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Note: H00006
Note: Death Cert. of 3/6/26 states birth date as 2/17/66. 1900 Census gives birth date as 2/59 with William as 41 years old. At some point he took 7 years off his age - probably after the divorce and upon remarriage. His actual birth date is 17 Feb 1858 in either Smith or Jack Co., TX
Possibly lived in Anadarko, Ind. Terr. Anadarko is now the county seat of Caddo County, OK. From phone conversation with Liberty Hays Anthony, 11/01, something happened in Anadarko. What? Did he meet Maggie there?
"W.M. Hays" appears in the 1894 and 1896 proceedings of the American Baptist Home Mission Society whose reports list him as working as a Missionary in Indian Territory, "Antelers and vacinity" (now Antlers, OK.) and give a numerical accounting of his activities for the year. See Hays/Baptist file. The records of this Society are held by the American Baptist Historical Society, Rochester, NY. W.D.M. Hays was probably adherent to what would be, in 1907, the Northern Baptist Convention now known as the American Baptist Churches of the USA.
(SEARCH BACKGROUND: WDM HAYS: MY NOTES ON HIM AS OF 4/11/02. REVISED 6/3/02: Although his death cert. states that WDM's father's name was "William" I have found no William in Texas or Territories in any census from 1860 through 1900 who falls within the parameters of Missouri birth with a wife from Arkansas, the known markers for the origins of WDM's parents.( Did Maggie Hays only guess at her deceased husband's father's name when she filled out his death certificate?) The only couple who do fit and fit perfectly are a C. C. and Rachel Hays with 2 year old William M. (1858) and 7 month old James (1860) who, in the 1860 FEDERAL CENSUS, are living in wild and dangerous JACK COUNTY, TEXAS, Salt Hill Post Office, in North Central Texas. C.C. is a 24 year old (1836) stockraiser from Missouri with $1500 in assets. Rachel M. is 20 years old (1840) and from Arkansas. ( At this time I have not been able to locate a 14 year old C. C. (Christopher Columbus?) in the 1850 Census in either Texas or Missouri. 4/20/02: A EUREKA MOMENT!! Thanks to a 4 year old archived posting on the Parker Co. message board and a still good e-mail address I made contact with "Cousin" George Hays who connected my "C.C" to the 15 yr. old Cyrus C. (not Christopher Columbus), son of William B. (Bailey) Hays in the 1850 SMITH COUNTY, TX Census. Ironically, I had the entire 1850 Hays clan in my own, year old census notes but had never gone back to look! ) THIS TOOK TWO YEARS TO UNRAVEL!)
Cyrus C. had married Sarah G. Clary, the younger sister of his father's 2nd wife in October of 1854. The Hays and Clary families had been closely associated for many years and had possibly travelled from Illinois to Missouri, Arkansas, back to Missouri and finally, Texas, either together or near the same time. But the marriage did not last, for by 1857 Cyrus was living with or married to a "Rachel M." from Arkansas. William David Marion was born 17 February 1858 probably in either Smith or Jack County, TX., and, as previously noted, the 1860 Census found C. C., Rachel, WDM and infant James living in JACK CO. Indian raids and a depressed Civil War economy may have been factors in the family's move just two counties east, to COLLIN COUNTY where they were living for the 1870 CENSUS, McKinney Prec. 1, p. 317. 12 yr. old Wm. and James, 10, we joined by Frances, 6 & Mary, 3 yrs. Rachel was 29 and Cyrus a 34 yr. old farmer. Collin County, in northeastern Texas, is just 30 miles south of the Red River and this Blackland Prairie area is considered the richest agricultural land in Texas. The railroad arrived in 1872; farmers could get their crops to market, and the population rapidly increased. The children probably had their schooling in Collin County. The family moved again and by the 1880 CENSUS were living in PARKER COUNTY, TX near C.C's father and other family members who had resided there since their move from Smith in the mid-1850's. ( Precinct 2, Roll: T9_1322, p. 391B.) C.C. is a "farmer" with a father from North Carolina and a mother from Kentucky. (C. C.'s mother, Rachel, was actually born in Tennessee.) "R" (Rachel) has a father from Tennessee and a mother from Alabama. James is "working on the farm" as is 16 year old daughter "Francis" (1864). 10 year old Mary (1868) is "at school." Emma (1874) is only 6 years old. But where is William? 22 year old William "Hayze", a" farmer", had married 19 year old Mary Abigail Newton and was living in WISE COUNTY, TX,( Ed: 125, p. 92.) which abuts and is just north of Parker County. They were sandwiched between her parents and grandparents. Mary Abigail, b. 1861 in Georgia, was the eldest child of James William Newton and Nancy Susan Yarbrough who had settled near Bridgeport in Wise County. WDM was probably a reluctant farmer, since he left his father's place to his younger brother and may have known that he was destined for the ministry. Interestingly, a 32 year old Ed Newton, Mary's uncle living next door, is listed as a "Minister." Could he have ordained WDM? Since Walter, the first known child of WDM and Mary, was born in Texas in October of 1884, the family probably stayed in Wise County until after that date. (Walter gave OK as birth place in later census statements.) Did WDM go to school or study for the ministry during this period? Could he possibly have gone to Baylor in Waco, McLennen Co., some three counties south of Wise? Contrary to family oral history there is no record of his having attended Baylor at any time. At any rate, he was ordained and obtained a mission posting from the American Baptist Home Mission Society whose parent body would later become the Northern Baptist Convention, now known as the American Baptist Churches of the USA. He was probably sent to Whitefield, CHOCTAW NATION, INDIAN TERRITORY (Now Haskell Co., OK) around 1884; for Jesse was born there in August of either 1887, 88 or 89. Virginia was born in 1891, and it is known that James Mitchell Monroe, a third son, was born near Antlers, Choctaw Nation in 1893. Grace was born in 1896, probably in Antlers, also. Antlers is now in Pushmataha Co., Oklahoma. We know that the family remained in Choctaw Nation, Ind. Terr. until after 1896, the last of the two accountings of his activities that we have from the proceedings of the American Baptist Home Mission Society. From his 1894 Report, probably a typical year, he worked 52 weeks, kept 5 churches and outstations supplied, preached 206 sermons, held 36 prayer and other meetings, paid 248 family visits, distributed 35 Bibles and Testaments, distributed 1500 pages of tracts, baptised 31 into the Church, gained 154 other new members, built two church structures, organized four Sunday Schools with 211 people and raised $114.70 for missionary work. Sometime during or after 1896 the family went or was "posted" north to CHEROKEE NATION, INDIAN TERRITORY, around the growing town of Sallisaw which is fairly near the Arkansas border. Sallisaw is now in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. Leo/Leroy, of whom I can find no other trace, was born in 1899, probably in Sallisaw, and appears in the 1900 FEDERAL CENSUS, 11 Twnsp. Sallisaw, Series T623, Film 1846, Bk. 1, P. 170. (Gen.com). WDM and Mary had been married for 20 years, and Mary had given birth to 7 children, only 6 of whom were living. WDM is listed as a "preacher" and Walter and Jessie are "day laborers." All but little Grace and Leo could read and write.
NOTE: From his son, Jesse's WW1 Draft Registration we know that Jesse was born in Whitfield, Cherokee Nation, IT in 1889. Whitfield is now in Haskell Co., OK and the following appears on that county's Genweb site, compiled from a number of sources: "....In 1894 there were three general stores, two doctors, two preachers and six merchants in Whitefield. The first school opened in 1861, closed during the Civil War and reopened in 1866. Whitefield Academy was built in 1894. John W. Clautis was the first teacher and John B. Holleman was the second. A MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH WAS ESTABLISHED AT WHITEFIELD ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS THE ACADEMY." It is possible that WDM Hays planted that church.
