Hays Family of Gilmer County, West Virginia Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Restrictions:

No special access restriction applies.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Hays Family of Gilmer County, West Virginia Papers, A&M 2734, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
0.4 Linear Feet Summary: 5 in. (1 document case, 5 in.)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Hays Family of Gilmer County, West Virginia Papers, A&M 2734, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Papers of the Hays family of Gilmer County, West Virginia, centering on Peregrine Hays and his son Samuel Hays. The collection includes Civil War related material; correspondence; financial, business, and legal records; and other material. The Civil War material includes a receipt for the sale of enslaved Africans, military orders, and records of financial transactions made in Confederate currency. The correspondence within the collection includes personal letters between members of the Hays family as well as correspondence with friends and acquaintances. The financial, business, and legal records within the collection include material regarding Peregrine Hay's postbellum financial difficulties. See "Historical Note" for further information.

Biographical / historical:

Peregrine Hays (1819-1903) was born in Harrison County (West) Virginia to Samuel L. and Roana Arnold Hays. Samuel L. Hays was a member of the Virginia Legislature for several years and served one term in Congress during the 1841-1842 session. During this time he secured the appointment of Thomas J. Jackson ("Stonewall" Jackson) to West Point. He was instrumental in the establishment of Gilmer County in 1845. He also attended the convention that amended the state constitution in 1850.

Peregrine Hays lived in Harrison County until 1833, when his family moved to Lewis County. He was a schoolmate of Thomas J. Jackson. 1n 1849, he married Louisa A. A. Sexton of French Creek, (West) Virginia, who was the daughter of Augustus and Anna L. Sexton. The couple had six children: Mary or "Mollie" (b. 1850); George Warren (b. 1851); Annie Roana (b. 1854); John B. Floyd (b. 1956); Napolieon B. F. or "French" (b. 1858); and Samuel A. (b. 1861).

Peregrine served as sheriff of both Gilmer and Calhoun counties during his life and was instrumental in having a state normal school located at Glenville in Gilmer County. He fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War and served for one year, under the command of "Stonewall" Jackson.

The youngest son, Samuel Augustus Hays, attended Glenville State Normal School and West Virginia University, graduating in 1878 and 1884, respectively. He practiced law at Glenville for ten years and then entered the timber industry. He was appointed collector of internal revenue for the district of West Virginia in 1913 and served until 1921. He remained active in finance and business.

Further information concerning the Hays family, including census data, can be found in the control folder for this collection. For additional biographical information and papers, see A&M 1561, Series I, Box 1.

Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard