Annie B. Hardy

ANNIE BELL REED HARDY was born on December 12, 1906 in Lunenburg County, Virginia, the oldest daughter of William and Eva Reed. She had 2 brothers and 3 sisters. At an early age, she came to Baltimore to live with an aunt and to attend public school. According to one of the many stories she regaled us with over the years, one day when she was approximately 6 years old, her mother showed up at her aunt’s house unexpectedly to inform her that she would be returning to Virginia the next day to help in the tobacco fields. Life on a tobacco farm for a city-raised child was difficult and unrewarding. So at the age of 16, Annie Bell informed her family that she would be returning to Baltimore and embarking on an urban career. With her mother’s blessing, Annie returned to Baltimore and was employed at Wynan’s Military Hospital for several years. Even at that early age she had begun to develop that independence that she would carry with her throughout her life. Always the trailblazer, within a year, the entire Reed family had followed her example and migrated to the Baltimore area.In 1926, Annie’s oldest brother, William, reintroduced her to John Hardy whose family she had known in Virginia. After the traditional period of courtship, she and John decided to marry. Typically, after this decision was made, John and Annie saved sufficient funds to find suitable housing and purchase the necessary furnishings. Only then did she inform her family of her decision to marry. Once again, she received her family’s blessing because she had proven that she had the will and determination to pursue a dream. The willingness to work for what she wanted or needed and the ability to preserve her funds to achieve what she wanted would remain a part of the pattern of her life. She worked hard to instill these same values in all of her children.Six children, William, Eva, Louis, Ernest, Nathaniel, and Eunice were born, the result of the union of John and Annie Hardy. With limited education and finances, John and Annie were able to provide for their family, purchase a home and give each of their children the resources necessary to complete his or her education and to follow his or her individual dream. She told us stories of growing up in rural Virginia; of the hard work in the tobacco fields with little hope for advancement, of walking miles in inclement weather to acquire the limited education available at that time and place; of how she filled a wayward white farmer with buckshot after he intruded on her family’s property, a dangerous act in those troubled and segregated times; and, of how she would hitch the mule to the wagon and with her shotgun by her side, traveled as she pleased with keen and ready regard for her personal safety. She was courageous in age when women were expected to be subservient and complacent. She was also loving and keenly protective of her family. She gave her children a reason to be proud; encouraged them when they needed encouragement, stood by them when they needed support and was, in every sense of the word, a Mother, a good Mother, an excellent role model for both male and female. Without exception, her children have pursued and have been successful in their chosen professions and she has been able to watch her grandchildren successful in their chosen professions and she has been able to watch her grandchildren achieve even greater heights.John and Annie Hardy were married for 53 years until John’s death in 1980. She survived al of her sibling and contemporaries. Her devotion was not limited to her family but extended to others who she embraced into the family fold. And, she was devoted to her God and her religion. She was a member of Enon Baptist Church for more than 73 years and, while she was still able, a devoted worshipper and a member of several church organizations, including the mother’s club. These values of religion and service have been passed down to her children and grandchildren, many of whom are very active in the various churches in the Baltimore area, especially Enon Baptist Church. Annie Hardy is survived by six children, 10 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great grandchildren, 3 daughters-in-law and 1 son-in-law. Despite her age, she always found time to interact with each of them with the same kind of love and devotion showed to her own children.

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Annie B. Hardy

December 12, 1906 - December 14, 2003