Hays-Brumbaugh – Joy May Lane

HAYS FAMILY

In 1827 the following marriages were recorded in Jefferson Co., Indiana;

JAMES HAYS married MARY JONES, June 27, 1827

JOHN HAYS married ELIZABETH SPILLER, Dec. 27, 1827

Over the next several years these 2 men and their families can be found in various records as they moved from Jefferson Co. to Jackson Co., Indiana, to Franklin Co., Illinois, to Monroe and Lucas Counties in Iowa, and to Jasper Co., Missouri.

James and John Hays were probably brothers. Their origin is not known although James was born in Kentucky as were his parents. James is known to have at least one sister, Melissa Hays, who married George Bristow. She and her family also moved west, first to St. Clair Co., Illinois, then to Jasper Co., Missouri.

HAYS IN JEFFERSON CO., INDIANA

There were several Hays families in Jefferson Co. during the first half of the nineteenth century and land records show several townships which had Hays landowners. However, it is most likely that James and John Hays lived in Shelby township near the small town of Canaan, about 15 miles north of Madison, Ind. and about half way between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Louisville, Kentucky.

Land records show that a Richard Hays of Clark Co., Kentucky bought land in Section 33, Shelby Township, in 1824. In 1827 and in 1835 Richard and Rachel Hays sold land in Shelby Township to James Hays.

In the same township a Jones family was living as early as 1813 when David Jones bought land in Section 29. David Jones Sr. and Rebecca sold this land in 1823 to David Jones, Jr. In Flat Bottom Cemetery in Shelby Township there is a tombstone with the following inscription:

DAVID JONES

d. May 1, 1836

aged 76

Arbuckle Virginia

Militia Rev. Soldier

REBECCA JONES, wife of David

d. Sept 24, 1849

age 83

These were quite likely the grandparents of Mary Jones, wife of James Hays, but no records have been found yet as evidence. David Jones, Sr., was described on the land records as a “Welshman”.

HAYS IN JACKSON CO., INDIANA

John Hays and his wife Elizabeth are not found on the land records of Jefferson Co. but in 1834 they bought land in Section 23, Redding Township, Jackson Co., Indiana from B. H. Spiller and his wife Elizabeth. (Spiller was Elizabeth Hays’ maiden name) Later they bought 3 lots in the town of Reddington. In Oct. of 1840, John and Elizabeth Hays appointed Peter Youtsey as their attorney to sell these 3 lots. They then moved to Franklin Co., Illinois, where they lived in June, 1841, when one of the lots was sold.

James Hays and his wife Mary sold land in Section 13 and 14, Redding Township, in Jan., 1839. At this time they lived in Jefferson Co. Ind and it is uncertain if they ever lived on their land in Jackson Co. They had purchased this land at a government land sale in Jeffersonville, Ind., (near Louisville, Kent.) It is possible that they lived in Jackson Co., for a short time and then moved back to Jefferson Co. before 1839. Their land in Jackson Co. is only about 30-40 miles from Shelby Township in Jefferson Co.

HAYS IN FRANKLIN CO., ILLINOIS

In June, 1840, John Hays bought 40 acres of land in Section 1 of Goode township, Franklin Co., Illinois at a government land sale. Later he bought some adjoining land in Section 12 from Adam Youtsey. There are no land records which show that James and Mary Hays owned land in Franklin Co. but they were in Franklin Co. in 1846 when their youngest son, C. C. Hays was born.

HAYS IN MONROE AND LUCAS COUNTIES, IOWA

James and Mary Hays moved to Lucas County, Iowa about 1854. In the 1856 Iowa State Census, Lucas Co., the family is listed in Cedar Township:

James Hays, age 51, farmer

Mary Hays, 47

David J. Hays, 28, laborer

Sarah T. Hays, 26 (widowed)

John M. Hays, 24, carpenter

James M. Hays, 21, laborer

Celona A. Hays, 17

Christopher C. Hays, 10

Mary J. Hays, 6

Francis R. Bristow,17

The last named in this record, Francis Bristow, was the son of Melissa and George Bristow. He was thus a nephew of James Hays. His mother had died by 1856.

James Hays bought land in Section 34, Cedar Township, in Dec. of 1855. In April, 1857, James and Mary sold this land to their oldest son, David J. Hays.

John and Elizabeth Hays lived in nearby Jackson Township, Monroe Co. Iowa. In the 1860 census their family was listed:

John Hays, age 52, farmer

Elizabeth Hays, 48

Willis G. Hays, 21

Joseph Hays,18

Jennings Hays, 16

Alfred Hays, 11

Berryman Hays, 8

Ervin Hays, 6

John Hays bought land in Jackson Township, Monroe Co., from Peter Youtsey in July, 1857. He bought more land in July, 1858.

Although these 2 Hays families lived in separate townships, they were only about 3 or 4 miles apart. The town of La Grange, Iowa, was located about half way between the two families. La Grange no longer exists.

HAYS FAMILIES IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

The American Civil War broke out in April of 1861 when the Confederate States attacked U. S. forces at Fort Sumter, S. C. The U. S. governments first response was to begin recruiting men for short term enlistments. After several severe battles in Virginia, in which the U. S. Army was badly beaten by the rebels, it was realized that this was going to be a long and difficult war. The government then began to enlist men for 3 years or the duration of the war. Iowa, as well as other states, was required to provide a certain proportion of its citizens as soldiers. Recruitment began for both infantry and cavalry regiments.

6th Iowa Infantry Regiment.

The 6th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed from men living in several southern Iowa counties. It was divided into 10 companies and one of these, Company E, was formed primarily from men of Monroe Co., Iowa. Among the men of Co. E when it was mustered into service on July 17 and 18, 1861, were:

David J. Hays, age 33

James M. Hays, age 26

John M. Hays, age 28

Willis S. Hays, age 21

Ira W. Gilbert, age 20

The first three of these men were brothers, sons of James and Mary Hays. The fourth man, Willis S. Hays, was their cousin, the son of John and Elizabeth Hays. Ira W. Gilbert would become a brother-in-law of the three Hays brothers when he married their sister, Celia Hays, in 1864. Ira Gilbert was born in Jackson Co., Indiana and moved with his family to Monroe Co., Iowa, about 1855.

