Individual Details

On 14 Apr 1880, John J. Hays received the following land patent which had been forfeited in 1870/1871. NE 1/4 of NW Qtr of S36, 10N, 32W - 40 acres in Crawford Co. Issued by the Commissioner of State Lands in Little Rock and filed for record 29 Oct 1880. Certificate #12800 dated 24 Apr 1879. States that he has furnished proof of his improvements as required by law. (Copy in my files.) This land was near Figure Five and the property patented by his father Elias.

1880 census in Jasper Twp, Crawford Co, p.510d. John, age 24, born in Arkansas, both parents born in Tennessee. Josephine age 23, her parents born in Indiana [they were not, they were born in NY]. William H. Hays, age 1.


1890 Crawford County Reconstructed Census shows a "Jonas" Hays - may be John, instead, living in Van Buren.
Paid his Poll Tax in Crawford County AR in 1892, as did his brother Will.
Papers from Gratis Comstock list John J. Hays as postmaster of Uniontown, 15 May 1905.

1900 Census. Mattie, Nora, Minnie & Arthur at home.
Van Buren, Outside City, Crawford, AR, ED 61, Hh 156
John J. Hays, b. Aug 1856, age 43, married 24 years, b. AR, parents b. MS, Farmer
Josephine, v. Nov 1856, age 43, 5 children, b. AR, parents b. IN
Mattie, daug, b. Feb 1882, 18.
Nora, dau, b. Jan 1886, age 14
Minnie, dau, b. Sep 1889, age 10
Arthur, son, b. Feb 1892, age 8.

Obituaries, Death Notices & News Items Extracted from the Van Buren Press 1906 Fran Alverson Warren, p.10
24 Feb 1906 John Hays the hustling Uniontown merchant Monday purchased at private sale the bankrupt Ed E. Briscoe stock of dry goods at 40 cents on the dollar, book valuation. The stock invoice $3,300. Tuesday Mr. Hays disposed of the stock to Reeder & Wood merchants of Shakespeare, who have packed the good and hauled them off to their store.
p.19
21 Apr 1906 John J. Hays has sold his store at Uniontown to Marshal & Piece and expects to engage in farming.

1910 Census. Listed with Josie, married 34 years. Minnie & Arthur still at home.
Union Twp, Crawford, AR, Hh 66
John J. Hays, age 53, married 34 years, b. AR, father b. AR, mother b. TN, Farmer
Josie, 53, 9 children - 5 are living {I only know of 6 children. There was a story in the family of one grandmother who had lost twin babies and I've never been sure who that was - perhaps it was Josie.], b. AR, father b. NY, mother b. IN
Minnie F., dau, age 20, b. AR, teaching, rural school
Arthur W., son, 18, b. AR

Warranty Deed dated 21 Mar 1918. Lots 7 and 8, Block 6, GrandView Addition to City of Van Buren. Sold by J. A. and Emma Housley to John J. Hayes for $800. Filed 13 Apr 1918 and recorded Book 91, page 154 by C. M. Bledsoe, Clerk, Crawford Co AR. Emma Housley relinquished dower rights. [no mention of any buildings on these lots]

1920 Census. John and Josie have Kenney & Nora and four of their children living with them (or vice versa). Road, or street, was listed as Mt. Vista. They are renting.
John's occupation is listed as Manager: Gin. He was age 63, as was Josie.
G.M. Comstock was the enumerator [my grandfather's cousin Gratis]


1920 Census of Farm Land Owners
Wanda M. Gray, 1998
HAYES, John & Bill Cotton growers & truck farmers on land at Shibley


1930 Census. John J. and Josie living on Smith Street in Van Buren. Aunt Minnie & Uncle Ira lived next door. John J. stated he was born in AR, his parents born in MS. Josie said she was born in AR, her parents born in Indiana. I believe Mississippi and Indiana to be the places their parents married, certainly Josie's parents were born in New York, and probably John's were born in North Carolina. John J. was operator of a Cotton Gin.

Played the violin which JoEllen still has. Lived out his later years in the home of Ira and Minnie Hays Comstock. Became quite deaf; had no teeth but ate everything anyway. Called "John John" by younger generations.

Told Joe McKim that he remembered while his daddy was away in the Civil War, Union soldiers came and burned them out. They piled everything up in the middle of the floor and then torched the house while the family stood in the yard and watched it burn. Grandson Ike Comstock remembers the story this way....John's father Elias was in the Federal Troops and the Rebels burned the house in retailiation. Either way, it was Martha and the children who suffered.

Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville, AR
Wednesday, 6 Aug 1947
Van Buren Man Observes 91st Birthday Here
John J. Hays of Van Buren celebrated his 91st birthday Sunday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. K. M. Comstock, and Mr. Comstock, 428 North College Avenue.
All of Mr. Hay's children - four - were present, as well as seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Guests were Mr. & Mrs. Ira V. Comstock, Mr. & Mrs. Jim Kilgore and daughters, Betty & Donna Kay, of Van Buren; Mrs. David King, Mrs. Herb Bile and daughter Karien of Tahlequah, Okla.; Mr. & Mrs. John King and son David of Fort Gibson, Okla.; Mr. & Mrs. Harry Peeler of New York City; Harrison Davis of Washington, D.C.; Mr. & Mrs. A. W. Hays and nephew Jim Harlan West of Muskogee, Okla.; Mr. & Mrs. Graydon Comstock and sons, Donny and David Allen; Ira A. Comstock; Mr. & Mrs. Joe McKim and daughter, Karen Kay, all of Fayetteville.

Obituary from Fayetteville, AR, newpaper, The Northwest Arkansas Times; 30 Jun 1950:
John J. Hays
Funeral service was held yesterday at the Wood Memorial Christian Church in Van Buren for John J. Hays, 93, father of Mrs. K. M. Comstock of Fayetteville. He died Monday evening at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Ira V. Comstock, in Van Buren. Service was conducted by the Rev. Clarence Pruitt, pastor of the Van Buren church, and the Rev. Robert Moffett, pastor of the First Christian Church of Fayetteville. Mr. & Mrs. K. M. Comstock attended the service.
Survivors include another daughter, Mrs. David King of Tahlequah, Okla.; one son, A. W. Hays of Muskogee, Okla; 26 grandchildren; 48 great grandchildren; and one great, great grandchild.
Pallbearers were his grandsons. Active were John Q. Hays, John Hays King, A. G. Hays, John J. Comstock, Earl Hays, and K. M. Comstock Jr. Honorary: Graydon Comstock. W. C. Hays, D. R. Hays, Archie Hays, Donald Hays, Era [Ira] Comstock, Paul Hays, Hadley Hays, and Lester King.

The Tahlequah Star-Citizen, Tahlequah, OK, 6 July 1950, Thursday, p. 10
Mr. John J. Hayes Dies At Home
Mr. John J. Hays, father of Mrs. David King, died at his home in Fan Buren, Ark., June 26, at the age of 93 years.
Other survivors are a son, A. W. Hays, Muskogee; two daughters, Mrs. K. M. Comstock, Fayetteville, and Mrs. Ira V. Comstock, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

Buried in Fairview Cemetery, Van Buren, under the direction of Ocker Funeral Home.

Another obituary of John J. Hays states that he had lived in Crawford County for 84 years. He was born at Clarksville and moved to Crawford County at age nine (1865).

Birth	5 Aug 1856	Clarksville, Johnson County, Arkansas
Marriage	1 Jan 1876	Cove, Polk County, Arkansas - PHILENA JOSEPHINE "JOSIE" ALLEN
Death	26 Jun 1950	Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas
Burial		Fairview Cemetery, Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas

Spouse	PHILENA JOSEPHINE "JOSIE" ALLEN (1856 - 1935)
Child	William Henry "Will" Hays (1878 - 1922)
Child	Mattie Rowena Hays (1882 - 1962)
Child	Bennie Augusta Hays (1885 - 1886)
Child	NORA LEE HAYS (1887 - 1973)
Child	Minnie Frances Hays (1889 - 1985)
Child	Arthur Wallace Hays (1892 - 1961)

Father	ELIAS B. HAYS (1829 - 1879)
Mother	MARTHA FRANCES CRUTCHER (1833 - 1896)
Sibling	Mary Ellen Hays (1849 - 1895)
Sibling	Ann Eliza Hays (1851 - 1939)
Sibling	Delitha Hays (1854 - )
Sibling	William Richard Hays (1859 - 1937)
Sibling	Benjamin McClure Hays (1860 - 1936)
Sibling	Elias E. Hays (1863 - )
Sibling	A. Elizabeth Emeline "Lizzy" Hays (1867 - 1917)
Sibling	Silas Newton Hays (1872 - 1942)
Sibling	George Wallace Hays (1875 - 1910)