathy Kubly