The 6th Iowa Regiment was mustered in at Burlington, Iowa. On August 3, 1861, it was transferred to Keokuk, Iowa, to help prevent an invasion of Iowa by rebel troops from Missouri. On August 9 the 6th Iowa was put on board the steamer “Eagle” and transferred to St. Louis where they were stationed first at Jefferson Barracks, then the U. S. arsenal, and finally at Benton Barracks. On Sept. 19 it was transferred by rail to Jefferson City, Missouri, where they began their long winter campaign in central and southern Missouri. They became part of General Fremont’s Western Army and on October 21, while in Syracuse, Mo., were ordered to march south to Springfield, Mo. On Nov. 1 they had reached Quincy, Mo., still 65 miles from Springfield, and began a forced march which covered the remaining 65 miles in two days. At Springfield they were part of a 60,000 man army which was there to prevent the rebel troops from invading Missouri from Arkansas. They were in Springfield only a few days before being ordered back north to Tipton, Mo., where they spent most of the rest of the winter.

When the spring of 1862 arrived the U. S. Army began planning offensive action against the Confederacy. The Army of the Tennessee, under the command of General U. S. Grant, began operations aimed at dividing the Confederacy by moving south through Tennessee and Mississippi. Grant’s first objective was to drive up the Tennessee River to Pittsburg Landing and then overland to Corinth, Miss. an important rail crossroads of the Confederacy. In Feb., 1862, Grant’s Army defeated the rebels at Fort Henry at the mouth of the Tennessee River and thus opened the river to U. S. gunboats. He then began to concentrate a large army at Pittsburg Landing for his attack on Corinth, Miss. The 6th Iowa was ordered to join Grant’s Army at Pittsburg Landing.

On March 6, 1862, the 6th Iowa was transported by rail from central Missouri to St. Louis, then marched on board the river steamer “Crescent City”. On March 9 the steamer began its trip down the Mississippi River to Cairo, Illinios, then up the Ohio River to Paducah, Kentucky, then up the Tennesse River, past Fort Henry, to Pittsburg Landing. They were landed at Pittsburg Landing on March 17, 1862, and marched about two miles where they camped near a small country church which was called Shiloh Church. They were assigned to the 5th Division of the Army of the Tennessee, the division commanded by General W. T. Sherman.

The 6th Iowa at the Battle of Shiloh.

General Grant’s plan was to concentrate his army near Pittsburg Landing and then drive south to Corinth, Miss., a distance of about 25 miles. The rebel army, commanded by General A. S. Johnson, was aware of the build-up of the Union forces. Johnson decided to attack before Grant was ready for battle. On April 3 the rebel army left Corinth and began the 20 mile march toward the Union position. Because of delays, bad weather, poor planning, etc., the rebels were not in position, ready to attack, until Sunday morning, April 6. The Union generals were not aware that the Johnson’s entire army was in the area, ready to attack. The Union troops had not been ordered to build defenses of any kind but were merely camped in a line stretching for two miles from Pittsburg Landing to a small stream called Owl Creek. The 6th Iowa was on the extreme right of this line.

Although the commanders of the Army of the Tennessee were not expecting the rebels to attack, the troops in the field were expecting an attack. Ira Gilbert, in a diary he kept during the war, says that the men of the 6th Iowa slept the nights of April 4 and April 5 with their guns at their side. When the rebels attacked at about 6 A. M. on Sunday morning, Grant had about 33,000 troops in the field. General Johnson had about 39,000 men. The battle of Shiloh was the biggest battle ever fought on the North American continent to that time.

Casualties in this two day battle, total of both sides, were 23,000 men, more than the entire war casualties combined to this point.The 6th Iowa had about 600 men in the battle of Shiloh and suffered 207 casualties, including 46 killed. Of about 60 or 70 men in Co. E, 17 were killed.

Among the casualties on April 6 was First Sgt. David J. Hays, killed by gunshot, one day after reaching his 34th birthday.

Ira W. Gilbert, in his diary entry for April 8, 1862, described the scene on the day after the battle. “…The 6th Regt. was ordered back to camp this morning. I went through the battleground and saw our mess mates lying dead in their own blood. You can imagine my feelings better than I can describe them. To see my own mess mates that I had lived and traveled with for ten months and hundreds of others that I had marched with, laying there shot and mangled in every form; oh horrible, horrible to behold”.

A burial detail worked on April 8 and 9 to bury the 46 dead of the 6th Iowa in a single trench, 100 feet long, near the point where the most severe fighting had taken place on Sunday afternoon.

The 6th Iowa After Shiloh

During the remainder of 1862, the 6th Iowa was engaged in the siege of Corinth (which fell to Union forces on May 30) a reconnoitering expedition in Tennessee and Mississippi until July, from mid-July to mid-November stationed in Memphis, Tennessee, and then stationed in Grand Junction, Tennessee during the winter of 1862-63. In November, 1862, James M. Hays was admitted to the army hospital in Memphis where he stayed until Dec. 29 when he was discharged from the army for disability.

In June of 1863, the 6th Iowa was assigned to General Smith’s Division of the Army of the Tennessee and ordered to take part in General Grant’s campaign against Vicksburg, Mississippi. On June 5 they left Grand Junction for Memphis where they boarded a steamer and traveled down the Mississippi River to the Yazoo River, then up the Yazoo River to Snyder’s Bluff, 12 miles from Vicksburg. Vicksburg fell to General Grant’s army on July 3, 1863, and the entire Mississippi River was once again under control of U. S. forces and the Confederacy was cut in two.

From Vicksburg, Grant’s army (including the 6th Iowa) marched east to Jackson, Miss., which surrendered in late July. The 6th Iowa spent August and September in camp near Vicksburg. On Sept. 25 they were ordered to Chattanooga, Tenn. They left Vicksburg on Sept. 29 on two steamboats and arrived in Memphis on Oct. 5. On Oct. 11 they began marching east toward Chattanooga. While camped at Iuka, Mississippi, on Oct 27, 1863, Willis S. Hays became sick and was sent back to the army hospital at Memphis. He stayed there for the remainder of his enlistment and was discharged on July 18, 1864, when his three year term was up.

The 6th Iowa marched from Chattanooga to Knoxville to relieve General Burnside’s army which was under siege by Confederate troops. Then they went into winter camp in Scottsboro, Ala. On Dec. 24, 1863, John M. Hays was moved to the army hospital in Nashville where he remained until February, 1864, when he returned to his unit.

During the winter a re-enlistment campaign was begun in the 6th Iowa Regiment. Among the veterans who re-enlisted was Ira W. Gilbert. Those who re-enlisted were given 30 days leave to return home with orders to assemble on April 27, 1864, at Davenport, Iowa. On April 6, Ira Gilbert and Celia Hays were married in Iowa.

In the spring of 1864 began the Atlanta campaign under the command of General W. T. Sherman who now was in command of all of the armies in the Military Division of the Tennessee. In May these armies began moving south from Chattanooga towards Atlanta. Over the next several months of almost constant fighting, several major battles were fought including Resaca, Dallas, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, and finally, the Battle of Atlanta. The 6th Iowa participated in all of these battles. During the Battle of Kenesaw Mountain, in June, Ira W. Gilbert was felled by sunstroke and spent several months in the hospital at Marietta, Georgia.

Those who had not re-enlisted were discharged on July 18. Included in this group was Willis S. Hays (who was still in the hospital in Memphis) and John M. Hays.

After capturing Atlanta, General Sherman burned the town and then began his march to the sea. His army marched from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, which they captured in December, then north through the Carolinas, and in April of 1865 accepted the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnson’s army at Durham, N. C., which ended the war. The remnants of the 6th Iowa was a part of this march. After marching north to Washington D. C. for the grand review of the Union Armies, the 6th Iowa was taken by rail to Louisville, Kentucky, where Ira Gilbert and the other veterans were discharged.

8th Iowa Cavalry Regiment

In March they marched to Nashville where they were refitted with new horses and equipment and were then assigned to Sherman’s army to take part in the Atlanta campaign. They fought at Dalton and Resaca in May, Kenesaw Mountain in June, and advanced on Atlanta in July. On July 27 the regiment was ordered to raid enemy communications south of Atlanta. During this raid, on July 30 near Newnan, Georgia, the 8th and other regiments were surrounded by large numbers of rebel troops. Large numbers were killed or captured and of the 300 troops of the 8th, only 20 returned to the Union lines. Among those captured was James M. Hays.

James M. Hays was taken to the infamous Andersonville prison in August of 1864. Andersonville was near Americus, Georgia, and about 100 miles south of Atlanta. Originally it consisted of a timber stockade surrounding about 13 acres. Due to the large number of prisoners captured in the summer of 1864, it was enlarged to 20 acres in July. During the month of August there were over 31,000 prisoners, over 1500 per acre. They had no shelter except what they could build from brush and mud. They had no clothes except what they were wearing when captured or could remove from dead prisoners. They were provided with only meager amounts of food by the rebels. The water supply consisted of a stream which flowed through the stockade and also served as the latrine.

John McElroy, a Union prisoner of Andersonville, described the scene in July of 1864:

“Let me describe the scene immediately around my own tent during the last two weeks of July…. I will take a space not larger than a good sized parlor or sitting room. On this were at least fifty of us. Directly in front of me lay two brothers…from Missouri. They were now in the last stages of scurvy and diarrhea. Every particle of muscle and fat about their limbs and bodies had apparently wasted away, leaving the skin clinging close to the bone of the face, arms, hands, ribs and thighs–everywhere except for the feet and legs, where it was swollen tense and transparent, distended with gallons of purulent matter. Their livid gums, from which most of their teeth had fallen, protruded far beyond their lips. To their left lay a sergeant and two others…, all three slowly dying from diarrhea, and beyond was a fair-haired German…whose life was ebbing tediously away. To my right was a…sergeant…captured at Kenesaw. His left arm had been amputated between the shoulder and elbow, and he was turned into the stockade with the stump all undressed…. He had not been inside an hour until the maggot flies had laid eggs in the open wound, and before the day was gone the worms were hatched out, and rioting amid the inflamed and super-sensitive nerves….Accustomed as we were to misery, we found a still lower depth in his misfortune,and I would be happier could I forget his pale, drawn face, as he wandered uncomplainingly to and fro, holding his maimed limb with his right hand, occasionally stopping to squeeze it, as one does a boil, and press from it a stream of maggots and pus. I do not think he ate or slept for a week before he died.”

“The weather became hotter…; at midday the sand would burn the hand. The thin skins of fair…haired men blistered under the sun’s rays and swelled up in great watery puffs, which soon became the breeding grounds of the hideous maggots, or the still more deadly gangrene. The loathsome swamp grew in rank offensiveness with every burning hour. The pestilence literally stalked at noonday and struck his victims down on every hand. One could not look a rod in any direction without seeing at least a dozen men in the last frightful stages of rotting death”

During the month of August, 1864, over 3,000 prisoners died, nearly one in ten and about 100 each day.

McElroy, who was also at Florence, described the conditions in that stockade;

“We thought we had sounded the depths of misery at Andersonville, but Florence showed us a much lower depth. Bad as was parching under the burning sun whose fiery rays bred miasma and putrefaction, it was still not so bad as having one’s life chilled out by exposure in nakedness upon the frozen ground to biting winds and freezing sleet. Wretched as the rusty bacon and coarse, maggot-filled bread of Andersonville was, it would still go much further towards supporting life than the handful of saltless meal at Florence.”

As Sherman’s army moved across Georgia and then north through the Carolinas, the Confederacy again moved their prisoners, trying to prevent the Union armies from liberating them. James M. Hays was moved to Wilmington, N. C. Wilmington fell to U. S. troops on Feb. 22, 1865, and hundreds of prisoners were released. James M. Hays was moved by the hospital ship S. R. Spaulding to Annapolis, Md. where he was hospitalized until March 15, then furloughed for 30 days to return home. He received his discharge in Clinton, Iowa, on May 29, 1865.

46th Iowa Volunteer Infantry

In 1864 the U. S. Government began recruiting 100 day regiments, primarily to perform garrison duties. This was to allow the veteran regiments to carry on the major campaigns without leaving large numbers of veterans behind to guard railroads, supply depots, etc. The 46th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed from 10 companies of Iowa volunteers, Co. G being formed of men from Monroe County , Iowa. Among those who enlisted in Co. G was C. C. Hays, age 18 at enlistment on may 21, 1864. He was the youngest son of James and Mary Hays. The 46th was mustered in on June 10, 1864, at Camp McClellan, near Davenport, Iowa. On June 14 they were on their way south, first by railroad to Cairo, Ill., then by steamboat “John D. Perry” to Memphis, Tenn., where they arrived June 20. They camped near Memphis until June 27, then moved to Collierville, Tenn., where they were stationed for 2 months. Their duty was to guard the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.

On Sept. 1 they were returned to Memphis, embarked on the “Golden Era” on Sept. 10 for Cairo, then moved by rail to Davenport where they arrived Sept. 16. The regiment was discharged on Sept. 23.

