Joseph Hardin Clements (CSA)

Born 1 Dec. 1849, Joseph Hardin Clements was named for Col. Joseph Hardin, great grandfather of John Wesley Hardin. Hardin's father's sister married Emmanuel Clements, and the Hardin and Clements cousins were close. Little is known of Joseph Clements' early life, but in 1871 he and brothers Mannen (Emmanuel) and Gip (John Gipson) convinced Hardin to accompany them on a cattle drive to Abilene, KS. Hardin admits to killing several men on that drive, and Mannen killed two of the Clements' cowboys, for which he was arrested. Hardin had become acquainted with Hickok in Abilene, and made arrangements with Wild Bill for Mannen to escape. John Wesley and Mannen often rode together, piling up indictments wherever they appeared. One or more of the other Clements boys occasionally joined the "party," so much so that the individual activities are not clearly discernable. Joe seems to have been part of the general mayhem perpetrated by the Clements clan for the last quarter of the century. They all fought on the Taylor side of the Taylor-Sutton feud, and Joe signed the "peace treaties" of 1872 and 1874. About 1899, he moved to Hope, south of Roswell, NM, and later moved to the ladder. By the 1920s he was a successful sheep rancher. [Thrapp, Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, Vol. I, pp 283-4]

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/jcs03

Joseph Clements - A cowboy, gunman, and one of the Clements brothers, he trailed John Wesley Hardin's herd in 1874 to Comanche County.

Enlisted in Company H of the 12th Texas Cavalry, CSA and served from 1861 to 1863. He was captured and sent to the Military Prison in Virginia, where he was exchanged back to the Confederacy. There is no further record for him after 1863. After the War Between the States, he came back to Gonzales County, Texas where he married Sarah (Sally) Tennille. They lived in the area until he moved to the Kimble County, Texas. Form there, he and his family moved to New Mexico, settling in the Lincoln and Chaves County areas where he became a prominent rancher. He owned the Penasco River Ranch that sits between Hope, NM and Mayhill, NM. Joseph wanted his ranch to sit in Chaves County because that is where he did his business. His cousin was John Wesley Hardin.

name: Joseph H. Clements

also known as: J. H. Clements

event: Military Service

rank in: Corporal

rank out: Private

side: Confederate

state (or origin): Texas

military unit: 12th Regiment, Texas Cavalry (Parson's Mounted Vol)

company: H

general note: Original filed under J. H./Clements

nara publication title: Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of Texas.

nara publication number: M227

nara roll number: 7

1880 United States Federal Census about Jo. H. Clements

Name: Jo. H. Clements

Home in 1880: Precinct 1, Kimble, Texas

Age: 30

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1850

Birthplace: Texas

Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head)

Spouse's Name: S. J. Clements

Father's birthplace: Tennessee

Mother's birthplace: Tennessee

Occupation: Stock Raiser

Marital Status: Married

Race: White

Gender: Male

Household Members:

Name Age

Jo. H. Clements 30

S. J. Clements 23

A. E. Clements 9

Geo. C. Clements 7

More photographs of John Wesley Hardin that were auctioned off: http://www.cowanauctions.com/auctions/item.aspx?ItemId=82920