Birth record LDS: C114894. (Waddel)
The birth record shows William with a son named John but does not list a mother.
The image shown is a reputed Harding Family Crest or Coat of Arms.
It's authenticity has not been verified and there is presently no evidence
to connect it to this section of the Harding line.Some Surname Directories consider "Harding" to be one of several variants of an earlier Norman surname reportedly brought to England in the time of William the Conqueror. There also seems to be general agreement it is a "patronymic", (or a father's name), with the "ing" suffix added and used to denote "son of". Some references promote an original English spelling of "Heard" (or "Hearding" with the suffix), and sometimes spelled with or without an "e" added. This spelling was then apparently pronounced and often written out, as "Hard" or "Harding(e)".
There is also much contradictory opinion as to the actual "meaning" of Harding as a surname. Some accounts interpret it literally to mean a stern or severe individual. Others claim it relates to farming and specifically as to "he who dwelled, (farmed on), the hard ground" and when the suffix "ing", for "son of", was added, it became Harding. Other interpretations consider Harding to mean "firm or loyal", as in a staunch friendship or a trustworthy individual. There is also an opinion the name relates to deafness as in those who were "hard" of hearing. Any (or none) of these "opinions" could apply, as surnames are known to have evolved in many different ways due to the local economic, social and political conditions prevalent at or about the time around the 1200's when formal surnames first came into general use. Later written records (and obviously the education and writing skills of the clerks compiling them), then further influenced the spelling of what had previously been only a verbal surname. It is therefore easy to see how "Harding" (and of course many other surnames), were later mis-interpreted and recorded in a number of different spellings. This process often effectively produced additional surnames, sometimes even in the same family unit for births and deaths. Census records were also similarly affected and this combination of circumstances often makes it difficult to accurately track a family line.
Birth record GROS: 655/0010 0081.