Delitha Hays was counted in the 1840 Census, Tippah County, Mississippi:
She was head of household with 1 male, age 10-15; 1 male, 15-20; 2 males 20-30; 2 females under 5, 1 female age 20-30, 1 female, age 40-50 [herself]
A John Hays was also in Tippah Co in 1840 with 1 male under 5; 1 male 5-10; 1 male 10-15; 1 male 30-40; and 1 male 60-70. He had 1 female age 5-10; 1 female 20-30 and 1 female 60-70. [Apparently an older couple and a couple with several children. It is not possible to tell if John was the male age 30-40, or the male age 60-70. Could this be some of Delitha's husband's relatives? No evidence this family was still there by 1850.]
The courthouse in Tippah County was destroyed during the Civil War, so there are few records to work with in this time period. The border area of Mississippi/Tennessee was in some dispute early on - much of this area was settled by those from Tennessee drifting down into newly opened territory in eastern and northern Mississippi. Tennessee in turn was settled in part by those from North Carolina - it was the location for bounty land from the Revolution and was once a very large "county" of North Carolina. The birth places of Delitha and her family would suggest she may have arrived in Mississippi from Tennessee and North Carolina.
An 1837 Tax List of Tippah Co was found online at USGenWeb:
Hays, M. L.
I have not seen the original of this 1837 tax list. M's are often confused with W's & N's, and L's are confused with S's. It is unlikely this was the John of the 1840 census - was this Delitha's husband?
Another researcher of this family told me some years ago that Delitha was listed in the 1841 and 1845 Mississippi state censuses. These have been posted online on Ancestry in digital format, and I do not find her there although she should have been. There was a Delilah [and Delitha's name has been found that way] both years, but she is listed as Delilah Jones and the name is quite plain. The 1841 census is particularly difficult to read, but I have looked at all images and nothing resembles the name Delitha Hays.
In 1850, she was still there in Tippah County, Mississippi with this household:
1850 Census, Tippah Co MS, Dwelling #1038.
"Delilah" Hays, age 53, born NC. Parthena, age 12, b. TN [Parthena will later testify that she was present at the marriage of Elias & Martha Crutcher Hays in Tippah Co in 1847.]
Probable granddaughters: Mary Ball, age 11, Alethe Ball age 9, Elizabeth Vincent, age 4. [There was a marriage in Shelby Co TN: Charles Vincent to Polly Hays, 12 Apr 1834. A Charles Vinson was listed in the MS State Census in 1845 - there was one male, 4 females in his household. No Hays/Ball marriage has been found. This would seem to indicate Delitha had daughters who are now deceased and she is raising their children. There is additional proof such a relationship to Mary Ball and Elizabeth Vincent, although Alethe does not appear in any other record.]
After finding the marriage of Charles Vincent to Polly Hays in Shelby County, TN, I checked the 1830 Shelby Co census for any Hays families. There were two "M." Hays and two "J." Hays families. Both M. Hays families has a female age 30-40 which would have been Delitha's age. M. L. Hays was on the 1837 tax list in Tippah County.
Elias was very probably Delitha's son and my great great grandfather. I have no record stating the relationship, but he did name a daughter Delitha and there are other associations too close to ignore.
Dwelling #1013. Elias Hays, 22, Laborer, born TN. Martha 17, born TN, Mary E. age , age 1, born in Mississippi
Elias was born 28 Jan 1829 [on his grave marker] and would have been age 11 in 1840 and there was a male age 10-15 in Delitha's household
These may be her sons, with birthplaces in North Carolina, or they could be part of the family of the John Hays from 1840.
Dwelling #1073. Martin Hays, age 21, born NC. Margaret R. age 21, born TN
[if Elias was the male age 10-15, there is not place for Martin in Delitha's household in 1840 unless he was mistakenly counted as 15-20]
Dwelling #1074. John Hays, age 26, born NC. Frances, age 23, b. IL, Nancy J. age 6, born TN. And Wiley Martin, age 18, b. AL.
