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WHO WAS - Samuel Hays, Jr.
in Plum Township
Venango County, Pennsylvania
By H. W. Strawbridge - July 24, 1959

Samuel Hays, Jr. was born in Huntingdon County, Pa., on July 21, 1817. He was one of seven children who grew to maturity. His parents were Samuel and Mary Watson Hays.

Samuel, Sr. had sailed with his father's family from Ireland to America in 1793. He eventually settled in Huntingdon County where he married. It was in Huntingdon County where all of their nine children were born. Two died in infancy.

In October, 1834, the family came to Venango County in a big wagon with their household goods. The family members took turns walking and riding. They lived near Polk until 1837, when they established their permanent roots. The elder Samuel was a cooper by trade.

Samuel, Jr. met Miss Harriet Bradley of Bradleytown and thus commenced a courtship which later led to marriage. Harriet's brothers found occasion, during her courtship with Samuel, to assure her that "it looks Hays-ey around here." They soon learned that when she promptly answered "It does not!", Samuel had not been calling. If she remained silent, then Samuel had been calling.

Samuel and Harriet were wed on Christmas Day, 1844. She was born Dec. 15, 1825, the eldest child of John G. and Mary Jennings Bradley. The mother died in 1837. When the father remarried, Harriet remained with her Grandmother Bradley until her marriage to Samuel.

It seems certain that Samuel and Harriet Hays lived their first years on a farm near Sunville, because one of their children remarked in later years that "I was born on the farm."

Later Samuel and Harriet moved into Sunville proper where they made their permanent home.

Built Houses and Barns

Samuel Hays, Jr. was by trade a carpenter and furniture-maker. In summers he built houses and barns, and in winters he made furniture in his Sunville shop.

He helped to construct both the Sunville Presbyterian Church and Sunville Academy buildings; the first in 1855, and the latter in 1873. He carpentered the former Dempseytown Presbyterian Church building in 1868, and he is said to have helped build the old Wallaceville M. E. Church in 1862 and 63.

He built a new home for himself, an account of which will be made later in this sketch. Another house he is known to have built is the present Burt Shuffstall house just north of Cooperstown on the Cooperstown-Bradleytown road. It is thought a Byers family then had the property. There is fancy lattice along the entire front of the house. Samuel cut this out by hand.

One time Samuel helped to roof the former Hiram Dingman house on the main corner in Bradleytown. He observed a couple of the Bradley brothers, who lived nearby, get into a corncob fight, and one threw a cob smack into the eye of another, causing grief and anger. Soon their father ran over and gave them a switching.

At another time Samuel was making cupboards for his neighbor, Simeon Looney. While he was in the process of working, Mr. Looney's grandson, John McLaughlin, who was then a little fellow, picked up Samuel's sharp chisel or plane and was going to play with it. Samuel stepped, gave a gentle twist of John's ear and said, "That isn't for little boys to play with."

Samuel was the second postmaster of Sunville. He succeeded his brother, James Hays, who was the first postmaster. Samuel served less than a year, from April 15, 1847, until Feb. 29, 1848.

He had Harriet had seven children, who with their birth dates were: Mrs. Martha Rebecca Bower, Sept. 13, 1848; Mrs. Hannah Ellen Rossman, July 17, 1850; Mrs. Ruhama Jane August, July 16, 1852; Mrs. Alice Clarissa Haslet, Nov. 16, 1864; David Hays, who died very young, dates unknown; Mrs. Laura Anna Shriver, Aug. 4, 1860; and Mrs. Mary Amanda Proper, March 14, 1862.

Had Ranch in Nebraska

Martha married Daniel Bower, a farmer of near the Cooperstown area, on Jan. 19, 1968. About 1882 they went to Nebraska where Daniel staked a homestead. They had a nice ranch at Big Springs where they remained the rest of their lives. They had four children, one of whom still lives. She is Mrs. Alice Wright, 83, of Claremont, Calif. The mother died on Oct. 11, 1923.

