John Harding, was born in Goochland County, Virginia on November 2, 1777.
Along with his family, his father and siblings, John settled in Davidson County Tennessee in 1798. After clearing, farming, and overseeing land for his father for nearly a decade, John married Susannah Shute, August 6th 1806. They began their life on what was the old Dunham Station property at Richland Creek, six miles west of Nashville. Their original 250 acre farm and log cabin would multiply rapidly by 1820, to 3800 acres and a brick Federal style home.
By 1839, John turned his successful stud farm at Belle Meade Plantation over to his son William Giles Harding to maintain. At the time of his death on September 16th 1865 he was noted as one of Davidson County’s largest landholders.