[both of the 1840 Hays families had a male age 15-20]
One other Hays family was in Tippah County in 1850, but his birth place seems to separate him from these others. He was in Dwelling #518. Thomas Hays, 30, born SC. Nancy, 26 born TN. Alsey O. age 2 & John, 4/12, both born in MS. And Rebecca Robinson, age 18. Thomas Hays remained in Tippah Co and in the 1860 census was apparently living with his in-laws Asa [age 82, b. VA] & Frances Robinson [age 65, b. SC].
Delitha and Elias Hays moved to Johnson County, Arkansas in the early 1850's. A few court records document their presence and Delitha's place as grandmother to Elizabeth Vincent and Mary Ball.
April Court, 1853. Johnson Co AR
Delitha Hays petitioned the court to appoint Elias B. Hays as guardian for her granddaughter Elizabeth Vincent under the age of 14. [living with Delitha as a 4-year-old in 1850]
6 Jul 1856. Mary Ann Ball was married to Richard Grantham in Johnson Co at the home of Delitha Hays. [Mary was living with Delitha in 1850, when she was 11 years old.]
1857 (date is incomplete). From Probate Court Records, Johnson Co AR, over 10,000 Names. Compiled by Mrs. R. W. Michel. Copy sent from Jane Lumsden: Richard Grantham petitions to remove Elias Hays, guardian of Elizabeth Vincent.
[ Petition was denied and Elizabeth remained in the home of Elias for the 1860 Census]
In 1840, Delitha appeared to have two older sons, ages 20-30. In 1850, there were several Hays families already located in Johnson Co, AR. One of these may indeed be one of those older sons. Another Hays marriage occurred in Shelby County, TN, although it was after 1840 - of course that was just over the state line from Tippah Co. N. R. Hays married Mary Gilbert 5 Feb 1845
N. R. & Mary Hays are on the Johnson Co AR Census in 1850 in the same Township (Pittsburg) where Delitha & Elias will be found in 1860. But N. R. was not there by 1860. He had in fact gone to California and the 1860 census shows his given name was Nicholas.]
1850 Johnson Co AR Census: Pittsburg Twp. #59
N. R. Hays, age 26, b. AL Mary age 25, b. TN
John W. age 5, b. TN Mary Jane age 2, b. AR Eliza Ann age 1/12 b. AR
1860 Toulomne Co, CA, p.379b, Hh 3310
Nicholas Hayes, age 40, b. TN, Stockraiser. Mary A. age 35, b. TN
John W. age 15 b. TN, Mary J. age 12, b. AR, Ann E. age 10, b. CA, George M. 9, b. CA, Sara A. age 4, b. CA. Chas. Amos, age 32, a miner. b. MI.
In 1860, in Johnson Co AR we find both Delitha and Elias Hays, along with other significant, or possibly significant families.
1860 Census. Pittsburg Township, Johnson Co AR, Hh 341.
Delitha Hays age 58, b. NC. Margaret Hays age 28, b. TN. Parthena, age 20, b. MS
Ardenia age 9 and Arkansas age 7, both born in AR. [I believe Margaret to possibly be the widow of Martin of the 1850 Tippah Co census. This is the last known record of Delitha.]
Elias Hays & family was also in Johnson Co in 1860, Pittsburg Twp, Hh 252. He gave his place of birth as MS but I believe that is wrong. Baby Mary from 1850 was now age 11 and born in MS. Ann 7, "Dolitha" 5, John 3, & William 2, have all been born in Arkansas. Elizabeth Vincent, now 14, is with the family.
Nathan & Sarah Grantham, parents of Richard who married Elias's niece Mary Ann Ball, lived in Pittsburg Twp, Hh 351.
R. H. Grantham, age 24, b.LA, and Mary [Mary Ann Ball] age 21, b. Mississippi, and Sarah, age 1, were also living in Pittsburg Twp of Johnson Co, Hh 276.
There was a John Hays in Pittsburg Twp, Hh 317, age 39, b. in NC. No spouse. Daughter Isabella age 7 and son Francis age 4, both born in AR. [No way to be certain this was the John Hays from 1850, Tippah Co MS - if so, his wife Frances has died and the daughter Nancy, born about 1844 has either died or married or is living elsewhere. It is significant that his birthplace is NC and he has named a son Francis. This could very well be the John Hays, son of Henry & Elizabeth Dillard Hays who was a single man in Johnson Co in 1850. However, the age doesn't match what is known about either John.]
