Pioneers of St. Clair County, Michigan - Person Sheet
Pioneers of St. Clair County, Michigan - Person Sheet
Birth2 Dec 1831, Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont2053, date only; states Berkshire County, Vermont [sic],2054, place only
Baptism3 Oct 1832, Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont2055,2031, p 15 Age: <1
MemoSt. Mary’s Church
Removal1837, Rock Run Township, Stephenson, Illinois538, p 486 Age: 5
Memowith her parents
Removal1883, Seville, Medina, Ohio2056 Age: 51
Memofrom Freeport
Death25 Jan 1906, Seville, Medina, Ohio23, p G26; states place & Feb 1906,2023, p 1; date only,2057, date only,2058, p 4; date only,2054, states died aged 76 yr 4 mo 25 days Age: 74
BurialMound Hill Cemetery, Seville, Medina, Ohio2059, p 2
NicknameLib36, p 2
FatherMiles O’BRIEN (1777-1854)
MotherMary CURLEY (1809-1848)
Individual Notes
• I was looking at the book on baptisms for the St. Mary’s church in Underhill, Vermont, and I noticed that my gggrandfather, Patrick Giblin, was the godfather to Elizabeth O’Brien. Her baptism date (might be birth date) is recorded as 3 Oct 1832. The Godmother was recorded as Mary McGrath. Patrick Giblin was married to Margaret O’Brien. She was born 1806 in Ireland and immigrated in 1830. She is probably too young to be Miles O’Brien’s sister and she isn’t his daughter, unless he had a marriage before Mary Curry.2055
• Baptized on same day as Margaret Giblin.2037
• When they moved to Illinois, they had a good farm - the children all went to school. The counties held spelling bees and Aunt Lib was the best one in two counties - at one she spelled all down - old and young with the exception of her own teacher. She refused to spell “against my teacher.”36, p 4, lines 159-162
• When Civil War broke out, Lib's husband, Johnathan, who taught school, went as General Grant's private secretary. Aunt Lib taught at her husband's school and cared for her two little girls, Ada and Lilly.36, p 2, lines 49-56
• Lena, Illinois, September 23rd, 1864
Provost Marshal
Dear Sir, I have just received a letter from my brother Miles O’Brien and enclosed I found a letter enclosed to my brother James, which I took the liberty to read, from its perusal? I find he is in some serious trouble the cause non-particulated? I cannot understand, as in his letter to me he said nothing about his trouble.
Will you have the kindness to tell me what crime he is guilty of, as I do not know to whom else I can apply. Oh! I feel so wretched and anxious and hardly know what to do.
Poor misguided boy: left an orphan at the age of 7 years without none to care, or watch over him and when I think of the training he must have received from those people that had him I cannot wonder that his habits are not what they should be.
It is ten years since he came to see me, and bade me goodbye and said, “I am going to Kansas, and when I am well? I am coming to see you.”
I have never heard from him since till last fall, he wrote me a few lines, I was so glad for and then thought, I could write to him and try to influence him in the right path, by my letter never reached him, and when I again heard from him, it was from the Guard House, and it is too bad! I do sincerely hope his crime is not so serious as I fear it is.
I have one brother who has been in the service ever since the war broke out, and another came home to die last summer and we laid him by the side of his parents.
My husband is in Vicksburg Miss. in the Provost Marshall’s office so you see I am alone, and do not know what to do. I fear you will think me troublesome, but I cannot help it I must ask from some one’s help.
Do please write to me immediately, and help my brother if you can, poor erring fellow.
Hoping to hear from you very soon, I remain yours truly,
Elizabeth B. Hay2052
• Bankruptcy Items.
In the matter of Jonathan Hay, Elizabeth Hay, wife of the bankrupt, filed a petition setting out that she owns a sewing machine, two horses, a harness, and a cow, which are in possession of the Assignee, and he has refused to give them up. She therefore asks that he may be compelled to do so. A rule on the Assignee to show cause was made returnable after five days’ service.2060
• Mrs. Hay’s examination showed that she was a very active practical manager, running a large and lucrative business of her own in the musical and sewing-machine line, and probably was the shrewder of the two.2061
• 886 Alta M. Hulett, for Mrs. and Miss Hay.
John M. Bailey represented the bankrupt's assignee.
Held by BLODGETT, District Judge:
That it appears clearly and conclusively from the evidence that Elizabeth Hay had been doing business separate and apart from the business of her husband for several years; that that business depended for its success upon Mrs. Hay's individual skill and energy, and consisted principally in the sale of sewing machines and musical instruments; that she had been remarkably successful in business, and by her energy, enterprise, and business tact, acquired credit in her business; that it was notorious that she was carrying on an independent business, and that she had supported not only herself and children, but her husband also, her husband having shown no remarkable ability in any direction except in the way of contracting debts. Mrs. Hay had also been for several years the owner of the homestead occupied by her family, and the title stood in her name. In the beginning of the year 1869 Jonathan Hay was indebted in large amounts, and all of Mrs. Hay's private property, acquired by her individual skill and labor, was sold to satisfy the claims of her husband's creditors, as prior to the year 1869 the earnings of the wife belonged absolutely to the husband.
