Noble Hardee

Noble, born in Crandall, Nassau County, Florida was the oldest of 7 children of John Richardson Hardee and Ella Content Davis Hardee. He married Julia Elizabeth Smith on 28 January 1934 in Green Cove Springs, Clay County, Florida. She was the daughter of James Alexandere Smith, Sr. and Ernestine Elizabeth Higginbotham Smith.

Noble was 18 years old when his father died, the youngest son was only 2 years old. Noble attended one year of college and was called back home by his older step brother to work in the family business, J.R. Hardee Shrimp Company.
Noble worked for the company, saved his money and bought his own boat which he fished only during the day just off the coast of Fernandina, Nassau County, Florida at the beginning. He took his boats up off the coast of North Carolina, down around the tip of Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico. He settled in Morgan City, St. Mary Parrish, Louisiana, for many years and then moved his boats to Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas. All during these years he worked with his older step-brother John R. Hardee, Jr. and ran the docks while John ran the office. When John died in 1958, Noble, John's daughter Rosemary, and possibly a couple of others formed Harbor Shrimp Company. After Rosemary married they dissolved the company and Noble formed Palm Shrimp Company which operated out of the Turning Basin, Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas.

Noble was a hard worker and during the day you would rarely find him sitting still. He loved to work in his yard and play golf after moving to Brownsville. In Louisiana he was an avid hunter and fresh water fisherman. He raised chuckar partridge, quail, pigeons, chickens and always had a dog or two - usually a bird dog or beagle hound.

Source: Suzanne Hardee Smith Trice memories.