Hannah Ellen married David Rossman about 1870. He lived north of Reno, in the vicinity of Fosters Corners. He was a farmer and an oil-field worker. They had a family of five children, the oldest, Albert, having been born in 1871. All the children are now deceased. Hannah Ellen died Nov. 17, 1941, and is buried at Oil City. Descendants still live in Reno.

Ruhama, a schoolteacher, married J. C. August of Diamond on March 20, 1884. They lived several years on what was later called the Terrace Farm, located north of Titusville. In 1901 they moved back to Diamond for the remainder of their lives. They had four children, two of whom survive. They are Floyd B. August of Titusville and Ivo S. August of Gresham. Their mother died Jan. 15, 1922 and Mr. August died in July, 1949.

Alice Clarissa, a schoolteacher married Joseph M. Haslet in Dempseytown on June 21, 1877 at Sunville. He was both a teacher and farmer. They first lived at Sunville. Both taught for some time in Dempseytown. Then they bought a farm near Petrolia, Butler County, and remained there. They had two sets of twins, all of whom died except one of a set, Guy K. Haslet, who later lived at Easton, Pa. He is deceased. Alice died in March, 1928, from complications of two amputations on a leg.

Laura, also a schoolteacher, married Oren E. Shriver of Diamond on Jan. 1, 1885, at Cooperstown. Oren was a farmer and carpenter. They lived their married life on two different farms at Diamond. He died in 1908. They had three children, all of whom are deceased. In 1924 Mrs. Shriver moved with her son, Robert H. Shriver, to the Haslet farm near Petrolia. She died Sept. 1925, in the Butler hospital following an operation. The son, Robert, died April 21, 1958, and his wife, Mrs. Virginia Shriver, presently lives in the same home near Petrolia.

Mary, a seamstress, married Esley Dan Proper of Diamond on Sept. 9, 1891, at Sunville; Esley was in the insurance business and also a policeman. They first lived at Sunville, and later in Titusville where Mary died May 14, 1915 from serious complication of previous illness that appeared to be rheumatism. They had two children, one of whom is living. She is Mrs. Katherine Tennent of Napa, Calif. Mr. Proper died around 10 years ago.

Five of these Hays sisters varied in size from fairly heavy to very heavy. The only exception was Mrs. Laura Shriver, who was a small thin woman.

Samuel and Harriet Hays also reared Harriet's nephew, Hays Bradley, whose mother had died at the time of his birth.

Played Hymns on Violin I like this guy!

Samuel and Harriet were long time members of the Sunville Presbyterian Church and always attended it. Their six daughters also joined between 1866 and 1878. Samuel at one time led the singing in this church. He, like his father, was a talented musician. He once taught singing school at Sunville, and he owned a tuning fork. He played hymns on his violin and wouldn't "desecrate" it by playing dance music. When he became old and developed palsy, he sold his violin to Crawford Billig of Plum Township.

Samuel Hays, Jr. was tall and thin. He was six feet anyway. He was quick in his movements prior to old age. He smoked a clay pipe which had a wooden stem.

About eight years ago his grandson, Ivo S. August of Gresham, was engaged to do some electrical wiring in the Hays house which had now been owned by Mrs. Rose Messner for several years. While the electricians were under the house wiring they found one of Samuel's old clay pipes. The wooden stem was of course missing. So, Ivo now has his grandfather's old pipe.

Samuel could also be witty sometimes. One time he had a little dog. While hunting one day, this little dog caught a big woodchuck just outside its hole. Each had a hold of the other and they had a little tug-of-war. The woodchuck would start to back into its hole, then the dog would pull it back, etc. Samuel decided to take a hand in the affair. So he grabbed a club and stood over them to whack the woodchuck. Samuel thought he'd time it right to smack it when the dog pulled it out. Samuel brought his club crashing down and, guess what? Just at that split second the woodchuck pulled the dog and Samuel killed the dog instead! Samuel told around later that, "the dog never knew anything different but what the woodchuck killed him!"