In 1869 the law was passed giving to married women their earnings absolutely. And Mrs. Hay again went to work. Her husband had no property whatever, and had made a failure of every business which he had undertaken. In the fall of 1871 Mr. Hay desired to open a music store, and to enable him to do so Mrs. Hay furnished him $1,000-money which she had borrowed, giving a trust deed on her house to secure its payment. When Mr. Hay went into business, Mrs. Hay acted as his agent in the sale of sewing machines and musical instruments; and there was an express understanding and agreement that she should receive a specified commission on each sale made by her. The court remarked that this understanding was unnecessary, as the law gave her earnings with or without the husband's consent, and that the transactions must be regarded as if made by Jonathan Hay with a third party. The court also held that the proviso to the act of 1869, ‘This act shall not be construed to give the wife any right to compensation for any labor performed for her husband *887 or minor children,’ did not affect the questions in this case, but was only applicable to cases where there was no special agreement between a husband and wife as to her compensation, but that she having the right to her earnings could agree to work for her husband about his business as well as for a stranger. In July, 1873, Mrs. Hay purchased of her husband ten sewing machines, paying him therefor $500 in cash, the money paid being borrowed on Mrs. Hay's individual credit, of a relative. The court said that, as there was not fraud alleged, none could be presumed, and that the purchase was fair and open, made in the usual course of business, and must be so regarded. He, therefore, was of opinion that the property belonged to Mrs. Hay, and an order was entered directing the assignee to return it to her. This decision is important, as the question whether a married woman was entitled to compensation for services performed for her husband as agent has never before been judicially passed upon.2062, pp. 3-4
• In 1871, when Hay wished to start anew in business, his wife raised $1,000 by a mortgage on her homestead, and gave it to him. there was an explicit understanding that her earnings should be her own.2063
• Chicago, April 27.–An important decision was rendered in the U S District Court to-day by Judge Blodgett in a case involving the right of the wife or daughter of a bankrupt to hold against the assignee personal property given them by said bankrupt in payment of services rendered as his clerk or agent. In the case the assignee of Jonathan Hay, a dealer in sewing machines in Freeport, Ill., who having absconded was thrown into bankruptcy, seized upon a piano belonging to Hay’s daughter and several sewing machines in possession of Mrs. Hay, which they claimed were turned over to them by the husband and father in payment of their services in his store. Judge Blodgett to-day decided that the plaintiffs were legally entitled to the goods in question, and ordered the assignee to return them to their possession. The case possesses additional interest from the fact that it has been conducted throughout on the part of the plaintiffs by Miss Alta M. Hulett, the lady lawyer of this city.2062, p 2,2064
• Also found a news article in the Freeport newspaper from 1883, stating that Elizabeth Hay, now living in Seville, Ohio, is visiting Freeport. This places Elizabeth in Seville, Ohio, earlier than I thought.2056
• Letter from Elizabeth Hay to Amy Estelle Walter Eckart, 2509 Scott St., San Francisco [after 1900]:
My dear niece,
Your good letter just rec[eived]. I am so glad your husband goes home each evening. Something for you to look forward to. Mr. Redington leaves today for Sacramento to meet his wife and daughter who are expected to arrive there tomorrow. We have a fine Chinese cook. He is a “Christian” – wears his hair short. He is very nice and respectful. Has a wife and three children in this city. He lived with one family for fifteen years so you see he is not very young. He surprises us each day with his fine meals.
I think it is fine for your husband to have something to take up his time during vacation and earn a little money while his salary goes on just the same. I think father Eckart [William Roberts Eckart, b 1841] is a generous man to do so much for his children. I hope he may live many years as such men are scarce. He is generous and kind to his children. I hope Ada will let me go home by the first of June. Even if I leave here then it will be July before I reach Seville as I intend to stay a short time in Kansas and I may take in the Fair and then a short time in Chicago.
Alice left Cleveland last Thursday for home. Will stop in St. Louis on her way home where her father will meet her and show her the sights for a day of two and then home – and on her return she intends stopping off again to visit the Fair in earnest – and it may be she will find Walter there to meet her. Walter is now in Allegheny, Pa. where he went to superintend a plant to be built for the great pickle man. I think his name is Heinz or some such name. His factory covers acres of ground. Allegheny is just across the river from Pittsburgh. Is that the place Mr. Eckart is? We’ll never mind my dear girl if you cannot go to this fair. You may be able to attend the next one. You are so happy anyway and you have the faculty of making others happy too, which is a great blessing. If you should come up here before I leave (which I hope you may) be sure and come and see me. Angele has the house in fine order, ready for the strangers and you should see their mail. Well, with love to yourself and husband. I am your loving aunt.
Elizabeth Hay36, pp. 7 & 8, lines 311-334
• 19 Aug 1890; date of Declaration for Widow’s Pension. Husband Jonathan Hay “has never been heard of or from by applicant since September 15, 1873. [She] believes him dead.”2058, p 2
• Elizabeth Hay must have been an amazing woman. She bought several parcels of land in and around Freeport, Ill. always in her name. Remember that in 1890, she is shown living with son Walter Hay in Chicago. However, three years prior, she started buying property and swapping property in Seville, Ohio. She bought the Seville Town Hall for $2500 from a bank in Cleveland, subject to the right of the Village of Seville to use the second floor for its business. My cousins in Chagrin Falls, Ohio report that when they were growing up in Seville, all of their school plays and dances were held there, but they never knew great-granny had owned the property. Downstairs, the property was used by a bank and three other businesses. I assume that she bought the property for its value in rental income.
The other Seville, Ohio property consisted of a number of lots near the train tracks on Washington Street. She built 2 houses. In one house, a tiny cottage, she built for her mother-in-law, Sarah Newton, (Jonathan's mother) and also Sarah Loomis, who I think was Jonathan's grandmother. Elizabeth lived next door, in the house where my father was born. Maybe Elizabeth figured that when Jonathan came sniffing around for his inheritance, E.H. would be there with open arms to greet him. When I parsed out the deeds I recalled my father saying something about Elizabeth having her mother-in-law next door.
Elizabeth died of heart disease.
