FIRST THORNHILL FOUNDATION GATHERING OF HARDIES IN 1974 AT THORNHILL

The Thornhill Foundation was organized by the descendants of John Hardie, who emigrated from Scotland to America in 1817. The Foundation’s name is taken from the name “Thornhill” that John Hardie gave to the plantation he established in Talladega, Alabama, in 1834. The Thornhill Foundation is a tax exempt organization under the regulations of the Internal Revenue Service and section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

John Hardie, the son of John Hardie and Isabel Cousin Hardie, was baptized on March 6, 1796 in Saline, Fife, Scotland. He left Scotland in 1817 and settled in Alabama in 1818. He married Mary Mead Hall, the daughter of the Rev. Isaac Hall and Mary Mead, in 1828, and they had nine children. John Hardie died at Thornhill in Talladega, Alabama, in 1848.Mary Mead Hall Hardie died at Thornhill in 1872.

The original purpose of the Foundation was to take possession of and maintain a two acre tract including the family cemetery located adjacent to Thornhill. Thornhill is now owned by Marilyn and Pat Greene who are not descendants of John Hardie, but they are enthusiastic directors of the Foundation.

The Foundation has also published a history of the John Hardie family, John Hardie of Thornhill and His Family by Lillian Galt Martin. In 1994 we published Brothers in Arms: The Hardie Family in the Civil War. The Foundation maintains genealogical records of the family and a directory of the adult members of the family for its Newsletter. The Foundation has also become the focus of Hardie family reunions. Our mailing list currently includes over 600 Hardie families.

While maintaining genealogical records of descendants of John Hardie, the Foundation has also undertaken a study of the genealogy of other Hardies, especially the descendants of John Hardie’s brothers and sisters and his uncles and aunts.

If The Thornhill Foundation interests you, we would be pleased to add your name to our mailing list. We ask our members to make a minimum contribution of $35.00 a year to cover our expenses. Click on this tab to access the membership form: MEMBERSHIP FORM

You may write to us at:

The Thornhill Foundation – P.O. Box 15191 – New Orleans, LA  70175-5191