Histories

Elmer Evan Hardin

Elmer Evan Hardin was born September 19, 1884 in 5 miles South West of Cambridge, Furnas County, Nebraska in a homestead sod house located.in Red Willow County, Nebraska. He was the son of Abner Field Hardin and Lentha Elvira Danielson. Abner and Lentha had four children. Elmer was the oldest and only son of this couple. By age 16 in 1900 Elmer had moved to East Valley, Red Willow County, Nebraska. It was in Nebraska that Elmer and most likely acquired his skills with Percheron horses. His father Abner bread raised and sold Percheron horses as did Abner’s brother Evan Shelby Hardin. 

Abner Field Hardin and Lentha Elvira Danielson came to California in 1902 settling in Pomona. Pomona at that time was replete with citrus groves which was the major industry of the area. It is believed all of Abner and Lentha’s children accompanied them to California. Their oldest child Clara Hardin married in California in 1904 George L Baker. Laura Lentha Hardin their 3^rd child was married in California in 1909, Joseph Moses Whitehead. Ella Danielson Hardin the 4^th child married in Pomona, California in 1909, Paul R Bruce.

To date we have no explanation for what precipitated Abner and Lentha’s move to California. We might speculate California might have been an opportunity to sell Percheron horses. 

December 22, 1904 Emma Viola Wirt left Keithsburg, Mercer County, Illinois for California, settling in Pomona, after a bitter divorce from husband Albert Linden Emerson. With her came her four children: Maude E Emerson age 22, Joseph Linden Emerson age 18, Lola Grace Emerson age 14, and Sidney Wirt Emerson age 10. It is not known why she chose Pomona, California but we can speculate that the booming citrus industry in Pomona may have afforded Emma an opportunity to work in the citrus packing sheds. During this time the packing sheds were almost all staffed by women. She was 46 years old when she came to California and during this era it would have been very difficult for a woman to obtain work for which she could support her children. It was also not uncommon at the time for children to work in the sheds. It is believed Maude, Joseph, and Lola may have worked in the sheds as well. Old photographs kept by Maude show a large group of people working in the packing sheds.

We know Elmer Evan Hardin’s younger sister Laura Lentha Hardin was working as a packer in a citrus packing shed in 1905. It is also believed Maude E Emerson, Joseph Linden Emerson and Lola Grace Emerson were working in the same shed as Laura Lentha Hardin. It is presumed the packing shed in which they worked was owned by the Whitehead family.

It is clear a social group formed between the Whitehead’s, Hardin’s, and the Emerson’s. 

Byron Roy Whitehead who would later become the husband of Lola Grace Emerson, had ties to Canada as his father Moses Whitehead and mother Sarah Adamson were born there. And they still had family living there. About 1906 to 1907 vast areas of Saskatchewan, Canada were made available to homesteaders. The information on the land quite likely came from Byron as his mother was still alive and lived there.

Among my photos, I have a picture of this group of young adults picnicking under a tree.

I can only imagine these young adults sitting under a tree discussing the opportunity to own vast amounts of land in Canada. The decision was made to head for Canada, Byron Roy Whitehead and Lola Grace Emerson, Elmer Evan Hardin and Maude Esther Emerson there may possibly have been others made their way north. 

Upon their arrival in Canada Evan Hardin married Maude Esther Emerson. The wedding took place June 27, 1907 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. On March 15, 1909 Byron Roy Whitehead married Lola Grace Emerson and on April 21, 1909 Laura Lentha Hardin married Joseph Moses Whitehead.

Joseph Moses Whitehead and Byron Roy Whitehead were half brothers. It is therefore easy to conclude the Hardin and the Emerson families were well acquainted.

Elmer Evan Hardin and Maude Esther Emerson’s first child, Sidney Donald Hardin was born September 05, 1908 in Davidson, Saskatchewan, Canada. Byron Roy Whitehead and Lola Grace Emerson’s (Maude’s sister) first child Jack Linden Whitehead was born April 25, 1910 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada. Elmer and Maud’s second child Emma Lena Hardin (my maternal grandmother) was born March 07, 1910 in Davidson, Saskatchewan, Canada. There are no records to indicate Elmer Evan Hardin and Maude Esther Emerson owned land in Canada, however there are records which show Byron and Lola did. 