As for the house in Chicago, in the Englewood section, it is within 3 blocks of the University of Chicago, which opened its doors in 1890. It's also within a few blocks of the Illinois Institute of Technology, and several other universities. I suspect that Elizabeth set up housekeeping here so that Walter could be educated. This is just a hunch. I drove around the neighborhood. Looked like mostly new houses in 1880-1890--no commercial section, just lots of colleges.2026
• Elizabeth sold her property in Freeport in 1885. She attempted to file the deed as from Elizabeth and Jonathan (late husband) and when that didn't fly, Oscar Taylor, local bigwig lawyer, who had married her when he was a justice of the peace, made a notation in the margin of the deed that he had, that day, witnessed the signing of a power of attorney from Jonathan to Oscar, and then Oscar signed the deed as attorney in fact for Jonathan. Ha! Love that "home cookin.”2026
• There was no estate record for Elizabeth Hay or Sarah Newton in Medina County, Ohio.2026
• Seville, Ohio is a tiny town, population fewer than 500, south of Cleveland, Ohio, on the Wayne County and Medina County border. Jonathan Hay was born in the Seville area in 1830. Elizabeth Hay, born in Berkshire, Vermont, December 2, 1831, removed to Stephenson County, Illinois, circa 1840, first buys property in Seville (her husband’s home-town) from her mother-in-law, Sarah Newton, on July 14, 1887. On November 18, 1899, Elizabeth conveys one of her lots to Sarah A. Loomis for $500. My father once told me that his grandmother, Elizabeth Hay, built a cottage next to Elizabeth’s home on Washington Street, Seville, for her mother-in-law, and her husband’s grandmother, where she tended to them in their old age. My father was born in Elizabeth Hay’s house on Washington Street. (It is the last house on the block, next to the railroad tracks.) It was conveyed, on December 6, 1907, to Alice Leaton Hay, but not to Walter, by Ada Hay Redington after the death of Elizabeth Hay.539, p 2; footnote 1
• Baptized on same day as Margaret Giblin.2037
• When they moved to Illinois, they had a good farm - the children all went to school. The counties held spelling bees and Aunt Lib was the best one in two counties - at one she spelled all down - old and young with the exception of her own teacher. She refused to spell “against my teacher.”36, p 4, lines 159-162
• When Civil War broke out, Lib's husband, Johnathan, who taught school, went as General Grant's private secretary. Aunt Lib taught at her husband's school and cared for her two little girls, Ada and Lilly.36, p 2, lines 49-56
• Lena, Illinois, September 23rd, 1864
Provost Marshal
Dear Sir, I have just received a letter from my brother Miles O’Brien and enclosed I found a letter enclosed to my brother James, which I took the liberty to read, from its perusal? I find he is in some serious trouble the cause non-particulated? I cannot understand, as in his letter to me he said nothing about his trouble.
Will you have the kindness to tell me what crime he is guilty of, as I do not know to whom else I can apply. Oh! I feel so wretched and anxious and hardly know what to do.
Poor misguided boy: left an orphan at the age of 7 years without none to care, or watch over him and when I think of the training he must have received from those people that had him I cannot wonder that his habits are not what they should be.
It is ten years since he came to see me, and bade me goodbye and said, “I am going to Kansas, and when I am well? I am coming to see you.”
I have never heard from him since till last fall, he wrote me a few lines, I was so glad for and then thought, I could write to him and try to influence him in the right path, by my letter never reached him, and when I again heard from him, it was from the Guard House, and it is too bad! I do sincerely hope his crime is not so serious as I fear it is.
I have one brother who has been in the service ever since the war broke out, and another came home to die last summer and we laid him by the side of his parents.
My husband is in Vicksburg Miss. in the Provost Marshall’s office so you see I am alone, and do not know what to do. I fear you will think me troublesome, but I cannot help it I must ask from some one’s help.
Do please write to me immediately, and help my brother if you can, poor erring fellow.
Hoping to hear from you very soon, I remain yours truly,
Elizabeth B. Hay2052
• Bankruptcy Items.
In the matter of Jonathan Hay, Elizabeth Hay, wife of the bankrupt, filed a petition setting out that she owns a sewing machine, two horses, a harness, and a cow, which are in possession of the Assignee, and he has refused to give them up. She therefore asks that he may be compelled to do so. A rule on the Assignee to show cause was made returnable after five days’ service.2060
• Mrs. Hay’s examination showed that she was a very active practical manager, running a large and lucrative business of her own in the musical and sewing-machine line, and probably was the shrewder of the two.2061
• 886 Alta M. Hulett, for Mrs. and Miss Hay.
John M. Bailey represented the bankrupt's assignee.
Held by BLODGETT, District Judge:
That it appears clearly and conclusively from the evidence that Elizabeth Hay had been doing business separate and apart from the business of her husband for several years; that that business depended for its success upon Mrs. Hay's individual skill and energy, and consisted principally in the sale of sewing machines and musical instruments; that she had been remarkably successful in business, and by her energy, enterprise, and business tact, acquired credit in her business; that it was notorious that she was carrying on an independent business, and that she had supported not only herself and children, but her husband also, her husband having shown no remarkable ability in any direction except in the way of contracting debts. Mrs. Hay had also been for several years the owner of the homestead occupied by her family, and the title stood in her name. In the beginning of the year 1869 Jonathan Hay was indebted in large amounts, and all of Mrs. Hay's private property, acquired by her individual skill and labor, was sold to satisfy the claims of her husband's creditors, as prior to the year 1869 the earnings of the wife belonged absolutely to the husband.
In 1869 the law was passed giving to married women their earnings absolutely. And Mrs. Hay again went to work. Her husband had no property whatever, and had made a failure of every business which he had undertaken. In the fall of 1871 Mr. Hay desired to open a music store, and to enable him to do so Mrs. Hay furnished him $1,000-money which she had borrowed, giving a trust deed on her house to secure its payment. When Mr. Hay went into business, Mrs. Hay acted as his agent in the sale of sewing machines and musical instruments; and there was an express understanding and agreement that she should receive a specified commission on each sale made by her. The court remarked that this understanding was unnecessary, as the law gave her earnings with or without the husband's consent, and that the transactions must be regarded as if made by Jonathan Hay with a third party. The court also held that the proviso to the act of 1869, ‘This act shall not be construed to give the wife any right to compensation for any labor performed for her husband *887 or minor children,’ did not affect the questions in this case, but was only applicable to cases where there was no special agreement between a husband and wife as to her compensation, but that she having the right to her earnings could agree to work for her husband about his business as well as for a stranger. In July, 1873, Mrs. Hay purchased of her husband ten sewing machines, paying him therefor $500 in cash, the money paid being borrowed on Mrs. Hay's individual credit, of a relative. The court said that, as there was not fraud alleged, none could be presumed, and that the purchase was fair and open, made in the usual course of business, and must be so regarded. He, therefore, was of opinion that the property belonged to Mrs. Hay, and an order was entered directing the assignee to return it to her. This decision is important, as the question whether a married woman was entitled to compensation for services performed for her husband as agent has never before been judicially passed upon.2062, pp. 3-4
• In 1871, when Hay wished to start anew in business, his wife raised $1,000 by a mortgage on her homestead, and gave it to him. there was an explicit understanding that her earnings should be her own.2063
• Chicago, April 27.–An important decision was rendered in the U S District Court to-day by Judge Blodgett in a case involving the right of the wife or daughter of a bankrupt to hold against the assignee personal property given them by said bankrupt in payment of services rendered as his clerk or agent. In the case the assignee of Jonathan Hay, a dealer in sewing machines in Freeport, Ill., who having absconded was thrown into bankruptcy, seized upon a piano belonging to Hay’s daughter and several sewing machines in possession of Mrs. Hay, which they claimed were turned over to them by the husband and father in payment of their services in his store. Judge Blodgett to-day decided that the plaintiffs were legally entitled to the goods in question, and ordered the assignee to return them to their possession. The case possesses additional interest from the fact that it has been conducted throughout on the part of the plaintiffs by Miss Alta M. Hulett, the lady lawyer of this city.2062, p 2,2064
• Also found a news article in the Freeport newspaper from 1883, stating that Elizabeth Hay, now living in Seville, Ohio, is visiting Freeport. This places Elizabeth in Seville, Ohio, earlier than I thought.2056
• Letter from Elizabeth Hay to Amy Estelle Walter Eckart, 2509 Scott St., San Francisco [after 1900]:
My dear niece,
Your good letter just rec[eived]. I am so glad your husband goes home each evening. Something for you to look forward to. Mr. Redington leaves today for Sacramento to meet his wife and daughter who are expected to arrive there tomorrow. We have a fine Chinese cook. He is a “Christian” – wears his hair short. He is very nice and respectful. Has a wife and three children in this city. He lived with one family for fifteen years so you see he is not very young. He surprises us each day with his fine meals.
I think it is fine for your husband to have something to take up his time during vacation and earn a little money while his salary goes on just the same. I think father Eckart [William Roberts Eckart, b 1841] is a generous man to do so much for his children. I hope he may live many years as such men are scarce. He is generous and kind to his children. I hope Ada will let me go home by the first of June. Even if I leave here then it will be July before I reach Seville as I intend to stay a short time in Kansas and I may take in the Fair and then a short time in Chicago.
Alice left Cleveland last Thursday for home. Will stop in St. Louis on her way home where her father will meet her and show her the sights for a day of two and then home – and on her return she intends stopping off again to visit the Fair in earnest – and it may be she will find Walter there to meet her. Walter is now in Allegheny, Pa. where he went to superintend a plant to be built for the great pickle man. I think his name is Heinz or some such name. His factory covers acres of ground. Allegheny is just across the river from Pittsburgh. Is that the place Mr. Eckart is? We’ll never mind my dear girl if you cannot go to this fair. You may be able to attend the next one. You are so happy anyway and you have the faculty of making others happy too, which is a great blessing. If you should come up here before I leave (which I hope you may) be sure and come and see me. Angele has the house in fine order, ready for the strangers and you should see their mail. Well, with love to yourself and husband. I am your loving aunt.
Elizabeth Hay36, pp. 7 & 8, lines 311-334
• 19 Aug 1890; date of Declaration for Widow’s Pension. Husband Jonathan Hay “has never been heard of or from by applicant since September 15, 1873. [She] believes him dead.”2058, p 2
• Elizabeth Hay must have been an amazing woman. She bought several parcels of land in and around Freeport, Ill. always in her name. Remember that in 1890, she is shown living with son Walter Hay in Chicago. However, three years prior, she started buying property and swapping property in Seville, Ohio. She bought the Seville Town Hall for $2500 from a bank in Cleveland, subject to the right of the Village of Seville to use the second floor for its business. My cousins in Chagrin Falls, Ohio report that when they were growing up in Seville, all of their school plays and dances were held there, but they never knew great-granny had owned the property. Downstairs, the property was used by a bank and three other businesses. I assume that she bought the property for its value in rental income.
The other Seville, Ohio property consisted of a number of lots near the train tracks on Washington Street. She built 2 houses. In one house, a tiny cottage, she built for her mother-in-law, Sarah Newton, (Jonathan's mother) and also Sarah Loomis, who I think was Jonathan's grandmother. Elizabeth lived next door, in the house where my father was born. Maybe Elizabeth figured that when Jonathan came sniffing around for his inheritance, E.H. would be there with open arms to greet him. When I parsed out the deeds I recalled my father saying something about Elizabeth having her mother-in-law next door.
Elizabeth died of heart disease.