1st Iowa Cavalry Regiment

Josephus Hays, son of John and Elizabeth Hays, was mustered into Co. H, 1st Iowa Cavalry Regiment, on Aug. 3, 1861, at Burlington, Iowa. In September the regiment was moved to Benton Barracks, St. Louis. During the winter of 1861-1862 they were engaged in defending south-west Missouri from rebel guerrilla troops and bushwackers. In July of 1862, Co. H, 1st Cavalry, was engaged in a battle with Quantrille’s Raiders in Cass County, Missouri. In September of 1862 the regiment was sent to Springfield, Mo., to help defend that town. On Oct. 1, they began marching from Springfield in an attempt to drive the rebel troops from southwest Missouri. They moved from Springfield to Cassville to Bentonville, Ark. to Huntsville, Ark. to Fayettville, Ark. to Valley Springs, Ark., all the while engaged in battles and skirmishes with retreating rebels. On Dec. 7. they fought at the Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark. In January, 1863, they returned to White River, Mo. and attempted to intercept the rebel troops commanded by General Marmaduke who had attacked Springfield. The remainder of 1863 was spent in pursuit of rebel raiders in south Missouri.

On July 18, 1863, Josephus Hays was hospitalized in Bloomfield, Mo. He remained there until Oct. 9, 1863, when he was furloughed to his home in Monroe County, Iowa where he died of disease on Nov. 25, 1863.

18th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Jennings Hays, son of John and Elizabeth Hays, enlisted in Co. C of the newly formed 18th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was mustered in on Aug 6, 1862, at Clinton, Iowa. On Aug. 11, they were ordered to Springfield, Mo, and arrived there on Sept. 13. They were assigned to the Army of the Frontier, commanded by General Schofield. On Sept. 29, they advanced on a rebel camp at Newtonia, Mo., and pursued the rebels as far as Fayetteville, Ark. They were ordered back to Springfield and arrived there on Nov. 14, 1862. They were part of a 1500 man garrison in Springfield during the winter of 1862-1863. On Jan. 8, 1863, Springfield was attacked by 3500 rebel troops under General Marmaduke. Of 500 men of the 18th Iowa, they suffered 56 casualties. Springfield was successfully defended and General Marmaduke was forced to retreat.

In April, 1863, the 18th Iowa began a series of marches against the rebel troops under General Shelby who had invaded Missouri. During the first of these marches they advanced to Cassville, Mo., and on the return march to Springfield, Jennings Hays was accidentally shot in the breast and died on May 9, 1863. He was buried in the military cemetery in Springfield.

JAMES AND MARY HAYS’ FAMILY AFTER THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

In 1870 James M. Hays and John M. Hays were carpenters who lived with their families in Jasper Township. Ira and Celia Gilbert lived near the town of Georgia while Sarah and Aquilla Coombs lived in Center Creek. Their parents, James and Mary Hays lived with their daughters, Sarah Coombs and Celia Gilbert.

C. C. Hays was married to Florence Murray on June 8, 1873 in Sherwood, Jasper County, Mo. During the 1870’s lead mining became an important industry in Jasper County. Joplin grew from a small village to a large town with several lead refineries. By 1880 C. C. Hays and his family lived in Joplin where he was a lead miner. Ira Gilbert also lived in Joplin and was a lead miner and James and Mary Hays were living with the Gilbert family.

During this same time period at least two cousins of this Hays family also lived in Jasper County, Misssouri.

Fidellus W. Bristow, son of Melinda and George Bristow, lived in Galena Township in 1880 where he was a farmer. He married Artemesie Williams who was a sister of Sophia and Belle Hays. His brother, Francis B. (Frank) Bristow, lived in Smithfield in 1876 where he was a farmer and a photographer.

JAMES HAYS AND MARY JONES

James Hays, born April 12, 1805, Kentucky, (parents also were born in Kentucky) died March 7, 1884, Carl Jct., Jasper Co., Mo., buried Smithfield Cemetery, Cherokee Co., Kansas. (also called Mounds Cemetery).

Mary Jones, born April 19, 1809, Kentucky, (parents born in Virginia) died Sept or Nov., 1896, Missouri. Married June 7, 1827, Jefferson County, Indiana.

Children:

David J. Hays, born April 5, 1828, Jefferson Co., Indiana.

Sarah Salina Hays, born Dec. 10, 1829, Jefferson Co. Indiana.

John M. Hays, born Aug. 2, 1832, Jefferson Co., Indiana

James M. Hays, born Jan. 5, 1835, Indiana

William W. Hays, born March 24, 1836, Indiana, died Aug. 16, 1842, age 6

Celina Ann (Celia) Hays, born July 4, 1839, Indiana

Rebbecca Jane Hays, born July 4, 1839, Indiana, died Aug.8, 1843, age 4

Christopher C. Hays, born Jan. 15, 1846, Franklin Co., Illinios

They seemed to be pioneers, always moving further west as new land was opened to settlement. They were in Franklin County, Illinois, in 1846 when Christopher was born. By 1856 they had again moved, this time to Lucas County, Iowa, where they lived near the town of La Grange. After the civil war they again moved, this time following their adult children to Jasper County, Missouri.

In about January, 1856, while in Iowa, James Hays became chronically ill with asthma and sore eyes. He sold his land to his oldest son, David, and James and Mary became dependent on their family for support. In 1881, while living in Joplin, they both applied for a pension as dependents of their son, David, who had been killed in the war. They claimed that he had been sending them money while in the army and given them “groceries meal flour and other necesaries and also…clothing” previous to his enlistment. Mary received a “mothers” pension for the rest of her life but apparently James did not receive a pension.

James was described by a niece as a “small” man. She called him “Uncle Jimmy”. She also described Mary as a “psychic”.

CHILDREN OF JAMES AND MARY HAYS AND THEIR FAMILIES

David J. Hays, born April 5, 1828, Jefferson Co., Indiana. died April 6, 1862, Shiloh Battlefield,

Tennessee, buried on the battlefield, unmarried. David joined the 6th Iowa Volunteer Regiment in July,1861. His description on his enlistment papers: “5 ft. 9 in. tall, sandy complexion, hazel eyes, sandy hair, occupation miller”

Sarah Salina Hays born Dec. 10, 1829, 1829, Indiana died ? Missouri, married 1st, ______ Feril, who died before 1856, 2nd, Aquilla Coombs on Nov. 12, 1857, Lucas County, Iowa. He was born in Virginia about 1833. Children:

Mary J. Feril, born about 1850

Walter Coombs, born 1858

Sonora A. (Nora) Coombs, born 1860

James H. Coombs, born 1864 (9?), Mo.

Flotina A. (Flossie) Coombs, born 1872, Mo.

Sarah and Aquilla lived in Center Creek, Jasper County, in 1870. They sold land in 1875 but Aquilla died before 1880. On the 1880 census Sarah Coombs, her daughter, Nora, her son, James, and her daughter, Flotina A., were living with her oldest daughter, Mary F. Pyle and her husband Augusta C. Pyle in Joplin.

