Peter Hardie **

   Another name for Peter was Petter Hardie.

  General Notes:

No parents names are recorded on their marriage record. Note, however that two other marriages are recorded on the same page for people who may be related:

James Cowan & Helen Wilson - 7th March 1806
John Hardie & Jean Cowan - 14th July 1806

There is a record for a baptism of a Peter Hardie in Kemback, Fife some 42 miles from Airth where he was married. This Peter was baptised 17 Jul 1785 so would be around the right age if the age in the 1841 census is right. Parents were James Hardie and Agnes Higgie, both forenames used by Peter for his own children. His second known daughter was named Agnes which under Scottish naming conventions would indicate his mother's name. James and Agnes had children Margaret, James, Christian and Janet. All names used by Peter for his own children. Most importantly I have a DNA connection as does my mother with Heggie/Higgie ancestors from Fife. At this stage I believe these are Peter's parents.

A mortcloth was paid for for a William Hardie in Bothwell in 1820. Although there was another Hardie couple living here at this time - James Hardie and Margaret Naismith - they do not appear to have had a child named William so he may belong to Peter and Elizabeth. James' death certificate reveals he is not related to Peter. Peter and Elizabeth did have a child who died in 1820 and who was buried in the Bellshill Relief Church in neighbouring Bellshill. However it seems unlikely that they would obtain a Mortcloth from the Bothwell church for use in a ceremony in another church.

In the 1841 Census he was living with his family at Newarthill. Their names are recorded as HARDER at Scotlandspeople. He is aged 55, a coal miner, an 'O' appears in the column to indicate whether born in the County or otherwise. Presumably this means "Otherwise". Curiously his wife Elizabeth and the children don't have the same indicator, even though Elizabeth was born in Stirlingshire. His wife Elizabeth was aged 50, James 20, a coal miner, and Margaret, aged 14.

Next door was a household containing Alexander Tannent and his wife Christian, aged 20, and their son James aged 2. An Alexander TENANT and Christian HARDIE married in Bothwell on the 3rd June 1838 so I am assuming this is the same couple. Christian was Peter & Elizabeth's daughter. While I havent found any birth or baptism records to prove this yet there is much evidence to support it. ALSO in this household was John and Agnes Taylor and their two children. Agnes is also Peter and Elisabeth's daughter.

In the 1851 Census a visitor to James Hardie's house (Peter's son) is a niece, Janet Hardie Tenant, aged 10. Two other children by this couple are living with Agnes and her husband John Taylor. One of them, Cathren/Catherine is believed to have moved to the USA with them and raised as Catherine Taylor.

Of their known children two of them, Agnes and James emigrated to Broad Top, Pennsylvania - a coal mining town - while another, Margaret emigrated to Australia during the gold rush there in 1863 (her husband went in 1858). They all raised large families in their new countries. Daughter Christian is believed to have died at a young age and daughter Mary stayed in Scotland. However, one of Mary's grandsons, James Cullen Allan, also emigrated to Broad Top and raised a family there.

Peter was buried in the Bellshill Relief Church burial ground on 9 February 1843. Bellshill Relief Church was a Secessionist Presbyterian Church. Although the Church building he attended no longer stands, the site is the present day St Andrews United Free Church of Scotland in Bellshill.

  Noted events in his life were:

• He resided at the time of the Census with his family in 1841 in Newarthill, Lanark, Scotland.

• He worked as a Coal Miner at the time of the Census in 1841 in Newarthill, Lanark, Scotland.

• He worked as a Colliery Manager according to his wife Elizabeth's Death Certificate.

• He worked as a Colliery Manager according to daughter Mary's death cert.

• He worked as a Miner according to Daughter Margaret's Death Certificate.

Peter married Elizabeth Cowan **, daughter of John Cowan ** and Mary Love **, on 28 Feb 1806 in Airth, Stirling, Scotland. (Elizabeth Cowan ** was born in 1788 in Airth, Stirling, Scotland, christened on 20 Jan 1788 in Airth, Stirling, Scotland and died on 11 Mar 1874 in Baird's Square - Holytown, Bothwell, Lanark, Scotland.). The cause of her death was Old Age/ 3 weeks (!).

  Marriage Notes:

No parents names are recorded on their Marriage Record.
Note however that two other marraiges are recorded on the same page for people who may be related:

James Cowan & Helen Wilson - 7th March
John Hardie & Jean Cowan - 14th July