Several other Hays familes were in Johnson Co, AR - in Spadra and Horsehead Townships.
To sum up the children of Delitha Hays and her unknown husband. All the evidence I have to include Elias's widow's pension application for his service in the Civil War indicates that Elias, born 1829, and Parthenia, born 1838, were certainly her children. She had two older daughters, one who married a Vincent [perhaps Polly who married Charles Vincent] and one who married a Ball.
There is one additional possibility for a daughter. Lucinda Hays and Gabriel Malone were married in Hardeman Co TN [another Tennessee/Mississippi border county] on 11 Jan 1839.
In the 1850 census in Tippah County, Elias Hays, son of Delitha, was living next door to Lucinda and her husband in a virtual nest of the family members of John Malone, who is said to be the father of Gabriel. Gabriel was age 30, born NC; Lucinda listed as age 20 [an error if she married in 1839], born TN. Children were William H. H., age 9, Ann E. 7, John R. 5, Henry C. 3, and Z. Baylor, age 11/12. The 1845 Mississippi State Census had listed Gabriel Malone in Tippah Co with 2 males, 2 females in the household. He was two names from Charles Vinson [Vincent?] who might have been his brother-in-law.
Delitha had other sons indicated by the 1840 census who may have been
Nicholas, born circa 1820-24 - might have been the first of the family to move to Arkansas
Martin, born late 1820's who married a Margaret and died prior to the 1860 census,
John, born circa 1824, who also moved to Johnson Co, Arkansas.
As always, and thoughts or information on any of the above named persons is appreciated.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
A Hays Brick Wall: Delitha.
Delitha's maiden name is unknown to me. Her husband is unknown to me. She was undoubtedly my great, great, great grandma, mother of Elias B. Hays. Here is what is known.
Hays, or similar spellings, is an incredibly common surname, occurring in some form in all of the British Isles going back to the 12th century. However, I have always been hopeful that the given name of "Delitha" would be helpful in finding her family. Another difficulty with this research is that the Tippah County, Mississippi, courthouse was destroyed during the Civil War.
In 1840, Delitha Hays lived in Tippah County, Mississippi, as head of household, with seven possible children, from toddler age to over age twenty. She herself was age 40-50.
A transcript of an 1837 Tax List of Tippah Co - found online at USGenWeb has an M. L. Hays - if transcribed correctly. Given the confusion of M's and W's as well as L's and S's in the handwriting of this period, I have no confidence in the transcription. I have not seen the actual tax list.
Another researcher of this family, told me Delitha was in the 1841 and 1845 Mississippi State censuses but never sent me actual copies. She doesn't seem to appear in those censuses as they have been posted on Ancestry, but that could be a transcription or indexing problem. She should have been there because she was still in Tippah County in 1850.
1850 Census, Tippah Co MS, Dwelling #1038.
"Delilah" Hays, age 53, born NC [this would place her year of birth circa 1797]. Parthena, age 12, b. TN [Parthena will later testify that she was present at the marriage of Elias & Martha Crutcher Hays in Tippah Co in 1847.]
Probable granddaughters: Mary Ball, age 11, Alethe Ball age 9, Elizabeth Vincent, age 4. [There was a marriage in Shelby County, Tennessee: Charles Vincent to Polly Hays, 12 Apr 1834. A Charles Vinson was listed in the Mississippi State Census in 1845 - there was one male, 4 females in his household. No Hays/Ball marriage has been found.]
I believe the following may be sons, all found in Tippah County and their ages fit well in that earlier 1840 census. It does not account for all in that 1840 household.
Dwelling #1013. Elias Hays, 22, Laborer, born TN. Martha 17, born TN, Mary E. age , age 1, born in Mississippi [Elias is my great, great grandfather.]
Dwelling #1073. Martin Hays, age 21, born NC. Margaret R. age 21, born TN
Dwelling #1074. John Hays, age 26, born NC. Frances, age 23, b. IL, Nancy J. age 6, born TN. And Wiley Martin, age 18, b. AL.