As for the house in Chicago, in the Englewood section, it is within 3 blocks of the University of Chicago, which opened its doors in 1890. It's also within a few blocks of the Illinois Institute of Technology, and several other universities. I suspect that Elizabeth set up housekeeping here so that Walter could be educated. This is just a hunch. I drove around the neighborhood. Looked like mostly new houses in 1880-1890--no commercial section, just lots of colleges.2026
• Elizabeth sold her property in Freeport in 1885. She attempted to file the deed as from Elizabeth and Jonathan (late husband) and when that didn't fly, Oscar Taylor, local bigwig lawyer, who had married her when he was a justice of the peace, made a notation in the margin of the deed that he had, that day, witnessed the signing of a power of attorney from Jonathan to Oscar, and then Oscar signed the deed as attorney in fact for Jonathan. Ha! Love that "home cookin.”2026
• There was no estate record for Elizabeth Hay or Sarah Newton in Medina County, Ohio.2026
• Seville, Ohio is a tiny town, population fewer than 500, south of Cleveland, Ohio, on the Wayne County and Medina County border. Jonathan Hay was born in the Seville area in 1830. Elizabeth Hay, born in Berkshire, Vermont, December 2, 1831, removed to Stephenson County, Illinois, circa 1840, first buys property in Seville (her husband’s home-town) from her mother-in-law, Sarah Newton, on July 14, 1887. On November 18, 1899, Elizabeth conveys one of her lots to Sarah A. Loomis for $500. My father once told me that his grandmother, Elizabeth Hay, built a cottage next to Elizabeth’s home on Washington Street, Seville, for her mother-in-law, and her husband’s grandmother, where she tended to them in their old age. My father was born in Elizabeth Hay’s house on Washington Street. (It is the last house on the block, next to the railroad tracks.) It was conveyed, on December 6, 1907, to Alice Leaton Hay, but not to Walter, by Ada Hay Redington after the death of Elizabeth Hay.539, p 2; footnote 1
Census
• 1840 Census: Age 5-10, with her father, Miles O'Brien, and family in Buffalo Grove Precinct, Ogle county, Illinois.540
• 1850 Census: Freeport, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 18, b VT. Living with Tovy family.2065
• 1860 Census: Oneco, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 29, b VT.2066
• 1870 Census: Freeport, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 38, b VT. Sewing machine operator.2067
• 1880 Census: Freeport, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 48, b VT. Married, Head of household. Father b England; mother b Ireland.2068
• 1900 Census: Seville, Medina, Ohio. Age 67, b Dec 1832, VT. Widow. Parents b Ireland.2024
• 1850 Census: Freeport, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 18, b VT. Living with Tovy family.2065
• 1860 Census: Oneco, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 29, b VT.2066
• 1870 Census: Freeport, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 38, b VT. Sewing machine operator.2067
• 1880 Census: Freeport, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 48, b VT. Married, Head of household. Father b England; mother b Ireland.2068
• 1900 Census: Seville, Medina, Ohio. Age 67, b Dec 1832, VT. Widow. Parents b Ireland.2024
Research
• Could not find birth record in Vermont.2069
Spouses
Birth31 Jul 1830, Milton Township, Wayne, Ohio2023, p 1,2053,2070, p 5; county only
Death31 Jan 1899, Banks County, Georgia2023, p 1; date only,2071, p 4; date only,2057, date only,2072 Age: 68
ResidenceLena, Stephenson County, IL (1864)2070, p 5
FatherJohn William LOOMIS (~1806-)
MotherSarah Ann HAY (1810-1892)
Individual Notes
• An only child.2076
• Called “Johnathon Loomis” in the family Bible.2023, p 1
• The son later took the name of Hay when the maiden name of Hay was restored to the mother. Hence, the name Johnathan Hay.2077
• Soon after [his mother returned to her parents’ farm in Seville], Jonathan left Seville with his aunt Eunice A. Hay, second child of Jonathan and Ruth Hay, born April 4, 1812, and Uncle Ault and went to Oneco, Illinois, where Jonathan remained until 1873, when he absconded, leaving Elizabeth to raise three-year-old Walter by herself.539, p 3, footnote 9
• Private secretary to General Ulysses S. Grant.36, p 10, line 445,23, p G26
• When (Civil) war broke out, Lib’s husband Jonathan, who taught school, went as General Grant’s private secretary.36, p 2, line 48 [Note: this statement has never been proven. Perhaps the family confused this Jonathan Hay with John Milton Hay, who was President Lincoln’s private secretary during the Civil War, and afterwards served the country admirably as a statesman, and was Secretary of State under Presidents McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.]
• I was going through some family correspondence from the Civil War and a letter to my 2nd great grandmother regarding the death of her son was written and signed by Jonathan Hayes [sic]. It is on stationery from the Provost Marshall’s office, Vicksburg, Miss, and dated Sept. 6th 1864. Would you like a copy of it?
Barbara Campbell, California2078
• A WHOLESALE FORGER
How Jonathan Hay Flourished at Freeport, His Sudden Departure, and the Developments that Have Followed.
From the Freeport (Ill.) Bulletin, Oct. 2
For about five years Jonathan Hay was a leading, and, we might say, one of the largest, dealers in musical instruments and sewing machines in the West, with his headquarters at Freeport.
He purchased directly from the manufacturers, and established agencies all over this part of the State, and in many localities in the States of Wisconsin and Iowa, and soon, with his army of sub-agents, did an immense business, sales amounting in one month, about one year ago, to $10,000, as he reported. He had now become a first-class dealer, and one of the largest and, apparently, most responsible in the West. Manufacturers of different instruments wrote him and entreatingly requested that he take their ware, and he should have the most favorable terms. They were desirous that the sale of instruments should be pushed with energy and ability; and for the two years just past he enjoyed an immense trade, his sales being unprecedented. Jonathan Hay was fast becoming, a millionaire, everybody ready to sell goods, his obligations honored at sight, and greenbacks in his hands were apparently a bagatelle.
On Monday, the 15th of last month, he informed Mr. Aaron Wolfe and others that he was going to Iowa to settle with some of his agents there and make some collections; so at noon he leisurely walked down to the Western Union Railroad and took the 1 o’clock train for Savanna, and from there to Iowa. Nothing was heard from him until Wednesday the 24th ult., when a daughter of his, who had been in Chicago taking music lessons, came home and informed Mrs. Hay that she had received a letter from her father, saying that he was never coming back, and requesting her to go to Freeport and convey the sad intelligence to her mother. After Mrs. H. received the news she at once proceeded to sell the goods in the store, which she did in a few hours, selling them at any price, and principally at less than half wholesale rates. She then informed their creditors and the banks and capitalists in the city. The Hay bubble exploded, and, upon investigation, it was discovered that a large share of those notes were forgeries, or, at least, so claimed by the parties represented. In said list the forged notes are marked, and, so far as parties have been seen, their statements have agreed with the explanatory statements in the book, over Mr. Hay’s own signature. Why that book was delivered by Mrs. Hay, is a mystery. The amount of his forgeries in dollars and cents is not so large for the amount of notes forged. The number of notes may reach 150, amounting to about $25,000. Many of these notes are gorged against citizens residing within a few miles of Freeport; and some of them were sold or pledged by Mr. Hay, fourteen months ago, to our bankers and shrewd capitalists.