Back in 1895 or 1896 WDM had performed the wedding service for the marriage between Margaret Dobbs and James Nelson. Margaret "Maggie" Dobbs would later become WDM's second wife. The Nelson family with their 2 yr. old daughter, Dixie, was also living near Sallisaw in the 1900 Census. Maggie and James would have a second daughter, Joyce, in Texas in 1904 and probably divorced about 1911 or 1912. Also living nearby were Maggie's widowed mother, Nancy Dobbs, brothers John and Tom and her younger sister, Viola, who wrote in 1966, of listening as a 10 year old," to Billy Hayses wonderful preaching" and refers to the whole Wm. Howard Hays family in terms of near kin. At this time nothing is known of the whereabouts of the family between 1900 and 1910. They may have remained in Sallisaw or returned to Antlers. By 1910, however, Mary and the four, living children were back in Wise Co., TX, her home county. She is head of household. In April 1910 WDM is in Indianopolis, Ward 6, Marion Co., IN. They are apparently separated as "W M Hays," 48, is listed as "single" and he gives his profession as "air tester." He is apparently checking out the possibility of a more. Little Leo/Leroy does not appear in a family portrait presumably taken about 1904; he probably died in infancy. Virginia died of appendicitis at about 16. In the 1910 Census Mary had only 4 of 7 children living. It is probably safe to conclude that during this same period WDM's and Mary's marriage finally disintegrated, for they divorced sometime before September 17, 1913, and on that date 55 year old WDM and 36 year old Maggie Dobbs Nelson were married in Paris, Lamar County, Texas, just over the Oklahoma border. (Maggie, however, was still enumerated with James Nelson in the 1910 Census of Collingsworth Co., TX). The Reverend John Crain of Hugo, Oklahoma officiated. Hugo is near Antlers, and Crain was probably an old friend of WDM's. Mary was 52 years old, and, if Leo was gone, the children were 28 to 18 years old. Maggie's girls were 15 and 9 years old. Dixie remained with her father; Joyce stayed with Maggie. The divorce was acrimonious; Walter, already married and the father of two boys, was apparently so angry with his own father that, at some point, he legally changed his name to "Hayes." Soon thereafter, he moved west to Ventura, Co., CA, maybe the first of many of the extended Hays/Hayes family to migrate. Mary moved back to her family in Bridgeport, Wise Co., Texas with Jesse, James and Grace and, eventually, on to Post, Garza Co., TX where they all are to be found in the 1920 Census. James Mitchell Monroe and his wife, Mattie Brazoria Lee, would raise a large, prosperous family of 12 children. Jesse O. and Lola E. had a daughter, Lila M., by 1920, and Grace S. and husband Schuyler G. Ray had a 1 yr. old son by the same name, and are found in Los Angeles in 1930 without the child. Mary Abigail Newton Hays lived with her son James and family in Post, Garza Co., TX and passed away in 1928. Within two months of the marriage Maggie was pregnant. Since divorced, middle aged ministers were probably not in great demand WDM was faced with the decision of how to support his new, young family. It is here that he possibly (sheer speculation) decided to shed eight years - from 1858 to 1866 while retaining the same birth date - and create a "vita" that included a Baylor University degree. This must have been successful, for he found a position at a Baptist church and the family, including his step-daughter, Joyce Nelson, moved out to VENTURA CO., CA sometime before the birth of David Gilette Hays on 5 August 1914 in Nordhoff (Ojai). On David's birth certificate WDM is 47 years old. It is not yet determined if he followed Walter or arrived in Nordoff(Ojai) first, but WDM did not stay long in Ventura County. Maggie's sister Viola Dobbs Downing and family and her mother, Nancy, had also moved to California and were living in Santa Cruz. On June 28, 1920 William D. M., a "minister," Maggie, Joyce and 5 year old David G. were living on Carpenteria Road in the town of Castroville in MONTEREY COUNTY, Aromas Precinct for the 1920 CENSUS. (Roll T625_122, Pg. 7A, ED. 8, Image 785, pg. 13 on Ancestry.) Maggie loved the SantaCruz/Monterey are., 16 year old Joyce, who adored her little brother, was a fine student and a junior in high school. Both WDM and Maggie had family near by, but something must have occurred in 1920, something that prompted them to "pull up stakes" and move as far away as possible to Zolfo Springs, HARDEE CO., FLORIDA, a tiny town on the edge of the Everglades. Maybe WDM was offered his own church and a livlihood, for he did pastor the Baptist Church there. They had no family in the area. Joyce dropped out of high school and returned to Texas to live and work in Wichita Falls and eventually marry her husband, Bill Davis. David loved Zolfo Springs, and his early, happy memories were of a bare-foot childhood of play and church, with many hours spent with his father and at a school he remembered fondly. This idyll did not last, for on March 6, 1926 at 3:30 PM WDM suffered a fatal stroke. Although his death certificate states that he was 60 years old, he was actually 68. David was 12 years old. On WDM's tombstone in New Hope Cemetery, Zolfo Springs are engraved the words from Second Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith." Within a few months time Maggie and David moved back to California, now to Sacramento, in time for David to start 8th grade in Jr. High School and where Maggie's older daughter Dixie was to marry John "Babe" Bottaro. They are found on 9th Ave. in Sacramento's Oak Park neighborhood in the 1930 Census. About 1932 Maggie left David with Dixie and Babe in Sacramento and moved on to Santa Cruz, Ca to live out her life next door to her sister Viola in a little house near the beach. She died in 1967. David Gilette Hays married Joanne Fenner in 1938 and had four children. He had fond memories of his father, his silver-tipped choir director's baton, but no Bible. He talked occasionally about his two, much older half-brothers, Walter and Jim, whom he had met just once; but he either never knew about or never talked about the other children, the course of whose lives is still a mystery.
