 While on a business trip to Mobile he met Hattie Lott, and they married in 1874.Hattie moved to Meridian soon after; she had three children (Lena Mai, Lamar, and Toney) with Hardy before her death in 1895.The coup Hardy achieved in overseeing completion of the Ponchartrain Bridge and securing funding to complete the NO&NERR brought a measure of regional fame.