John M. Hays, born Aug. 2, 1832, Indiana, died Jan.9, 1888, Leavenworth, Kansas, married Isabella (Belle) Williams, April 8, 1866, Carthage, Mo.

Children: all born Jasper County

Shiloh (Shy) Hays, born about 1867

Alta Hays, born 1869, mar. Grant Allen

Lena Hays, born 1870, mar. John Mayfield

Richard J. (Dick) Hays, born Sept. 24, 1876, Joplin.

John M. Hays enlisted in the 6th Iowa Volunteer Inf. Regiment and served in the following battles: Shiloh, siege of Corinth, siege of Vicksburg, Big Black River, Jackson, Mission Ridge (Chattanooga), and Resaca (Atlanta campaign). He was hospitalized at Bridgeport, Ala., in Dec., 1863, to Jan., 1864, and again in April, 1864, at Nashville, and again in May, 1864 at Chattanoga. He was promoted to 2nd Cpl. in Aug., 1862, and to 1st Cpl. in July, 1863. He was described in his enlistment papers as: ” 5 ft. 4 in., light complexion, hazel eyes, sandy hair, occupation carpenter”. After the war he moved to Jasper County, Missouri, where he was a justice of the peace in 1870. In 1871 and 1872 he lived in Medoc, Mo. He and his wife, Belle, were divorced and she remarried in Dec., 1887, to Samuel Cohen and they lived in Wyandotte County, Kansas.

In Jun, 1887, John M. Hays was admitted to the National Home for Disabled Veterans in Leavenworth, Kansas, with paralysis. He died there on Jan. 9, 1888.

James M. (Matt) Hays, born Jan. 5. 1835, Jefferson Co, Ind., died Nov. 17 or 18, 1889, Lehigh, Jasper Co. Mo. married Sophronia (Sophia) Williams on April 8, 1866, Carthage, Mo.

Children: all born Jasper Co.

Dora Hays, born 1870

Claud Hays, born before 1879

Bud Hays, born before 1879

James Albert (Bert) Hays, born 1879

Frankie Pearl Hays, b. Feb. 6, 1886

James M. Hays was known to his family as Matt Hays, probably because his father was also named James and the name Matt avoided confusion.

James (Matt) Hays enlisted in the 6th Iowa Volunteer Infantry in July, 1861, and fought at Shiloh and the seige of Corinth. He was discharged at Memphis on Dec. 29, 1862, for disability. He was described on his discharge papers as “5 ft. 5 in., blue eyes, sandy complexion, sandy hair, occupation carpenter.” He enlisted in the 8th Iowa Cavalry Regiment on Aug 10, 1863, as a corporal. On Aug. 29, 1864, during the Atlanta campaign he was captured by the rebel troops. He spent the next seven months in Andersonville and Florence Prisons and was released in Wilmington, N. C. on Feb. 22, 1865. After spending about 10 days recovering in the hospital at Annapolis, Md., he was furloughed home and discharged from the service on May 29, 1865.After the war he moved to Jasper County, Missouri, where he married in April, 1866. In July, 1866, he filed a homestead claim on land in Twin Groves Township. He and his wife, Sophronia, sold this land in May, 1872, for $116.00. He worked in the lead mines for a short time but in 1879 he filed for an invalid pension due to war related disablities. His first application was rejected and he reapplied in about 1883. He claimed to have been in poor health since about Aug., 1865, “laboring under general prostration of the nervous system and…chronic diarrhea, piles, and partial blindness…and has not been able to perform manual labor as an able bodied man…as much as three-fourths of the time”. He recieved a disablity pension until his death from “general debility”, having suffered his last 3 months from “consumption of the lungs and edema of the lower limbs”. After his death in 1889, his widow lived in Lehigh (1889) and Blendsville (1891) Mo. She received a widows pension until her death in 1924. Her last pension was at the rate of $30.00 per month.

Celonia (Celia) Hays,born July 4, 1839, Indiana, died Nov. or Dec, 1895, Joplin, Mo., married Ira W. Gilbert on April 6, 1864, in Melrose, Monroe Co., Iowa.

Children:

Ada May (Addie) Gilbert, born 1866, Missouri

Ira M. Gilbert, born 1879, died young.

Celia Hays was married to Ira W. Gilbert in 1864 while he was on furlough from the 6th Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He served in the 6th Iowa for the duration of the civil war and fought at Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, Chattanooga (where he was wounded) and in the Atlanta campaign (where he was sunstruck at Kenesaw Mountain and hospitalized for several weeks. It is uncertain whether he marched with Sherman’s Army across Georgia and the Carolinas. He may have been still in the hospital at the time the march began.) After the war, Celia and Ira Gilbert moved to Jasper County, Missouri. In 1870 they lived in Georgia Township. They moved back to Iowa in 1871 but returned to Missouri in 1873. In 1880 they lived in Joplin where he was a miner.

In July, 1871, while living in East Melrose, Monroe Co. Iowa, Ira Gilbert applied for a pension claiming war related disablities. This application was rejected in Dec., 1873, and he applied again in July, 1882. This time his application claimed “…in his line of duty at Kenesaw Mountain…on the 27th day of June, 1864, while actively engaged in battle he became sunstruck and totally prostrated in his nervous system which has continued to afflict him to the present time causing disease of his heart and continous sun pain in his head. He also incurred Piles while on the march Shiloh, Tenn. to Corinth, Miss…which has continued to afflict him ever since…” He received a pension of $8.00 per month. In Sept., 1883, he applied for an increase in his pension but he did not receive any increase. Ira W. Gilbert died in July 12, 1884, and is buried in La Grange Cemetery, Cedar Township, Lucas Co., Iowa. Celia Gilbert continued to live in Joplin, Mo., until her death in 1895. At the time of her death she was receiving a widow’s pension of $12.00 per month.

Christopher C. Hays, Born June 15, 1846, Franklin Co., Illinois., died March 12, 1903, Coy McDonald Co. Mo., buried Cummings Cemetery, Tiff City, Mo., married Florence M. Murray, June 8, 1873, Sherwood, Jasper Co. Mo.

Children:

Goldie Hays, born 1877

Charlie Murray Hays, born Jan. 4, 1879, Carl Jct., Mo.

Myille Selena (Lena) Hays, born Aug. 17, 1882

Amasa Fred Hays, born March 7, 1890 Lehigh, Mo.