Jonathan is a fugitive from justice. For three years he studiously endeavored to earn a reputation for honesty, fair dealing, and promptness in meeting all his obligations. He succeeded by a series of forgeries that, for boldness and number, are without a precedent, either in ancient or modern times. His forgeries extend through a period of over three years. The number of notes forged during that time will approximate 500, and generally against good and prominent men of this and adjacent counties. Notes were forged and pledged for money, and, as they matured, were redeemed by new forgeries.
Whither Mr Hay has gone is, of course, only a conjecture. The companion of his bosom amy know; but she is reticent upon the subject. She is busily engaged in securing from the wreck all the property she can. That Jonathan had accomplices, no one will doubt. Who they are, time alone will reveal.
We regard it imprudent, at this time, to give the names of the forged notes, but will do so at the proper time. We might state here the amount of papers held by different persons here in this city; Mr. Wolfe, about $14,000; Messrs. Knowlton & Sons, about $3,000; First National Bank, $1,000; Dr. S. J. Best, about $800; and H. B. Amerling, about $3,000. the above are only a portion of the notes pledged by him. Manufacturers of pianos, organs, and sewing-machines also held large amounts as collateral. His liabilities will approximate $50,000.2079
• Hay was a smooth, gentlemanly-appearing man, of very insinuating address, and reputed to be quite wealthy. Part of his business was in selling pianos and machines, and to take notes in partial payment. Affairs went on swimmingly until about the 5th of September, when Ada, his daughter, received a letter saying that she would never see him again. This was a thunderbolt.2061
• [excerpts]
Jonathan Hay had been, it seems from the evidence, engaged since 1871 in Freeport as dealer in musical instruments and sewing-machines. In the fall of 1873 he absconded, in consequence of forgeries which it is alleged he had committed.2063
• ...that she had supported not only herself and children, but her husband also, her husband having shown no remarkable ability in any direction except in the way of contracting debts. Mrs. Hay had also been for several years the owner of the homestead occupied by her family, and the title stood in her name. In the beginning of the year 1869 Jonathan Hay was indebted in large amounts, and all of Mrs. Hay's private property, acquired by her individual skill and labor, was sold to satisfy the claims of her husband's creditors, as prior to the year 1869 the earnings of the wife belonged absolutely to the husband.2062, p 3
• Not present with family in 1880 Census.2068
• I spoke with my mother tonight about Jonathan Hay. She says she has an original letter written by Elizabeth O'Brien written to Walter Hay (she thinks) explaining what Jonathan was doing in the Civil War, and why there was the big gap of years between Lillian, Ada and Walter. My mother is blind now, so asking her to look for something is like asking Helen Keller for help. In any event, she says that in the letter Elizabeth explains how her husband went off to war and served as a "physician" – or perhaps tended the wounded and was gone for quite a number of years; mom recalls something about the "siege of Corinth" and that he fought in Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mobile, and even Louisiana. (She recalled helping my brother do some school history project – like 48 years ago – and they plotted out the route with tacks and string. Her memory is amazing.) She has the recollection that the army unit was the Illinois 11th. She remembers the alliteration.2080
• Where the devil did Jonathan get to? Where is he buried? He is not buried at Mound Hill at Seville, Ohio. I checked the Veterans national cemeteries and found nothing. At the time he “absconded,” I believe that a bankrupt might not have his debts forgiven. Certainly at that time if you were bankrupt in one state and you left, and you had debts owed from another state, you were subject to arrest in the second state.
By the way, I also found that a teacher made around $22 a month in Illinois in the early 1860s. You could do better as a washerwoman!2062, p 1
• “...and has never been heard of or from by applicant since September 15, 1873. She believes him dead.”2058, p 2
• That the said Jonathan was a pensioner at Chicago Agency under Certificate #83447.”2058, p 2
• State Fair Speeders (yearling trotters): Jonathan Hay, St. Paul; emerson, blk. c.2081
(Note; unproven, but possible, this is the same Jonathan Hay)
• Jonathan Hay did other things: he was a Deputy County Surveyor with the county in 1859, per a deed I found. He was a clerk for the Winnisheik Insurance Co., per the Freeport City Directory, for several years, 1867-69, a company owned by U.S. Grant and others that ultimately failed. This may be where the intelligence of "Jonathan worked as Grant's secretary" came from.2026
• “Him” seems to be code for Elizabeth’s husband, Jonathan Hay, who absconded September 15, 1873, from Freeport, Illinois, and was thought to be dead, according to Elizabeth’s Civil War Widow’s Pension application, dated August 19, 1890. Since Jonathan Hay was likely a fugitive, mother and son could not address him by name. Jonathan Hay was, in 1873, a dealer in Singer Sewing Machines, Steinway pianos, organs, and other musical merchandise, with a business located on Exchange Street, opposite French’s Hotel, in Freeport, Illinois. He had a selling radius of thirty miles from Freeport, per his business card of 1873. He sold his wares “on time,” and sold the notes, many of them forged instruments, at discount, to unwary investors. When he absconded, newspapers variously reported the forgeries at between $24,000 and $70,000.539, p 2 footnote
• “I am glad he solaced himself by marrying,...”