Another Shelby County, Tennessee marriage was for N. R. Hays who married Mary Gilbert 5 Feb 1845. [N. R. Hays fits in age as one of the older sons of Delitha in the 1840 Census. N. R. & Mary Hays are on the Johnson Co AR Census in 1850 in the same Township (Pittsburg) where Delitha & Elias will be found in 1860. But N. R. was not there by 1860. He had in fact gone to California and the 1860 census shows his given name was Nicholas. In 1850 his place of birth was Alabama - it was Tennessee in 1860.]
Soon after the 1850 census, the Hays families moved to Johnson County, Arkansas. Elias Hays's daughter Ann Eliza was apparently born in Arkansas in September of 1851. There were other Hays families already there including the above possibility regarding N. R. Hays. Research of these other families does not indicate they were ever in Shelby County, Tennesse, or in Mississippi - they apparently did originate in North Carolina and some may have lived in Illinois prior to coming to Arkansas.
One of the Hays households in Johnson County, Arkansas, in 1850, is that of Henry B. Hays, age 43, born in North Carolina. Strangely he has a child, age six, named Darlethia and born in Arkansas. An older daughter was born in Illinois.
These records have been found in Johnson County:
April Court, 1853. Johnson Co AR
Delitha Hays petitioned the court to appoint Elias B. Hays as guardian for her granddaughter Elizabeth Vincent under the age of 14. [Elizabeth was 4 in 1850 and in Delitha's household.]
6 Jul 1856. Mary Ann Ball was married to Richard Grantham in Johnson Co at the home of Delitha Hays. [Mary was living with Delitha back in Tippah Co, 1850, when she was 11 years old. Her apparent sister Alethe Ball from 1850 does not appear again.]
1857 (date is incomplete). From Probate Court Records, Johnson Co AR, over 10,000 Names. Compiled by Mrs. R. W. Michel. Copy sent from Jane Lumsden: Richard Grantham petitions to remove Elias Hays, guardian of Elizabeth Vincent. Petition was denied and Elizabeth remained in the home of Elias for the 1860 Census.
Here is the family in 1860, Johnson County, Arkansas
1860 Census. Johnson Co AR, Hh 341.
Delitha Hays age 58, b. NC [she should have been 63, if she gave her age correctly in 1850]. Margaret Hays age 28, b. TN. Parthena, age 20, b. MS
Ardenia age 9 and Arkansas age 7, both born in AR. [I believe Margaret to possibly be the widow of Martin, but this is a long shot. This is the last known record of Delitha.]
Elias Hays & family was also in Johnson Co in 1860. He gave his place of birth as Mississippi [I have several conflicting records about his birth, but I believe it is most likely he was born in Tennessee.] Baby Mary from 1850 was now age 11 and born in Mississippi. Ann, "Dolitha", John & William have all been born in Arkansas. Elizabeth Vincent, now 14, is with his family.
Next door to Elias lived Nathan & Sarah Grantham, parents of Richard who had married Elias's niece Mary Ann Ball.
Richard Grantham, age 19, b.LA, and Mary [Mary Ann Ball] age 21, b. Mississippi, and Sarah, age 1, were also living in Johnson Co.
There was also a John Hays, age 39, b. in NC. No spouse. Daughter Isabella age 7 and son Francis age 4, both born in AR. [No way to determine if this was the John Hays from 1850, Tippah Co MS - if so, his wife Frances has died and the daughter Nancy, born about 1844 has either died or married or is living elsewhere. It is noted that his birthplace is NC and he has named a son Francis. This could also very well be the John Hays, son of Henry & Elizabeth Dillard Hays [they are said to also be the parents of the Henry B. Hays mentioned above] who was a single man in Johnson Co in 1850. The age really doesn't match either John and he could of course be totally unrelated to either family.]
I have not found Delitha in any record after 1860. Elias Hays appears on the Muster Roll of Co. C, 17th Arkansas Infantry [Confederate] in November of 1861. He had enlisted at Clarksville, Arkansas, which is in Johnson County; I have considerable details about his service but that is not pertinent to the hunt for Delitha's family. Elias and family, including his nieces, were in Crawford County, Arkansas by 1869 and probably a few years earlier. None of Delitha Hays's family appears to have remained in Johnson County by 1870, except for Richard Grantham and his wife Mary Ann Ball.