During the Christmas of 1893, Samuel and Harriet visited the Oren Shriver home at Diamond. All attended a Christmas program in the Diamond Church. Parents then had their children believing in Santa Claus coming to the church as well as to the home. The Shrivers' small son, Robert, got a rocking-horse at this program. His grandfather carried it home, and who was the first to ride it, Robert? No, none other than Grandfather Hays! Robert feared his grandfather was claiming it.

Samuel and Harriet generally had student boarders in their home when the Sunville Academy was in operation. Two ladies who boarded there around 1898 were Mrs. Estella Crowther Morse, now of Titusville, and Mrs. Belle Bradley Harry, now of Rocky Grove.

Another girl, named Alta, boarded there at the time too. Each had to pay around $3 a month rent. Mrs. Morse recalls that Mrs. Hays once made some grape jelly and gave some to each of the girls.

Raised Good Gardens

Samuel raised good gardens. He is remembered as having a row of rhubarb right through the center of the garden. He had several apple trees which are now gone. Another thing they had was a cave house which was behind the house. It is gone too.

Behind the cave house was his carpenter shop in which he had a shaving bench. Then behind his shop was his rather small barn. He kept a cow but, oddly enough, he didn't have any horses, at least during his later years. This seems so unusual.

In their back porch was a well which had a chain pump. A nice white picket fence stood around their front yard.

During Samuel's later years he had the shaking palsy so bad that he would have to hold some chisel handles or other tools and pieces of wood with his teeth to steady them while woodworking.

He couldn't even drink from a cup or glass because of palsy. He had a special tin cup made with a spout on it. Coffee or tea would be poured into it, then a lid put on, and Samuel would put the spout into his mouth to drink.

The standard lot in Sunville was 60 X 150 feet. Samuel's property was composed of five lots, two of which he bought from William Cooper, and the other three he bought from the heirs of his father's estate.

Sunville was incorporated as a borough on Jan. 27, 1879. The first town council was composed of six men, one of whom was Samuel Hays, Jr.

Mrs. Harriet Hays was a short, heavy woman, probably not over 5 feet, 3 inches in height. She was a quiet person with a serious disposition. She was slightly hard of hearing. She generally wore a very long dress, and when walking across the room, the bottom of her dress would be rustling on the floor.

From May to July, 1884, Samuel built for himself a nice new house - the one that still stands in Sunville. It is a plank-framed structure and has a lot of pine and hemlock lumber in it. However, it was the summer of 1888 before he got it painted. At that time it was reported that, "it now is the finest residence in this section". Samuel had moved the old house towards the back of his property and record does not state what became of it.

Their one daughter, Mrs. Bower, made her first visit back East probably in 1898. The J. C. August family took her down to Sunville and as they pulled the carriage in front of the Hays House, Samuel came out and exclaimed: "Why Martha, I haven't see you for 16 years!" They warmly greeted each other.

Due to old age, Samuel and Harriet spent their last winters between the homes of three of their children - the Augusts, Shrivers and Propers.

During the winter of 1902 they were with the Augusts west of Diamond. He died there on Jan. 19 that winter due to infirmities of old age. However, during his last week he had developed grippe or pneumonia. Snow was three feet deep and it was very cold at the time. His funeral took place on the 21st. at the Sunville Presbyterian Church with the pastor, Rev. W. E. Ashe, officiating.

Shortly afterwards, Mrs. Hays moved into the Shriver home in Diamond, and there she died March 18, surviving her husband by only two months. She had a stroke and lived four days.

In September, 1903, the Hays daughters sold the Sunville home to S. B. Matthews. Later it transferred to the Messner family who still own it.

Transcribed by Penny Kulbacki Minnick
minnick862@verizon.net

Disclaimer:there may be errors due to transcription ofinformation from both early and late (current contributors) work.