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Every locality has its
roster of names which are so indelibly connected with the progress of the
community that its history would be imcomplete if they were omitted. The Hardin
family began to make its imprint on the history of Sonoma county at an early
date and several generations of men have brought nothing but honorable repute
to the family name.
On September 19, 1858, John Marcus Hardin was born in
Petaluma to William Jefferson Hardin and his wife Rebecca (Smith). He lived a
full and useful life for seventy-seven years and was a leading citizen of
Petaluma. When death terminated his career on October 31, 1935, nothing but
words of commendation were spoken of him. He was a genial man who surrounded
himself with many loyal friends; his word was as good as his bond, and in all
his business operations he was a man of the utmost integrity. A good mixer,
much of his time during the later years of his life was spent at the Elks Club,
of which he had long been an active member. He is survived by his wife, Lulu G.
Hardin, whom he married September 21, 1882.
Lulu Hardin's father, John P.
Rodehaver, left his native state of Illinois and came to Petaluma in 1858 where
he lived until the time of his death at the age of fifty-eight years, June 17,
1899. Her mother, Clara Amelia (Gaskill) arrived in Petaluma from her home in
Michigan when she was twelve years old. She lived until February 20, 1923, and
was the mother of a large family whose members are connected with public life
over the entire state of California.
As a child Lulu Rodehaver attended the
Stony Point school. Married at the age of eighteen, she moved with her husband
to their own ranch, seven miles out of Petaluma in the Waugh District. It was a
large ranch of approximately 350 acres where grain and hay were raised for the
dairy herd of about fifty cattle. In addition they conducted a highly
profitable poultry business, their flock numbering into the thousands. Their
enterprises were well managed, and when Marcus Hardin and his wife retired from
active control of their ranch property and moved into the city of Petaluma,
they were rated as among the most prosperous retired ranchers of the entire
community.
To Marcus and Lulu Hardin was born one son, Jefferson Rolla
Hardin, on November 10, 1884. He and his wife (Nellie Tonini) took over the
managment of the ranch which originally belonged to his father and they still
reside on the old home place. They are the parents of three sons --Ray Hardin,
who is an automobile salesman with the Saunders Automobile Company of Petaluma:
Chet Hardin, connected with the Kinslow Monument Company of Santa Rosa and J.
Marcus Hardin who is a young attorney of Piedmont.
The latter, after his
marriage to Miss Esther June Vaughan, youngest daughter of Judge and Mrs.
Marvin T. Vaughan of Santa Rosa, experienced a rapid rise in his profession.
Soon after leaving law school he became deputy city attorney of Berkeley. An
appointment as city attorney of Berkeley was his next step upward. He
subsequently became deputy district attorney of Alameda county under Earl
Warren, which position he resigned to enter the firm of Decoto and St. Sure, as
junior member.
Mr. and Mrs. Hardin have been for many years members of the
Congregational church. They have always enjoyed the reputation of being a
kindly and generous couple whose greatest joy was to extend a helping hand to
another who was in need. The entire county is richer because of the heritage of
such citizens as Lulu G. Hardin and her highly esteemed
husband. |
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