Person:Joseph Hart (25)

JOSEPH's mother died when he was an infant. His father placed him in the care of a kind Christian neighbor, with whom he lived until age 16. Joseph became a Christian when age 10 or 11 years old.

Joseph fought in the Revolutionary War (Pvt. Fourth Virginia Regiment <1777-1778>). From a wound in that war, he carried a "minnie ball" in his hip for the rest of his life.

He moved from Loudon County, Virginia to Greene County, Virginia, then to Washington County, Virginia. Loudoun County (correct spelling) is located about 30 miles west of Washington, D. C., along the border with Maryland. Greene County can be found about 80 miles southwest of Washington, D. C., and along the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Washington County is near the western tip of Virginia, at the highest elevation in the state. It is located along the border with Tennessee, near where it meets North Carolina.

In 1790 Joseph moved to near Maryville, Tennessee (about 15 miles from Knoxville). That move included his wife, son, and half sister, Jane Hart. He lived on this Blount County farm for 26 years. Blount County is adjacent to the North Carolina border. The southeastern part of the county is now a part of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Joseph was a teacher as well as a farmer. He taught in the first school in Blount County, Tennessee. The school house was on land owned afterwards by David Eagleton (see WeRelate Page).

Joseph stood 5' 8" tall, and weighed about 130 pounds. He was known to be always clean and neat. He was opposed to slavery, which is why he moved on to Indiana. While still in Tennessee, in 1820 he sent his son Gideon Blackburn Hart to the west to find a new home for the family.

In September 1821 the family migrated to Bartholomew County, Indiana. Joseph purchased 160 acres of land five miles east of Columbus, Indiana.

Joseph organized the Presbyterian Church of Columbus, Indiana on July 3, 1824. He became the ruling elder of the church. He was known for his marvelous handwriting. Joseph taught at a log school from 1824-1835, which was constructed (apparently on his property), across from the Sand Hill Cemetery, where he was first buried.

The Columbus Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is named for Joseph.

--White Creek 04:19, 25 September 2013 (UTC)

MAP OF SAND HILL AREA

JOSEPH HART stone at Garland Brook

1. ↑ Diane (McCallie) Lower of Indianapolis, Indiana.
2. ↑ Hart, Charles Coffin. Joseph Hart and his descendants. (St. Louis, Mo.: R.P. Studley & Co., 1901)
   1901.

   Available at the Columbus, Indiana Library. Also the Library of Congress.

3. ↑ Bartholomew County, Indiana History and Genealogy.
4. ↑ History of Blount County, Tennessee
   1795-1955.

   Published by the Mary Blount Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution

5. ↑ Bill Anderson's website: http://paintrock.net.
6. ↑ Berkey, Carol. First Presbyterian Church Columbus, Indiana: a history. (Pentzer Printing, Inc.).
7. ↑ .

   Joseph was reburied at the Garland Brook Cemetery because of the widening of the road beside Sand Hill Cemetery resulted in several graves having to be removed.