More to follow about my search.
Hays, or similar spellings, is an incredibly common surname, occurring in some form in all of the British Isles going back to the 12th century. However, I have always been hopeful that the given name of "Delitha" would be helpful in finding her family. Another difficulty with this research is that the Tippah County, Mississippi, courthouse was destroyed during the Civil War.
In 1840, Delitha Hays lived in Tippah County, Mississippi, as head of household, with seven possible children, from toddler age to over age twenty. She herself was age 40-50.
A transcript of an 1837 Tax List of Tippah Co - found online at USGenWeb has an M. L. Hays - if transcribed correctly. Given the confusion of M's and W's as well as L's and S's in the handwriting of this period, I have no confidence in the transcription. I have not seen the actual tax list.
Another researcher of this family, told me Delitha was in the 1841 and 1845 Mississippi State censuses but never sent me actual copies. She doesn't seem to appear in those censuses as they have been posted on Ancestry, but that could be a transcription or indexing problem. She should have been there because she was still in Tippah County in 1850.
1850 Census, Tippah Co MS, Dwelling #1038.
"Delilah" Hays, age 53, born NC [this would place her year of birth circa 1797]. Parthena, age 12, b. TN [Parthena will later testify that she was present at the marriage of Elias & Martha Crutcher Hays in Tippah Co in 1847.]
Probable granddaughters: Mary Ball, age 11, Alethe Ball age 9, Elizabeth Vincent, age 4. [There was a marriage in Shelby County, Tennessee: Charles Vincent to Polly Hays, 12 Apr 1834. A Charles Vinson was listed in the Mississippi State Census in 1845 - there was one male, 4 females in his household. No Hays/Ball marriage has been found.]
I believe the following may be sons, all found in Tippah County and their ages fit well in that earlier 1840 census. It does not account for all in that 1840 household.
Dwelling #1013. Elias Hays, 22, Laborer, born TN. Martha 17, born TN, Mary E. age , age 1, born in Mississippi [Elias is my great, great grandfather.]
Dwelling #1073. Martin Hays, age 21, born NC. Margaret R. age 21, born TN
Dwelling #1074. John Hays, age 26, born NC. Frances, age 23, b. IL, Nancy J. age 6, born TN. And Wiley Martin, age 18, b. AL.
Another Shelby County, Tennessee marriage was for N. R. Hays who married Mary Gilbert 5 Feb 1845. [N. R. Hays fits in age as one of the older sons of Delitha in the 1840 Census. N. R. & Mary Hays are on the Johnson Co AR Census in 1850 in the same Township (Pittsburg) where Delitha & Elias will be found in 1860. But N. R. was not there by 1860. He had in fact gone to California and the 1860 census shows his given name was Nicholas. In 1850 his place of birth was Alabama - it was Tennessee in 1860.]
Soon after the 1850 census, the Hays families moved to Johnson County, Arkansas. Elias Hays's daughter Ann Eliza was apparently born in Arkansas in September of 1851. There were other Hays families already there including the above possibility regarding N. R. Hays. Research of these other families does not indicate they were ever in Shelby County, Tennesse, or in Mississippi - they apparently did originate in North Carolina and some may have lived in Illinois prior to coming to Arkansas.
One of the Hays households in Johnson County, Arkansas, in 1850, is that of Henry B. Hays, age 43, born in North Carolina. Strangely he has a child, age six, named Darlethia and born in Arkansas. An older daughter was born in Illinois.
These records have been found in Johnson County:
April Court, 1853. Johnson Co AR
Delitha Hays petitioned the court to appoint Elias B. Hays as guardian for her granddaughter Elizabeth Vincent under the age of 14. [Elizabeth was 4 in 1850 and in Delitha's household.]
6 Jul 1856. Mary Ann Ball was married to Richard Grantham in Johnson Co at the home of Delitha Hays. [Mary was living with Delitha back in Tippah Co, 1850, when she was 11 years old. Her apparent sister Alethe Ball from 1850 does not appear again.]