There is evidence to support Elmer and Maude’s departure from Canada took place in 1910, however Byron and Lola’s third child Sarah was born in Canada in 1914 so they were still there then.

In June of 1910 Emma Viola Wirt (Emerson) returned to Illinois presumably because her mother, Ester Grove (Wirt) was ill. While she was there visiting, her mother, a Summons to appear in court for divorce proceedings was issued on July 9, 1910. On July 14, 1910, the Summons is served but given to Hester Stevens, where Emma is staying. Around this same time, Elmer and Maude arrive in Illinois presumably in support of Maud’s mother Emma. On September 14, 1910, a court hearing is held where Albert L. Emerson seeks a divorce on the grounds of desertion. Emma V. Wirt (Emerson) is not present, and the divorce is granted by default. Elmer and Maude and Emma V. Wirt return to Pomona. Elmer and Maude are listed in the voter registration list for 1914 – 1916 living in Brea. This is where their fourth and last child Ester Marie Hardin was born on January 16, 1916. Ester Marie died as an infant.

On September 12, 1918 Elmer registered for the draft. The permanent home address given is 730 West 11^th Street in Pomona. His occupation is given as a Hay Bailer, working for P. F. Davis. His place of employment is given as McFarland, in Kern County, California and his wife living in Pomona. Elmer and Maude are listed in 1920 voter registration list for Pomona; his occupation is given as a laborer. He and Maude are listed in the 1922 voter registration list for Pomona; his occupation is given as a farmer. His address is given as 322 West 11^th Street in Pomona.

Elmer and Maude moved to San Fernando per the 1930 voter registration list for San Fernando living at 1219 7^th Street in San Fernando. While living in San Fernando Elmer had acquired a small five-acre citrus grove near Foothill Blvd. Elmer and Maude are again listed in the 1932 and 1934 voter registration list for San Fernando still living at 1219 7^th Street in San Fernando. They are listed in the 1936 voter registration list for San Fernando now living at 1011 De Foe Street in San Fernando.

It was while they lived in San Fernando Elmer and Maud’s daughter Emma Lena Hardin met Everett Samuel Olin who would become her husband on April 30, 1929.

In 1930 Elmer Hardin’s occupation is listed as fumigator. In 1930 the California citrus industry was hit with a disease known then as the “Blight”. The practice of tenting a citrus tree then pumping in Hydrogen Cyanide gas was common place and seen as the only effective way to combat the disease. We know from Elmer and Maude this was what Elmer did for a living in San Fernando.

The Hydrogen Cyanide gas had severely damaged his lungs. While walking near a garage Elmer fell into a pit used to work under automobiles. He was taken to the hospital for injuries he sustained from the fall. It was then the damage to his lungs was discovered. He was hospitalized for this condition and operated on. Ultimately, he had only one usable lung, he was at that time told by the doctors the best thing he could do was to move to a place with an arid climate where he would be more comfortable in his remaining last days. He was given about a year to live. He was of course stubborn and it was during the Depression, so he walked out of the hospital refusing to stay there and went to a garage to get his car so he could go to work. Shortly afterwards sometime between 1936 and 1938 they moved to town of Rosamond near Lancaster.

Maude told my mother several times that she loved Rosamond and gave credit to their home there for keeping Elmer alive for nearly 25 additional years after the doctors said he would not live longer than a year.

Upon Elmer and Maude’s arrival in Rosamond Elmer worked for the WPA on a roads project. About in the mid 1930’s Tropico Gold mine reopened and Elmer moved to Burton’s Camp and went to work in the Mill at Tropico. The house they rented at Burton’s camp was made from an old Pacific Fruit Express refrigeration car. The old house is still burned in my memory and to this day remains some of my fondest memories. In 1958 the Settle family who now owned the Tropico mine began to turn it into a tourist attraction. They restored some of the old buildings and even moved some in from surrounding areas. They had mine tours and some of the buildings had been turned into souvenir shops. Elmer had become an expert on rocks and seemed to know the name of every rock around. The old assay shop became a rock shop where he made jewelry out of rocks. They also had a museum with artifacts of the mine. In this museum was a section dedicated to Elmer and Maude and included some of their things. By the early 1960’s Elmer’s damaged lungs could no longer sustain him and on October 07, 1961 he passed away in the hospital in Lancaster.