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William Hays
WILLIAM HAYS, late of Washington township, was a widely known citizen of
Armstrong county, prominent in the Republican party, and had held important
public offices, in every capacity giving evidence of superior ability and
character which made his services highly desirable. Mr. Hays was a native of
Ireland, born Oct. 7, 1838, and was reared there, being a youth of sixteen
when he came to America with his parents, William J. and Letitia (Morrow)
Hays. The family located on a farm in Madison township, Armstrong Co., Pa.,
where the father followed agriculture pursuits and ran a distillery. Soon
after his marriage William Hays settled in Washington township, Armstrong
county, on a tract of 120 acres which he cultivated, also running a sawmill.
His good judgment and talent for business were shown in the success of his
undertaking as farmer and mill man, and so well did he stand with his fellow
citizens that he was elected to various township offices, serving as
supervisor and school director. But his chief official honor was his election
to the position of county auditor, which he held from 1888 to 1893. For many
years he was a leading worker for the success of the Republican party in this
section. Mr. Hays was a veteran of the Civil war, serving three years as a
member of Company E, 62nd Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry, from Clarion county, and was once slightly wounded. Among the
engagements in which he took part was the battle of Gettysburg. He died Feb.
8, 1908, at the age of sixty-nine years. He was a member of the Episcopal
Church.On Dec. 29, 1864, Mr. Hays married Catherine John, who was born March 3,
1843, in the log house where she was married. She in a daughter of Martin John
and Mary (Whiticker) John, granddaughter of Peter John and great-granddaughter
of Martin John, who hewed the logs for the old Bowser cabin illustrated
elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Hays now resided in East Franklin township,
Armstrong county, having moved there in November 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Hays had
sixteen children: A son, born Oct. 20, 1865, who died Oct. 21st,
1865; Jennie, born Sept. 25, 1866; a son, born in June, 1867, who died the
same month; Letta, born May 7, 1868; Katie, born April 21, 1869; Lizzie, born
April 11, 1870. who died Feb. 19, 1894; Susan, born June 2, 1871, who died
March 11, 1876; Rosa, born June 23, 1872, who died March 29, 1883; Margaret,
born July 15, 1873, who died Jan. 22, 1897; William, born Nov. 5, 1874; Nannie,
born Jan, 11, 1876; Thomas H., born March 5, 1877; Robert S., born July 27,
1878, who died Feb. 6, 1907; Emily, born Nov. 6, 1879; Minta, born May 26,
1881, who died Nov. 29, 1883; and Ruth, born July 4, 1882.Source: Page 356, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and Present,
J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed June 1999 by Shelby Wilson for the Armstrong County Beers Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)Armstrong County Genealogy Project Notice:
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