DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Hardeman County — now there's a name that carries some weight, and not just one man's weight, but two. Let's go back to the beginning.
February 1, 1858 — that's when this county was first created. But creation, it turns out, wasn't the end of the story. Not even close.
The county was recreated on August 21, 1876, and then — as if it needed one more try to get things right — organized on December 30, 1884. Three times to get a county settled in. Texas didn't do anything small, including its paperwork.
Now, who exactly is this county named for? That's the part worth slowing down on, because the answer isn't just one person — it's two. Bailey Hardeman, born 1785, died 1836, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
And Thomas Jones Hardeman, born 1788, died 1854, who served as a member of the Texas Congress and Legislature. Two Hardemans. Different men.
Both worth remembering. When the county finally got organized in 1884, it needed a seat. That first county seat was called Margarette, and it held that distinction from 1884 all the way to 1890.
Then things shifted — as they tend to do out here — and Quanah took over as county seat, a name given in honor of Quanah Parker, a Comanche chief. So you've got a county named for two men who helped build Texas on paper, with a seat named for a man who lived Texas on the land. That right there is Hardeman County — and the marker says everything it needs to.
What the marker says
Created February 1, 1858 Recreated August 21, 1876 Organized December 30, 1884 Named in honor of Bailey Hardeman, 1785-1836, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and Thomas Jones Hardeman, 1788-1854 member of the Texas Congress and Legislature. County seat, Margarette, 1884-1890 Quanah, since, in honor of Quanah Parker, a Comanche chief