When Christopher C. Hays was 18 years old he enlisted as a musician in the 46th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He served from June 10, until Sept. 16, 1864. Most of this time his regiment was stationed at Collierville, Tenn., where they were assigned to guard the railroad from rebel raiders. His enlistment papers described him as “5 ft. 3 in., hazel eyes, red hair, sandy complexion, occupation farmer”. After the war he left Iowa with his family and filed a homestead claim. His claim was filed on July 7, 1866, for land which became part of Cherokee County, Kansas, when that county was formed in 1870. His land was adjacent to Jasper County, Missouri. He probably lived and farmed this land for several years. Sometime after he was married in 1873, he moved to Joplin, where he lived in 1880, and worked in the lead mines. In the special census of 1890, he was listed as living in Lehigh, Mo.He was injured by “…timbering and lifting big timbers while working underground at Lehigh, Jasper Co. Mo. in 1883. and got my back very nearly broke in to”.

In 1892, when he was living in Tiff City, McDonald Co., Mo., he applied for a disability pension, claiming “rheumatism, heart disease, and general debility.” In Nov., 1893, he received an $8.00 per month pension. He applied several times over the next few years for an increase in his pension rate but all were rejected. Christopher’s health continued to fail. In Feb., 1894, he lost the sight of his right eye and a weakening of his left eye. He also began suffering from pain in his head. He had heart disease which he described: “seems to stop beating and have to move about to start it”. In 1896 his right eye was removed. In 1899 he developed kidney troubles and loss of hearing in his left ear. By 1902 his weight was 90 lbs., his liver was enlarged and painful and his doctor described him as: “presents one of poorest specimans of humanity that ever came under my observation.” Christopher claimed that he was “all out of fix and not able to do a thing.” By Dec., 1902 his liver was enlarged to three times it’s normal size. He died on March 12, 1903, three days after an operation to drain his stomach. Florence lived in Tiff City until about 1930 when she lived in Grove, Ok. She died in Grove in 1942 and, at the time of her death was receiving a $40.00 per month widow’s pension.

The 6th Iowa at the Battle of Shiloh.

Because of surprise, superior numbers, and lack of defenses, the Union Army was driven back along the entire line. The 6th Iowa, being on the extreme right of the line, was the unit most distant from Pittsburg Landing. Throughout the day the 6th Iowa was driven backwards, suffering heavy casualties. By the end of the day the rebel army was in control of the entire battlefield except for a small area around Pittsburg Landing. Both sides had suffered huge casualties. However, the rebel army had no reserves. General Grant had an entire division of 5000 men who were brought to the battlefield late in the day. In addition, General Buell’s Army of the Ohio began arriving opposite Pittsburg Landing during the night and was brought across the river on gunboats. On the morning of April 7 the rebel army was vastly outnumbered with fresh Union troops. After another day of fighting the rebels were forced to retreat to Corinth, taking 8000 wounded men with them. Casualties in this two day battle, total of both sides, were 23,000 men, more than the entire war casualties combined to this point. The 6th Iowa had about 600 men in the battle of Shiloh and suffered 207 casualties, including 46 killed. Of about 60 or 70 men in Co. E, 17 were killed. Among the casualties on April 6 was First Sgt. David J. Hays, killed by gunshot, one day after reaching his 34th birthday. Ira W. Gilbert, in his diary entry for April 8, 1862, described the scene on the day after the battle.

“…The 6th Regt. was ordered back to camp this morning I went through the battleground and saw our mess mates lying dead in their own blood. You can imagine my feelings better than I can describe them. To see my own mess mates that I had lived and traveled with for ten months and hundreds of others that I had marched with, laying there shot and mangled in every form; oh horrible, horrible to behold”.

A burial detail worked on April 8 and 9 to bury the 46 dead of the 6th Iowa in a single trench, 100 feet long, near the point where the most severe fighting had taken place on Sunday afternoon.

The 6th Iowa After Shiloh

The 6th Iowa reached Chattanooga in late November, 1863. The Battle of Chattanooga took place on November 24. The 6th Iowa fought on Missionary Ridge, at the extreme left of the Union line. Among the casualties of the battle was Ira W. Gilbert who was slightly wounded in the head by a spent bullet which knocked him out. The 6th Iowa marched from Chattanooga to Knoxville to relieve General Burnside’s army which was under seige by Confederate troops. Then they went into winter camp in Scottsboro, Ala. On Dec. 24, 1863, John M. Hays was moved to the army hospital in Nashville where he remained until February, 1864, when he returned to his unit.

Those who had not re-enlisted were discharged on July 18. Included in this group was Willis S. Hays (who was still in the hospital in Memphis) and John M. Hays.

8th Iowa Cavalry Regiment

James M. Hays had been discharged from the 6th Iowa Infantry Regiment in December of 1862 for disability, but he had recovered by September of 1863 and enlisted in the newly formed 8th Iowa Cavalry Regiment. They were mustered in on Sept. 30 at Davenport, Iowa. On Oct. 17 they left by rail for Louisville, Ky., arriving Oct. 22. On Nov. 4 they were marched to Nashville, Tenn. and in December were assigned to guard the railroad near Waverly, Tenn. They spent the winter of 1863-1864 in this area guarding the rail line from attacks by rebel guerrillas. In March they marched to Nashville where they were refitted with new horses and equipment and were then assigned to Sherman’s army to take part in the Atlanta campaign. They fought at Dalton and Resaca in May, Kenesaw Mountain in June, and advanced on Atlanta in July. On July 27 the regiment was ordered to raid enemy communications south of Atlanta. During this raid, on July 30 near Newnan, Georgia, the 8th and other regiments were surrounded by large numbers of rebel troops. Large numbers were killed or captured and of the 300 troops of the 8th, only 20 returned to the Union lines. Among those captured was James M. Hays.

John McElroy, a Union prisoner of Andersonville, described the scene in July of 1864:

“Let me describe the scene immediately around my own tent during the last two weeks of July…. I will take a space not larger than a good sized parlor or sitting room. On this were at least fifty of us. Directly in front of me lay two brothers…from Missouri. They were now in the last stages of scurvy and diarrhea. Every particle of muscle and fat about their limbs and bodies had apparently wasted away, leaving the skin clinging close to the bone of the face, arms, hands, ribs and thighs–everywhere except for the feet and legs, where it was swollen tense and transparent, distended with gallons of purulent matter. Their livid gums, from which most of their teeth had fallen, protruded far beyond their lips. To their left lay a sergeant and two others…, all three slowly dying from diarrhea, and beyond was a fair-haired German…whose life was ebbing tediously away. To my right was a…sergeant…captured at Kenesaw. His left arm had been amputated between the shoulder and elbow, and he was turned into the stockade with the stump all undressed…. He had not been inside an hour until the maggot flies had laid eggs in the open wound, and before the day was gone the worms were hatched out, and rioting amid the inflamed and supersensitive nerves….Accustomed as we were to misery, we found a still lower depth in his misfortune,and I would be happier could I forget his pale, drawn face, as he wandered uncomplainingly to and fro, holding his maimed limb with his right hand, occasionally stopping to squeeze it, as one does a boil, and press from it a stream of maggots and pus. I do not think he ate or slept for a week before he died.”

