Nancy Ethel Gearhart was born 6 May 1871. She was the daughter of Allen Gearhart and Mary Hardin. Family stories say that Nancy's mother Mary Hardin was Cherokee Indian and never married Nancy's father. Nancy was supposed to have spent her early childhood with her mother and later being raised by a family named Ellington, somewhere around Paragon, Rowan County, Kentucky. (a family story that may be true or not) When Nancy was young she worked as a cook serving meals to workers moving logs down the river to the saw mills. That is how she met her husband William Norvel Hargis, son of Jacob Hargis and Nancy Calhoun.  William and Nancy were married 24 Aug 1892 in Rowan County, Kentucky. They raised seven children on a farm in Rowan County,  Eugenia E. 1894-1975, Charles Ottis 1896-1976, Sally Ann 1898-1995, Lottie M.1902-1902, Thomas Allen 1904-1982, Jack Earl 1912-1960 and Mary Avanelle 1914-1996. Nancy's husband William Norvel Hargis died on 22 Jul 1946 in Rowan, County. Nancy moved to Mesa, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix, in the 1950's where she lived with her son Jack Hargis and daughters Mary Avonelle  and Eugenia. Nancy Ethel (Gearhart) Hargis died on 24 Oct 1959 in Mesa, Arizona (#368). Nancy (Gearhart) Hargis and her husband  William Norvel Hargis are buried in Brown Cemetery, Morehead, Rowan County, Kentucky. Photo of nancy on left is about 1886.