Western Pennsylvania Genealogy
Compiled by Douglas H. Lusher


Family Group Record



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Gen. Samuel Hays and Henrietta Louise [Unk]




Husband Gen. Samuel Hays 1




           Born: 10 Sep 1783 - County Donegal, Ireland 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 1 Jul 1868 - Franklin, Venango Co, PA 3
         Buried:  - Old Pioneer Cemetery, Franklin, Venango Co, PA 4


         Father: [Unk] Hays (      -      )
         Mother: Eleanor [Unk] (      -1822) 5


       Marriage: 29 Mar 1861 - Ellington, Chautauqua Co, NY 6

   Other Spouse: Agnes Broadfoot (1783-1839) - 30 Mar 1809 7



Wife Henrietta Louise [Unk] 6

           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: Aft 1890
         Buried: 

   Other Spouse: [Unk] McConnell (      -Bef 1861) 3


Children

General Notes: Husband - Gen. Samuel Hays


Samuel Hays, an Irishman, was destined to make his mark in the history of Venango County, PA, in its business and in its polit­ical affairs. He had largely the elements of popularity, and easily won his way to distinction among his neighbors. Mr. Hays was a man of ability, but owed his advancement more to a regular balance of judgment and cau­tion, and kindness and forbearance, and the ability to watch and wait, all combined, than to any one quality or characteristic. And with this charac­ter of mind his life was a fortunate and prosperous one, from the popular standpoint. He was a man who always had friends who would stand by him in any emergency, and were always ready to assist in carrying out his enterprises. He was a business man, and also a politician. He would give attention to business and also keep in view his desires and prospects relat­ing to the political world.
Samuel Hays was born in Ireland, and came early to America to make his home. Having his full share of enterprise, he soon sought out this new town as his home and came to seek his fortune in 1803.
The probabilities are that he had very little in the way of capital to begin with. But he had that Irish trait of looking to the main chance and with industry, economy, and perseverance he was soon looked upon as one of the rising men of Franklin, and not only of the town, but of the county of Venango. And during the course of a rather long life he was called to occupy nearly every office in the gift of the people. He was a Democrat of the Democrats, yet he owed his political popularity rather to personal traits already alluded to, than to mere political party.
Mr. Hays probably held a greater number of offices than any other man in the history of Venango county. He was four times elected sheriff, viz.: in 1808, 1820, 1829, and 1835. He was elected to the state assembly four times, in 1813, 1816, 1823, and 1825; to the state senate twice, in 1822 and 1839; to the congress of the United States once, 1842. He was also mar­shal of the western district, and associate judge of the county in 1856. In all these offices he acquitted himself well, and gave entire satisfaction to his constituents. These offices also brought him into a general acquaintance with public men at large, so that his influence was largely sought by his neighbors and friends in political life.
In business Mr. Hays was largely engaged in the manufacture of iron. Blast furnaces were at one time common in the county, and in these he was engaged. Pig iron was almost the currency of the country, and in this bus­iness he was generally as successful as his neighbors. He also built a forge on French creek about a mile above town, that manufactured iron until the site was wanted for a pool in the slackwater of the creek.
The title of general was popularly given to Mr. Hays, but no one remembers to have seen his commission. General Hays died in Franklin, in the eighty-sixth year of his age, having lived here sixty-five years, and noticed the growth of the place from a few cabins in the woods to a flourishing city. [HVC 1890, 347]

In the first settlement of this region supplies of iron were obtained, at great expense, from Pittsburgh, or points east of the mountains. To meet this demand Samuel Hays built a forge on French creek, a mile from its mouth, about the year 1825. The process of manu­facture was exceedingly primitive. Bog ore, obtained at various localities in the immediate vicinity, was used exclusively, and charcoal was utilized as fuel. The ore was melted in what was conventionally called a “'ell-fire;” the slag was drawn off by the admixture of lime, and the metal, known at this stage as hoop-iron, was successively hammered and heated until the desired consistency was obtained. A wing-dam in the creek furnished water power for the blast and hammers. The operatives lived in houses about the forge, giving to the place the appearance of a small village. A. M. Lewis was iron-master. The construction of the French creek slack-water navigation rendered the location undesirable, and the works were abandoned early in the thirties. [HVC 1890, 388]

George Fowler came over as an English soldier during the Revolution. The new country attracted him. He became the fourth set­tler in Franklin, probably in 1796. His serv­ice in the British army was not remembered against him. He was living in the “Old Garri­son” after its use by the military ceased, serv­ing as justice of the peace, in company with his better half. His wife sometimes acted as volunteer justiciary, not reversing his deci­sions, but sometimes nipping actions in the bud. An amusing incident has been preserved. Gen. Sam. Hays was driving a yoke of oxen through the streets, and following classic example, waded the streams and trod the dust without shoes or stockings. A neigh­bor, meeting him, began to jeer at his short raiment. Sam said nothing, but applied his ox whip vigorously to the unmannerly citizen. The whipped man went straight to Captain Fowler to get a warrant for the offender. While the justice was writing the warrant his wife entered:
“What are you doing now, daddy?”
“Writing a warrant.”
“And who is the warrant for?”
“For Sam Hays.”
“And who has the impudence to sue Sam Hays?”
“Why, this man here. Mr. Blank.”
“And what did Sam Hays do?”
“He says he threshed him with his ox-whip.”
“And served him right, I warrant. Get out of my house, Mr. Blank. I'll have nobody here suing Sam Hays.”
The complainant departed when Mrs. Fow­ler tore the half-written warrant into bits, which she threw into the flames. The woman's instinct probably grasped the best conclusion of the matter. Sam Hays was at the dawn of his popularity, which grew through his long, sunny day. Mr. Blank considered himself important and was doubtless thought so by others, or he might not have presumed to re­buke the jolly Irishman. An acrimonious ac­tion for assault and battery might have divided the town into two factions and promoted unfriendliness. The good-natured Hays would regret his action as soon as his quick anger cooled, and he would doubtless make ample apologies to his neighbor. In all General Hays' varied life, public or private, after this episode, he was preeminently the man of unruffled temper. [CAB, 312]

Original interment was in the old town graveyard, but on May 7, 1892, his dust with that of his first wife, was reinterred in the new Franklin cemetery. The tombstones were removed with them, but not set up again.

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Sources


1 —, History of Venango County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk, & Co., Publishers, 1890), Pg 347.

2 Gilbert Adams Hays, Samuel Hays (Sewickley, PA: Self-published(?), 1928), Pg 17.

3 —, History of Venango County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk, & Co., Publishers, 1890), Pg 348.

4 J. H. Newton, History of Venango County, Pennsylvania (Columbus, OH: J. A. Caldwell Publishers, 1879), Pg 457.

5 Gilbert Adams Hays, Samuel Hays (Sewickley, PA: Self-published(?), 1928).

6 Gilbert Adams Hays, Samuel Hays (Sewickley, PA: Self-published(?), 1928), Pg 2.

7 Gilbert Adams Hays, Samuel Hays (Sewickley, PA: Self-published(?), 1928), Pg 1.


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