Book excerpt: Hardin Hammond was just an infant in his mother's arms when the family was thrown out of their home by Federal soldiers in August of 1862, the beginning of the Civil War. Hardin's parents, John Robert and Mary Owen Hammond, moved their family deeper into the Missouri countryside to escape the war. By following his father's sage advice, Hardin grew to be a hardworking and honest man. He faced many challenges in his forty-six years of life. He outwitted would-be thieves and murderers at age fifteen while traveling alone to attend business school in Quincy, Illinois. He mourned the loss of nine of his thirteen siblings and that of his beloved wife, Lillie, when she was only thirty-eight-years-old. Because of his vow to "do the right thing," Hardin experienced many successes. His ranch, Pleasant Valley Stock Farm, flourished, and he was recognized in his community for his service to humanity and his upright moral and ethical values. Based upon the Hammond family history preserved throughout the years, Hardin's Legacy is one man's story of success, compassion, love, and tragedy. His values and philosophy were embodied in his life's motto, "endeavor to do right."