Jonathan and Elizabeth never divorced, so it appears Jonathan was a bigamist.539, p 2
• he meant to be honest—but he was a Plunger never looking ahead farther than one day. He was an honest man but a bad financier. I often begged him to do nothing—and I would support him. Too late to recriminate now: I don’t think he can live long. His Grandfather & Grandmother on his fathers side died two days apart – with dropsy. He must be a sufferer, and I feel so sorry for him.539, p 3
• Called “Johnathon Loomis” in the family Bible.2023, p 1
• The son later took the name of Hay when the maiden name of Hay was restored to the mother. Hence, the name Johnathan Hay.2077
• Soon after [his mother returned to her parents’ farm in Seville], Jonathan left Seville with his aunt Eunice A. Hay, second child of Jonathan and Ruth Hay, born April 4, 1812, and Uncle Ault and went to Oneco, Illinois, where Jonathan remained until 1873, when he absconded, leaving Elizabeth to raise three-year-old Walter by herself.539, p 3, footnote 9
• Private secretary to General Ulysses S. Grant.36, p 10, line 445,23, p G26
• When (Civil) war broke out, Lib’s husband Jonathan, who taught school, went as General Grant’s private secretary.36, p 2, line 48 [Note: this statement has never been proven. Perhaps the family confused this Jonathan Hay with John Milton Hay, who was President Lincoln’s private secretary during the Civil War, and afterwards served the country admirably as a statesman, and was Secretary of State under Presidents McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.]
• I was going through some family correspondence from the Civil War and a letter to my 2nd great grandmother regarding the death of her son was written and signed by Jonathan Hayes [sic]. It is on stationery from the Provost Marshall’s office, Vicksburg, Miss, and dated Sept. 6th 1864. Would you like a copy of it?
Barbara Campbell, California2078
• A WHOLESALE FORGER
How Jonathan Hay Flourished at Freeport, His Sudden Departure, and the Developments that Have Followed.
From the Freeport (Ill.) Bulletin, Oct. 2
For about five years Jonathan Hay was a leading, and, we might say, one of the largest, dealers in musical instruments and sewing machines in the West, with his headquarters at Freeport.
He purchased directly from the manufacturers, and established agencies all over this part of the State, and in many localities in the States of Wisconsin and Iowa, and soon, with his army of sub-agents, did an immense business, sales amounting in one month, about one year ago, to $10,000, as he reported. He had now become a first-class dealer, and one of the largest and, apparently, most responsible in the West. Manufacturers of different instruments wrote him and entreatingly requested that he take their ware, and he should have the most favorable terms. They were desirous that the sale of instruments should be pushed with energy and ability; and for the two years just past he enjoyed an immense trade, his sales being unprecedented. Jonathan Hay was fast becoming, a millionaire, everybody ready to sell goods, his obligations honored at sight, and greenbacks in his hands were apparently a bagatelle.
On Monday, the 15th of last month, he informed Mr. Aaron Wolfe and others that he was going to Iowa to settle with some of his agents there and make some collections; so at noon he leisurely walked down to the Western Union Railroad and took the 1 o’clock train for Savanna, and from there to Iowa. Nothing was heard from him until Wednesday the 24th ult., when a daughter of his, who had been in Chicago taking music lessons, came home and informed Mrs. Hay that she had received a letter from her father, saying that he was never coming back, and requesting her to go to Freeport and convey the sad intelligence to her mother. After Mrs. H. received the news she at once proceeded to sell the goods in the store, which she did in a few hours, selling them at any price, and principally at less than half wholesale rates. She then informed their creditors and the banks and capitalists in the city. The Hay bubble exploded, and, upon investigation, it was discovered that a large share of those notes were forgeries, or, at least, so claimed by the parties represented. In said list the forged notes are marked, and, so far as parties have been seen, their statements have agreed with the explanatory statements in the book, over Mr. Hay’s own signature. Why that book was delivered by Mrs. Hay, is a mystery. The amount of his forgeries in dollars and cents is not so large for the amount of notes forged. The number of notes may reach 150, amounting to about $25,000. Many of these notes are gorged against citizens residing within a few miles of Freeport; and some of them were sold or pledged by Mr. Hay, fourteen months ago, to our bankers and shrewd capitalists.
Jonathan is a fugitive from justice. For three years he studiously endeavored to earn a reputation for honesty, fair dealing, and promptness in meeting all his obligations. He succeeded by a series of forgeries that, for boldness and number, are without a precedent, either in ancient or modern times. His forgeries extend through a period of over three years. The number of notes forged during that time will approximate 500, and generally against good and prominent men of this and adjacent counties. Notes were forged and pledged for money, and, as they matured, were redeemed by new forgeries.
Whither Mr Hay has gone is, of course, only a conjecture. The companion of his bosom amy know; but she is reticent upon the subject. She is busily engaged in securing from the wreck all the property she can. That Jonathan had accomplices, no one will doubt. Who they are, time alone will reveal.
We regard it imprudent, at this time, to give the names of the forged notes, but will do so at the proper time. We might state here the amount of papers held by different persons here in this city; Mr. Wolfe, about $14,000; Messrs. Knowlton & Sons, about $3,000; First National Bank, $1,000; Dr. S. J. Best, about $800; and H. B. Amerling, about $3,000. the above are only a portion of the notes pledged by him. Manufacturers of pianos, organs, and sewing-machines also held large amounts as collateral. His liabilities will approximate $50,000.2079
• Hay was a smooth, gentlemanly-appearing man, of very insinuating address, and reputed to be quite wealthy. Part of his business was in selling pianos and machines, and to take notes in partial payment. Affairs went on swimmingly until about the 5th of September, when Ada, his daughter, received a letter saying that she would never see him again. This was a thunderbolt.2061
• [excerpts]
Jonathan Hay had been, it seems from the evidence, engaged since 1871 in Freeport as dealer in musical instruments and sewing-machines. In the fall of 1873 he absconded, in consequence of forgeries which it is alleged he had committed.2063
• ...that she had supported not only herself and children, but her husband also, her husband having shown no remarkable ability in any direction except in the way of contracting debts. Mrs. Hay had also been for several years the owner of the homestead occupied by her family, and the title stood in her name. In the beginning of the year 1869 Jonathan Hay was indebted in large amounts, and all of Mrs. Hay's private property, acquired by her individual skill and labor, was sold to satisfy the claims of her husband's creditors, as prior to the year 1869 the earnings of the wife belonged absolutely to the husband.2062, p 3
• Not present with family in 1880 Census.2068
• I spoke with my mother tonight about Jonathan Hay. She says she has an original letter written by Elizabeth O'Brien written to Walter Hay (she thinks) explaining what Jonathan was doing in the Civil War, and why there was the big gap of years between Lillian, Ada and Walter. My mother is blind now, so asking her to look for something is like asking Helen Keller for help. In any event, she says that in the letter Elizabeth explains how her husband went off to war and served as a "physician" – or perhaps tended the wounded and was gone for quite a number of years; mom recalls something about the "siege of Corinth" and that he fought in Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mobile, and even Louisiana. (She recalled helping my brother do some school history project – like 48 years ago – and they plotted out the route with tacks and string. Her memory is amazing.) She has the recollection that the army unit was the Illinois 11th. She remembers the alliteration.2080
• Where the devil did Jonathan get to? Where is he buried? He is not buried at Mound Hill at Seville, Ohio. I checked the Veterans national cemeteries and found nothing. At the time he “absconded,” I believe that a bankrupt might not have his debts forgiven. Certainly at that time if you were bankrupt in one state and you left, and you had debts owed from another state, you were subject to arrest in the second state.