1857 (date is incomplete). From Probate Court Records, Johnson Co AR, over 10,000 Names. Compiled by Mrs. R. W. Michel. Copy sent from Jane Lumsden: Richard Grantham petitions to remove Elias Hays, guardian of Elizabeth Vincent. Petition was denied and Elizabeth remained in the home of Elias for the 1860 Census.
Here is the family in 1860, Johnson County, Arkansas
1860 Census. Johnson Co AR, Hh 341.
Delitha Hays age 58, b. NC [she should have been 63, if she gave her age correctly in 1850]. Margaret Hays age 28, b. TN. Parthena, age 20, b. MS
Ardenia age 9 and Arkansas age 7, both born in AR. [I believe Margaret to possibly be the widow of Martin, but this is a long shot. This is the last known record of Delitha.]
Elias Hays & family was also in Johnson Co in 1860. He gave his place of birth as Mississippi [I have several conflicting records about his birth, but I believe it is most likely he was born in Tennessee.] Baby Mary from 1850 was now age 11 and born in Mississippi. Ann, "Dolitha", John & William have all been born in Arkansas. Elizabeth Vincent, now 14, is with his family.
Next door to Elias lived Nathan & Sarah Grantham, parents of Richard who had married Elias's niece Mary Ann Ball.
Richard Grantham, age 19, b.LA, and Mary [Mary Ann Ball] age 21, b. Mississippi, and Sarah, age 1, were also living in Johnson Co.
There was also a John Hays, age 39, b. in NC. No spouse. Daughter Isabella age 7 and son Francis age 4, both born in AR. [No way to determine if this was the John Hays from 1850, Tippah Co MS - if so, his wife Frances has died and the daughter Nancy, born about 1844 has either died or married or is living elsewhere. It is noted that his birthplace is NC and he has named a son Francis. This could also very well be the John Hays, son of Henry & Elizabeth Dillard Hays [they are said to also be the parents of the Henry B. Hays mentioned above] who was a single man in Johnson Co in 1850. The age really doesn't match either John and he could of course be totally unrelated to either family.]
I have not found Delitha in any record after 1860. Elias Hays appears on the Muster Roll of Co. C, 17th Arkansas Infantry [Confederate] in November of 1861. He had enlisted at Clarksville, Arkansas, which is in Johnson County; I have considerable details about his service but that is not pertinent to the hunt for Delitha's family. Elias and family, including his nieces, were in Crawford County, Arkansas by 1869 and probably a few years earlier. None of Delitha Hays's family appears to have remained in Johnson County by 1870, except for Richard Grantham and his wife Mary Ann Ball.
More to follow about my search.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Surname Saturday - HAYS
Since I brought up the Hays surname on Madness Monday, I'll post that for my Saturday surname. The name is found often as Hayes, but that is not how my great-grandfather spelled it and since I knew him, I'll go with "Hays". According to Wikipedia, in 1900, Hays was the 100th most common surname recorded. It is, of course, English in origin with the earliest recording as "Heise" in 1197.
The picture is of my great-grandparents, John Jefferson "John-John" Hays and Philena Josephine "Josie" Allen, taken in the early 1930's.
My earliest known Hays ancestors are my great-great grandfather Elias B. Hays and his widowed mother, Delitha. I've not been able to find out the father's name, although I believe John and William are likely possibilities. Neither can I find any family for Delitha.
Elias married Martha Frances Crutcher, 8 August 1847, Tippah County, Mississippi - a fact that survives only in her application for a Civil War widow's pension. They lived in Tippah County for the 1850 census, as did Elias's mother Delitha Hays. Unfortuntely the courthouse in Tippah County was a casualty of the Civil War.
The Hays family moved to Johnson County, Arkansas, before 1853, when a court record there reveals a guardian suit between Delitha and Elias Hays over Elizabeth Vincent, named as Delitha's granddaughter. In the 1860 Johnson County census, Elizabeth Vincent was in Elias Hays's household, along with the first five of the ten children born to Elias and Martha. One of Elias & Martha's daughters was named Delitha for her grandmother.
