Ellen B. Harding

Ellen B. Harding (1857-1899) was the daughter of Ephraim Harding and Harriet Smith, as well as the sister of William, John, Thomas, and Polly. She was the wife of Norval Rasey and the mother of William, Charles, Isaac, May, Ellen, and Clyde.

Biography
Ellen was born in 1857 in Buchanan, Missouri to Ephraim Harding and Harriet Smith. She had three older brothers named William, John, and Thomas. William had been born in 1848, John in 1853, and Thomas in 1855. Additionally, Ellen also had a younger sister named Polly, who was born in 1860. Her mother died around 1865 when Ellen was nine.

She married Norval Rasey on March 23, 1874 in Buchanan, Missouri at the age of seventeen. Norval and Ellen had six children, including William (b. 1877), Charles (b. 1879), Isaac (b. 1889), May (b. 1890), Ellen (b. 1893), and Clyde (b. 1897). Unfortunately, Norval and Ellen both died in 1899 when their youngest child, Clyde, was only two years old. Ellen was only 42 years old. Their two daughters (Ellen and May) went into foster care, and while Ellen and May were eventually separated, they were able to connect again when they were adults. May apparently lived close to Clyde, who was adopted by Hiram Hatfield and his wife Delila Toler. Ironically, May would later go onto marry their son, Charles Martin Hatfield.