During the month of August, 1864, over 3,000 prisoners died, nearly one in ten and about 100 each day.

When Sherman’s armies captured Atlanta, the Confederacy began moving prisoners out of Andersonville to other prisons to prevent Sherman from sending an army south to liberate the prisoners. Some were moved to Savannah, others to Florence, S. C. Sometime in the fall or winter months James M. Hays was moved to Florence. McElroy, who was also at Florence, described the conditions in that stockade; “We thought we had sounded the depths of misery at Andersonville, but Florence showed us a much lower depth. Bad as was parching under the burning sun whose fiery rays bred miasma and putrefaction, it was still not so bad as having one’s life chilled out by exposure in nakedness upon the frozen ground to biting winds and freezing sleet. Wretched as the rusty bacon and coarse, maggot-filled bread of Andersonville was, it would still go much further towards supporting life than the handful of saltless meal at Florence.”

46th Iowa Volunteer Infantry

In 1864 the U. S. Government began recruiting 100 day regiments, primarily to perform garrison duties. This was to allow the veteran regiments to carry on the major campaigns without leaving large numbers of veterans behind to guard railroads, supply depots, etc. The 46th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed from 10 companies of Iowa volunteers, Co. G being formed of men from Monroe County , Iowa. Among those who enlisted in Co. G was C. C. Hays, age 18 at enlistment on May 21, 1864. He was the youngest son of James and Mary Hays. The 46th was mustered in on June 10, 1864, at Camp McClellan, near Davenport, Iowa. On June 14 they were on their way south, first by railroad to Cairo, Ill., then by steamboat “John D. Perry” to Memphis, Tenn., where they arrived June 20. They camped near Memphis until June 27, then moved to Collierville, Tenn., where they were stationed for 2 months. Their duty was to guard the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.

On Sept. 1 they were returned to Memphis, embarked on the “Golden Era” on Sept. 10 for Cairo, then moved by rail to Davenport where they arrived Sept. 16. The regiment was discharged on Sept. 23.

1st Iowa Cavalry Regiment

18th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment

JAMES AND MARY HAYS’ FAMILY AFTER THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

After the civil war James and Mary Hays and all of their surviving children left Iowa and settled in or near Jasper County, Missouri. James M. Hays homesteaded land in Twin Groves Township and Ira and Celia Gilbert acquired land in the same township. C. C. Hays homesteaded on land adjacent to Twin Groves Township but in the state of Kansas. On April 8, 1866, James M. Hays and John M. Hays were married to sisters in a double wedding. James M. married Sophronia (Sophia) Williams while John M. married Isabelle (Belle) Williams. Their older sister, Sarah, had married Aquilla Coombs in 1857 in Iowa and they also made their home in Jasper County. In 1870 James M. Hays and John M. Hays were carpenters who lived with their families in Jasper Township. Ira and Celia Gilbert lived near the town of Georgia while Sarah and Aquilla Coombs lived in Center Creek. Their parents, James and Mary Hays lived with their daughters, Sarah Coombs and Celia Gilbert.

During this same time period at least two cousins of this Hays family also lived in Jasper County, Misssouri. Fidellus W. Bristow, son of Melinda and George Bristow, lived in Galena Township in 1880 where he was a farmer. He married Artemesie Williams who was a sister of Sophia and Belle Hays. His brother, Francis B. (Frank) Bristow, lived in Smithfield in 1876 where he was a farmer and a photographer.

JAMES HAYS AND MARY JONES

James Hays born April 12, 1805, Kentucky, (parents also were born in Kentucky), died March 7, 1884, Carl Jct., Jasper Co., Mo., buried Smithfield Cemetery, Cherokee Co. Kansas. (also called Mounds Cemetery)

Mary Jones, born April 19, 1809, Kentucky, (parents born Virginia), died Sept or Nov., 1896, Missouri, Married June 7, 1827, Jefferson County, Indiana.

Children:

David J. Hays, born April 5, 1828, Jefferson Co., Indiana.

Sarah Salina Hays, born Dec. 10, 1829, Jefferson Co. Indiana.

John M. Hays, born Aug. 2, 1832, Jefferson Co., Indiana

James M. Hays, born Jan. 5, 1835, Indiana

William W. Hays, born March 24, 1836, Indiana, died Aug. 16, 1842, age 6

Celina Ann (Celia) Hays, born July 4, 1839,Indiana

Rebbecca Jane Hays, born July 4, 1839, Indiana, died Aug.8, 1843, age 4

Christopher C. Hays, born Jan. 15, 1846, Franklin Co., Illinios

This family probably lived in Shelby Township, Jefferson County, Indiana until about 1840. James was a farmer and owned land in Jackson County, Indiana, but it is uncertain if they ever lived in Jackson County.They seemed to be pioneers, always moving further west as new land was opened to settlement.They were in Franklin County, Illinois, in 1846 when Christopher was born. By 1856 they had again moved, this time to Lucas County, Iowa, where they lived near the town of La Grange. After the civil war they again moved, this time following their adult children to Jasper County, Missouri.

Mary received a “mothers” pension for the rest of her life but apparently James did not receive a pension.

James was described by a niece as a “small” man. She called him “Uncle Jimmy”. She also described Mary as a “psychic”.

CHILDREN OF JAMES AND MARY HAYS AND THEIR FAMILIES

David J. Hays, born April 5, 1828, Jefferson Co., Indiana. died April 6, 1862, Shiloh Battlefield,

Tennessee, buried on the battlefield. unmarried.

David joined the 6th Iowa Volunteer Regiment in July,1861. His description on his enlistment papers: “5 ft. 9 in. tall, sandy complexion, hazel eyes, sandy hair, occupation miller”

Sarah Salina Hays born Dec. 10, 1829, 1829, Indiana died ?,Missouri married 1st, ______ Feril, who died before 1856, 2nd, Aquilla Coombs on Nov. 12, 1857, Lucas County, Iowa. He was born in Virginia about 1833.

Children:

Mary J. Feril, born about 1850

Walter Coombs, born 1858

Sonora A. (Nora) Coombs, born 1860

James H. Coombs, born 1864 (9?), Mo.

Flotina A. (Flossie) Coombs, born 1872, Mo.

John M. Hays, born Aug. 2, 1832, Indiana died Jan.9, 1888, Leavenworth, Kansas, married Isabella (Belle) Williams, April 8, 1866, Carthage, Mo.