My great-grandfather, John Jefferson Hays, was born to Elias and Martha, 5 Aug 1856, in Johnson County, Arkansas, as their fourth child and eldest son. John married Philena Josephine "Josie" Allen, 1 Jun 1876, in Polk County, Arkansas where she was born 4 Nov 1856. The couple had six children, one of whom died as an infant. Their fourth child was my grandmother, Nora Lee Hays - I lived with her from age two to eight, and my great-grandfather was often a guest in the home, or we went to visit him.
The family called John Jefferson Hays, "John-John". He lived to be age 93, dying 26 Jun 1950; I was ten the year he died, so I do remember him well. He was a farmer; he and his brother grew cotton and ran a cotton gin. They also had a large strawberry patch - I have a picture [unfortunately in very poor condition] of many of the family members in the field on a strawberry pickin' day. He was a tall, slender man. He played the "fiddle" and I have his violin. He grew quite deaf in his old age and I recall that the fiddle playing suffered considerably as a consequence. I was a little frightened of him, because I could not speak loud enough for him to hear, and he would yell back at me. I have a better understanding of that problem now.
John-John outlived his wife Josie by some fifteen years - she died 30 May 1935. Most of that time he lived in the household of his youngest daughter and her husband, Minnie Hays and Ira Comstock, in Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas. They had a large two-story house and had no children, so that was the logical place for him to stay. He could be a bit of a curmudgeon, so my grandmother would often persuade him to come stay with us a week or so in Fayetteville to give Aunt Minnie a respite.
One of the stories John-John told about his youth involved the Civil War. His father served first in the Confederate Army - was captured at Vicksburg and released, signing the pledge to "never take up arms against the United States again". Elias then went back to northwest Arkansas and joined a Union company within a year - quite possibly for the paycheck as times were hard and he had a large family. This area of Arkansas was a hot bed of guerilla activity and the Hays family was burned out. It is somewhat unclear now who actually performed this unpleasant activity, but John-John remembered very well how the men piled their curtains and bedding in the middle of the floor and torched them. Martha and the children were forced to stand in the yard and watch their home burn. My mother always thought it was the Yankees that burned them out, but her brothers remember the story differently, that it was the disgruntled Rebels after Elias had joined the Union forces. The military records of Elias note a time when he was absent without leave - a time I believe coincides with the time his family was burned out. Likely he was needed to help them resettle somewhere and probably this was when the family moved to nearby Crawford County.
I will be posting more about my efforts to trace the Hays family.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Madness Monday - When and Where Was Elias Hays Born
It drives me absolutely mad that I cannot solve this problem concerning the birth of Elias B. Hays, one of my great, great, grandfathers. Here are the conflicts concerning his birth:
1850 Census. Tippah Co, MS. Elias Hays, or his representative, said he was age 22 [b. 1827/28] and born in Tennessee. The widow, Delitha Hays, most likely his mother as he named a daughter Delitha, was living nearby, age 53, and gave her place of birth as North Carolina.
1860 Census. Johnson Co, AR. Elias Hays, age 29 [b.1830/31], was born in Mississippi. The widow, Delitha Hays was also present, age 58, born North Carolina.
His discharge from Company I, 2nd Regt of Arkansas Infantry Volunteers, Union, dated 8 Aug 1865, states that Elias Hays was born in Alabama and was 36 years of age. [b. 1829]
1870 Census. Crawford Co, AR. Elias Hays, age 41 [b. 1829], was born in Alabama.
A brief obituary that appeared in the Van Buren Press, on 15 Nov 1879, stated that Ely Hayes had died on the 5th instant [5 Nov], at age 53 [b. 1826].
1880 Mortality Census. Crawford Co, AR. Eli Hays, age 50, died Oct 1879. [b. 1829] Born Tennessee, parents born in Illinois. [this is absolutely the only place that the state of Illinois occurs in connection with this particular Hays family and I do believe it to be an error]
1880 Census.
Crawford Co, AR. Five of the children still at home with Elias's widow. Place of birth of father was Tennessee. Married daughter Delitha Hays Winford gave her father's place of birth as Tennessee. Married son John Jefferson Hays [my great grandfather] also gave his father's place of birth as Tennessee.
Polk Co, AR. Married daughter Ann Eliza Hays Allen. Gave father's place of birth as as Tennessee.
