In 1817 John Hardie, a young man of 21, left his home in Scotland and travelled to America, hoping to make his fortune in the new world.
By 1835, when he and his wife and his three young sons moved to Talladega County, Alabama, he had prospered sufficiently to be able to acquire a large acreage of farm land, where he built his plantation home "Thornhill." Six more children were born at Thornhill.
Only thirteen years after moving to Talladega County, John Hardie died, in August 1844, at age 52. His widow lived at Thornhill until her death in 1872, after which it was bought by their daughter Annie Eliza, who had married J. M. Lewis. Annie Eliza died at Thornhill in 1880, aged 34, and later J. M. Lewis sold Thornhill.
Ownership of Thornhill remained out of the Hardie family from that time until 1959, when it was bought by John Hardie's great-granddaughter Anna Meade Minnigerode and her husband H. Gordon Minnigerode.
After restoring the house into a beautiful and comfortable home, Anna decided to have a Hardie family reunion there, and invited all of the family members that she knew about. On Saturday 30 March 1974, 140 Hardie decendants and spouses gathered at Thornhill, and a permanent organization was suggested.
The Thornhill Foundation was incorporated in 1974 as an Alabama non-profit corporation, with Otis Moreman Jr. of Auburn, Alabama, as first president.
The purpose of the Thornhill Foundation is "to fster and promote education and ... the restoration, preservation, and maintenance of historic structures, grounds, and other sites of historic interest, and to dispense information regarding such sites to the public in the form of books, magazines, booklets, and other publications." [Articles of Incorporation.]
One of the main purposes of the Foundation was to acquire possession of and to maintain the family cemetery located on the grounds of Thornhill. The cemetery had been left by John Hardie to his descendants. In 1979, after Gordon Minnigerode's death, Anna Minnigerode, owner of Thornhill, transferred all her interest in the cemetery to the Thornhill Foundation, and the Foundation assumed full responsibility for managing the cemetery for the benefit of John Hardie's descendants and other interested persons. Another acre adjoining the cemetery was donated to The Foundation by the present owners of Thornhill, Mr. and Mrs. M. P. Greene (Pat and Marilyn).
In addition, the Foundation has developed genealogical records of the Hardie family and maintains a directory of the living adult members of the family. the Foundation has been the focus of annual Hardie family reunions, which have usually taken place either at Thornhill, or on the Alabama Gulf Coast, or in New Orleans.
The Foundation has also established a collection of family letters, papers, photographs, and other memorabilia. This collection of memorabilia, donated by members of the Hardie family, is on extended load to The Historic New Orleans Collection, and may be seen there by interested family members and other historians.
There are two types of membership in the Thornhill Foundation. All direct descendants of John Hardie of Thornhill are automatically "Life Members." The class of "Regular Members" includes all interested in the Foundation (including Life Members and friends) who have made a donation to the Foundation for the current year. (At present, a person may make an annual donation of as little as $15 to be considered a regular Member.) Only Regular Members may vote and hold office.
The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that all donations to the Thornhill Foundation are tax deductible. Membership donations may be sent to:
The Thornhill Foundation
c/o: Alice Lanaux Rainold. treasurer
814 Lowerline Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
Donations to The Foundation in memory of family members and friends may be sent to
Memorial Gifts Committee
c/o: Morgan L. Shaw
7800 Freret Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118