By the way, I also found that a teacher made around $22 a month in Illinois in the early 1860s. You could do better as a washerwoman!2062, p 1
• “...and has never been heard of or from by applicant since September 15, 1873. She believes him dead.”2058, p 2
• That the said Jonathan was a pensioner at Chicago Agency under Certificate #83447.”2058, p 2
• State Fair Speeders (yearling trotters): Jonathan Hay, St. Paul; emerson, blk. c.2081
(Note; unproven, but possible, this is the same Jonathan Hay)
• Jonathan Hay did other things: he was a Deputy County Surveyor with the county in 1859, per a deed I found. He was a clerk for the Winnisheik Insurance Co., per the Freeport City Directory, for several years, 1867-69, a company owned by U.S. Grant and others that ultimately failed. This may be where the intelligence of "Jonathan worked as Grant's secretary" came from.2026
• “Him” seems to be code for Elizabeth’s husband, Jonathan Hay, who absconded September 15, 1873, from Freeport, Illinois, and was thought to be dead, according to Elizabeth’s Civil War Widow’s Pension application, dated August 19, 1890. Since Jonathan Hay was likely a fugitive, mother and son could not address him by name. Jonathan Hay was, in 1873, a dealer in Singer Sewing Machines, Steinway pianos, organs, and other musical merchandise, with a business located on Exchange Street, opposite French’s Hotel, in Freeport, Illinois. He had a selling radius of thirty miles from Freeport, per his business card of 1873. He sold his wares “on time,” and sold the notes, many of them forged instruments, at discount, to unwary investors. When he absconded, newspapers variously reported the forgeries at between $24,000 and $70,000.539, p 2 footnote
• “I am glad he solaced himself by marrying,...”
Jonathan and Elizabeth never divorced, so it appears Jonathan was a bigamist.539, p 2
• he meant to be honest—but he was a Plunger never looking ahead farther than one day. He was an honest man but a bad financier. I often begged him to do nothing—and I would support him. Too late to recriminate now: I don’t think he can live long. His Grandfather & Grandmother on his fathers side died two days apart – with dropsy. He must be a sufferer, and I feel so sorry for him.539, p 3
Census
• 1830 Census: Milton Township, Wayne, Ohio. Under 5. 10001/00001.2082
• 1840 Census: Milton Township, Wayne, Ohio. Age 5-10. 01001001/00001001. Living with mother in grandfather’s household.2083
• 1850 Census: Oneco, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 20, b OH. Tailor. Living with David Ault family, also a tailor.2073
• 1860 Census: Oneco, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 30, b OH. School teacher. $1,000.2066
• 1870 Census: Freeport, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 37, b OH. Teamster. Uncle Griswold Noble Hay living in his household.2067
• 1880 Census: Homer, Banks, Georgia. Age 48, b OH. Doctor. Father b VT; mother b MA. Name given as Thomas Hayden.2084
• 1840 Census: Milton Township, Wayne, Ohio. Age 5-10. 01001001/00001001. Living with mother in grandfather’s household.2083
• 1850 Census: Oneco, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 20, b OH. Tailor. Living with David Ault family, also a tailor.2073
• 1860 Census: Oneco, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 30, b OH. School teacher. $1,000.2066
• 1870 Census: Freeport, Stephenson, Illinois. Age 37, b OH. Teamster. Uncle Griswold Noble Hay living in his household.2067
• 1880 Census: Homer, Banks, Georgia. Age 48, b OH. Doctor. Father b VT; mother b MA. Name given as Thomas Hayden.2084
Research
• No mention of Jonathan Hay.
Source: Ulysses S. Grant, Hesseltine, William B., Dodd, Mead, NY 1935, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., April 23, 1994.
• No mention of Jonathan Hay.
Source: Grant, McFeely, William S. Norton, NY, 1981, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., April 23, 1994.
• No mention of Jonathan Hay.2085
• U. S. Grant was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio, on April 27, 1822, the son of Jesse Root Grant and Hannah Simpson.2085, frontispiece He first lived in Galena, Illinois in May, 1860, and “took a clerkship in my father’s store.”2085, p 111
• Cannot find in 1880 census; 23 Feb 2005.
Source: Ulysses S. Grant, Hesseltine, William B., Dodd, Mead, NY 1935, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., April 23, 1994.
• No mention of Jonathan Hay.
Source: Grant, McFeely, William S. Norton, NY, 1981, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., April 23, 1994.
• No mention of Jonathan Hay.2085
• U. S. Grant was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio, on April 27, 1822, the son of Jesse Root Grant and Hannah Simpson.2085, frontispiece He first lived in Galena, Illinois in May, 1860, and “took a clerkship in my father’s store.”2085, p 111
• Cannot find in 1880 census; 23 Feb 2005.
Marriage2 Oct 1851, Freeport, Stephenson, Illinois2086, date & county only,2074, date & county only,2087, date only; Jonathan Hay Jr., written in his own hand,2058, p 2
Marr Memoby Oscar Taylor, Justice of Peace
Separation15 Sep 18732058, p 2