1900 Census. Sons said one thing; daughters said another.
Crawford Co, AR. John Jefferson Hays this time stated his father was born in Mississippi. Silas and George Washington Hays, younger sons of Elias also stated their father was born in Mississippi. Elias's sons William and Benjamin also said their father was born in Mississippi. However, Elizabeth Hays Turner, daughter of Elias stated her father was born in Tennessee. And daughter Ann Eliza, still living in Polk Co, again said her father was born in Tennessee.
Unfortunately, Tippah Co, MS, is one of those counties whose courthouse records were lost during the Civil War. I have also not been able to discover a father for Elias B. Hays. Other suspected members of his family - are indicated as born in North Carolina or Tennessee. I suspect that the family followed a typical immigration pattern from North Carolina into Tennessee and then crossed over the line into northern Mississippi when lands were made available there. Elias Hays is not a rare name - I have located five men of that name living in Arkansas at or near the same time as my gg grandfather. The given name occurs in Hays/Hayes families in Tennessee and early in Granville, North Carolina. Elias married Martha Frances Crutcher in Tippah Co - the marriage date survived only because she gave it when she applied for his Civil War pension. She is thought to be the daughter of a Martin Crutcher - the Crutcher family also likely followed the North Carolina-Tennessee-Mississipi route.
1850 Census. Tippah Co, MS. Elias Hays, or his representative, said he was age 22 [b. 1827/28] and born in Tennessee. The widow, Delitha Hays, most likely his mother as he named a daughter Delitha, was living nearby, age 53, and gave her place of birth as North Carolina.
1860 Census. Johnson Co, AR. Elias Hays, age 29 [b.1830/31], was born in Mississippi. The widow, Delitha Hays was also present, age 58, born North Carolina.
His discharge from Company I, 2nd Regt of Arkansas Infantry Volunteers, Union, dated 8 Aug 1865, states that Elias Hays was born in Alabama and was 36 years of age. [b. 1829]
1870 Census. Crawford Co, AR. Elias Hays, age 41 [b. 1829], was born in Alabama.
A brief obituary that appeared in the Van Buren Press, on 15 Nov 1879, stated that Ely Hayes had died on the 5th instant [5 Nov], at age 53 [b. 1826].
1880 Mortality Census. Crawford Co, AR. Eli Hays, age 50, died Oct 1879. [b. 1829] Born Tennessee, parents born in Illinois. [this is absolutely the only place that the state of Illinois occurs in connection with this particular Hays family and I do believe it to be an error]
1880 Census.
Crawford Co, AR. Five of the children still at home with Elias's widow. Place of birth of father was Tennessee. Married daughter Delitha Hays Winford gave her father's place of birth as Tennessee. Married son John Jefferson Hays [my great grandfather] also gave his father's place of birth as Tennessee.
Polk Co, AR. Married daughter Ann Eliza Hays Allen. Gave father's place of birth as as Tennessee.
1900 Census. Sons said one thing; daughters said another.
Crawford Co, AR. John Jefferson Hays this time stated his father was born in Mississippi. Silas and George Washington Hays, younger sons of Elias also stated their father was born in Mississippi. Elias's sons William and Benjamin also said their father was born in Mississippi. However, Elizabeth Hays Turner, daughter of Elias stated her father was born in Tennessee. And daughter Ann Eliza, still living in Polk Co, again said her father was born in Tennessee.
Unfortunately, Tippah Co, MS, is one of those counties whose courthouse records were lost during the Civil War. I have also not been able to discover a father for Elias B. Hays. Other suspected members of his family - are indicated as born in North Carolina or Tennessee. I suspect that the family followed a typical immigration pattern from North Carolina into Tennessee and then crossed over the line into northern Mississippi when lands were made available there. Elias Hays is not a rare name - I have located five men of that name living in Arkansas at or near the same time as my gg grandfather. The given name occurs in Hays/Hayes families in Tennessee and early in Granville, North Carolina. Elias married Martha Frances Crutcher in Tippah Co - the marriage date survived only because she gave it when she applied for his Civil War pension. She is thought to be the daughter of a Martin Crutcher - the Crutcher family also likely followed the North Carolina-Tennessee-Mississipi route.
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