CENSUS RECORD:
1860 CENSUS: JACK CO., TEXAS, Salt Hill P.O., p. 362. 16 July 1860. "C.C. Hays," 24, (MO), a stockraiser worth $1500. "Rachel M.," AR, 20; "William M." is 2, TX; "James L." , 1/12, TX.
1870 CENSUS: COLLIN CO., TEXAS, McKinney Pct. 1, p. 317. 9 September 1870. "Cyrus Hays" is a 34 yr. old farm laborer, 500/300 in assets, b. MO; "Rachel" is 29, AR; "William" is 12, TX; "James" is 10, TX, both boys are farm laborers; "Frances" is 6 and "Mary" is 3, both born in TX.
1880 CENSUS: WISE CO., TEXAS, Dist. 125, Prec. 1, p. 92C, Image 19 on "Ancestry." 9 June 1880. "William Hayze," 22, a "farmer", (TX/MO/AR) and his wife, "Mary Hayze," 19, (GA/TN/SC). They are probably newlyweds and living between her Newton parents and grandparents.
1900 CENSUS: CHEROKEE NATION, INDIAN TERRITORY, 11 Twnsp., Sallisaw, p. 170A. (Now Sequoyah Co., Oklahoma) 3 June 1900. "William Hays," a "preacher," (TX/MO/AR) is 41 yrs, b. Feb. 1859 and married fro 20 yrs. He owns a house with no mortgage. "Marry," his wife of 20 years, is 38 yrs. old, b. Sept. 1861, (GA/TN/SC). She has had 7 children with 6 living. "Walter," 14 yrs, b. Oct. 1885 in Texas, is a "day laborer"; "Jessie," a son, is 12 yrs., b. Aug. 1887 in Ind. Terr.; "Virgie," a daughter, is 8 yrs., b. Nov. 1891 in Ind. Terr.; "Jimmie," 7 yrs., b. Jan. 1893 in Ind. Terr.; "Grace," 7 yrs., b. July 1896 in Ind. Terr.; "Leo," 1 yr., b. Jan. or June 1899 in Ind. Terr. All but Grace and Leo can read and write.
1901-05: Baby Leo/Leroy dies. (Not included in family portrait.)
1910 CENSUS: MARION CO., IN, Indianapolis, Ward 6. "W M HAYS", "lodger," 48, single, TX/UNK/UNK, "air tester." (He's obviously checking out the territory for a possible move.) Mary and the four living children are in Wise Co., TX. She is head of household. (See Mary Newton)
1905-1909: Daughter Virginia dies from appendicitis.
1911-12: Estate of his grandfather, William B. Hays, is finally settled and WDM, along with many others, inherits a sum of money. It is presumed that this allows him to settle funds on Mary Abigail, obtain a divorce and marry Maggie Dobbs Nelson.
DIVORCED: Abt. 1912
REMARRIED: 17 Sept 1913 to Maggie Dobbs Nelson; move to Nordhoff, Ventura Co., CA.
BIRTH: 5 August 1914 - Son David born.
1920 CENSUS: MONTEREY CO., CALIFORNIA, Castroville Twnsp., p. 7A, ED: 8, Image 785 on "Ancestry," #13 of 14. 28 January 1920. Carpenteria Road. "William D M Hays," 52 yrs., a "minister," (TX/MO/AR); "Maggie," 48 yrs., his wife, TN/TN/TN; "Joyce Hays", 16, "step-daughter", (TX/AR/TN) (actually Joyce Nelson); "David G.," 5 yrs, son, (CA/TX/TN).
1920: Move to Zolfo Springs, Hardee Co., FL
1926: Died of stroke.
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