Children: all born Jasper County

Shiloh (Shy) Hays, born about 1867

Alta Hays, born 1869, mar. Grant Allen

Lena Hays, born 1870, mar. John Mayfield

Richard J. (Dick) Hays, born Sept. 24, 1876, Joplin.

After the war he moved to Jasper County, Missouri, where he was a justice of the peace in 1870. In 1871 and 1872 he lived in Medoc, Mo. He and his wife, Belle, were divorced and she remarried in Dec., 1887, to Samuel Cohen and they lived in Wyandotte County, Kansas.

In Jun, 1887, John M. Hays was admitted to the National Home for Disabled Veterans in Leavenworth, Kansas, with paralysis. He died there on Jan. 9, 1888.

James M. (Matt) Hays born Jan. 5. 1835, Jefferson Co, Ind., died Nov. 17 or 18, 1889, Lehigh, Jasper Co. Mo., married Sophronia (Sophia) Williams on April 8, 1866, Carthage, Mo.

Children: all born Jasper Co.

Dora Hays, born 1870

Claud Hays, born before 1879

Bud Hays, born before 1879

James Albert (Bert) Hays, born 1879

Frankie Pearl Hays, b. Feb. 6, 1886

James M. Hays was known to his family as Matt Hays, probably because his father was also named James and the name Matt avoided confusion.

James (Matt) Hays enlisted in the 6th Iowa Volunteer Infantry in July, 1861, and fought at Shiloh and the siege of Corinth. He was discharged at Memphis on Dec. 29, 1862, for disability. He was described on his discharge papers as “5 ft. 5 in., blue eyes, sandy complexion, sandy hair, occupation carpenter.”

He enlisted in the 8th Iowa Cavalry Regiment on Aug 10, 1863, as a corporal. On Aug. 29, 1864, during the Atlanta campaign he was captured by the rebel troops. He spent the next seven months in Andersonville and Florence Prisons and was released in Wilmington, N. C. on Feb. 22, 1865. After spending about 10 days recovering in the hospital at Annapolis, Md., he was furloughed home and discharged from the service on May 29, 1865.

After the war he moved to Jasper County, Missouri, where he married in April, 1866. In July, 1866, he filed a homestead claim on land in Twin Groves Township. He and his wife, Sophronia, sold this land in May, 1872, for $116.00.

He worked in the lead mines for a short time but in 1879 he filed for an invalid pension due to war related disabilities. His first application was rejected and he reapplied in about 1883. He claimed to have been in poor health since about Aug., 1865, “laboring under general prostration of the nervous system and…chronic diarrhea, piles, and partial blindness…and has not been able to perform manual labor as an able bodied man…as much as three-fourths of the time”. He received a disability pension until his death from “general debility”, having suffered his last 3 months from “consumption of the lungs and edema of the lower limbs”. After his death in 1889, his widow lived in Lehigh (1889) and Blendsville (1891) Mo. She received a widows pension until her death in 1924. Her last pension was at the rate of $30.00 per month.

Celonia (Celia) Hays, born July 4, 1839, Indiana, died Nov. or Dec, 1895, Joplin, Mo., married Ira W. Gilbert on April 6, 1864, in Melrose, Monroe Co., Iowa.

Children:

Ada May (Addie) Gilbert, born 1866, Missouri

Ira M. Gilbert, born 1879, died young.

After the war, Celia and Ira Gilbert moved to Jasper County, Missouri. In 1870 they lived in Georgia Township. They moved back to Iowa in 1871 but returned to Missouri in 1873. In 1880 they lived in Joplin where he was a miner.

In July, 1871, while living in East Melrose, Monroe Co. Iowa, Ira Gilbert applied for a pension claiming war related disabilities. This application was rejected in Dec., 1873, and he applied again in July, 1882. This time his application claimed “…in his line of duty at Kenesaw Mountain…on the 27th day of June, 1864, while actively engaged in battle he became sunstruck and totally prostrated in his nervous system which has continued to afflict him to the present time causing disease of his heart and continous sun pain in his head. He also incurred Piles while on the march Shiloh, Tenn. to Corinth, Miss…which has continued to afflict him ever since…” He received a pension of $8.00 per month. In Sept., 1883, he applied for an increase in his pension but he did not recieve any increase. Ira W. Gilbert died in July 12, 1884, and is buried in La Grange Cemetery, Cedar Township, Lucas Co., Iowa. Celia Gilbert continued to live in Joplin, Mo., until her death in 1895. At the time of her death she was receiving a widow’s pension of $12.00 per month.

Children:

Goldie Hays, born 1877

Charlie Murray Hays, born Jan. 4, 1879, Carl Jct., Mo.

Myille Selena (Lena) Hays, born Aug. 17, 1882

Amasa Fred Hays, born March 7, 1890 Lehigh, Mo.

His enlistment papers described him as “5 ft. 3 in., hazel eyes, red hair, sandy complexion, occupation farmer”. After the war he left Iowa with his family and filed a homestead claim. His claim was filed on July 7, 1866, for land which became part of Cherokee County, Kansas, when that county was formed in 1870. His land was adjacent to Jasper County, Missouri. He probably lived and farmed this land for several years. Sometime after he was married in 1873, he moved to Joplin, where he lived in 1880, and worked in the lead mines. In the special census of 1890, he was listed as living in Lehigh, Mo.

He was injured by “…timbering and lifting big timbers while working underground at Lehigh, Jasper Co. Mo. in 1883. and got my back very nearly broke in to”.

In 1892, when he was living in Tiff City, McDonald Co., Mo., he applied for a disablity pension, claiming “rheumatism, heart disease, and general debility.” In Nov., 1893, he received an $8.00 per month pension. He applied several times over the next few years for an increase in his pension rate but all were rejected.

Christopher’s health continued to fail. In Feb., 1894, he lost the sight of his right eye and a weakening of his left eye. He also began suffering from pain in his head. He had heart disease which he described: “seems to stop beating and have to move about to start it”. In 1896 his right eye was removed. In 1899 he developed kidney troubles and loss of hearing in his left ear. By 1902 his weight was 90 lbs., his liver was enlarged and painful and his doctor described him as: “presents one of poorest specimans of humanity that ever came under my observation.” Christopher claimed that he was “all out of fix and not able to do a thing.” By Dec., 1902 his liver was enlarged to three times it’s normal size. He died on March 12, 1903, three days after an operation to drain his stomach. Florence lived in Tiff City until about 1930 when she lived in Grove, OK. She died in Grove in 1942 and, at the time of her death was receiving a $40.00 per month widow’s pension.