JOHN HAYS.
The gentleman above mentioned is one of the oldest settlers of Alliance, Nebraska, locating there when the town consisted merely of a few tents and board shanties, and since coming here he has been one of the leading citizens, assisting in every movement in the development of the region, doing his full share in building it up and in the making of the history of this part of the state. He lives in section 10, township 25, range 47, where he has a pleasant home and valuable estate.
Mr. Hays was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, in 1831. His father, James Hays, was a farmer by occupation, American birth, descended from Irish stock. He married Mary Kuhn, of German-Scotch parentage. Our subject was reared in his native state and followed farming and building as a young man. In 1853 he came to Henderson county, Illinois, there engaging in farming and remained for seventeen years, and became owner of a farm of eighty acres, did fairly well but was not satisfied with conditions there and decided to go farther west, so came to Page county, Iowa, in 1872. He rented a farm of three hundred and twenty acres, was very successful in its operation and remained there for sixteen years. He next came to Nebraska and took up a tract of government land situated in section 10, township 25, range 47, in 1887, when Hay Springs was the nearest railroad town to his claim, sixty or seventy miles distant. Here he put up good sod buildings and started farming, but in 1890 the hard times struck him and he had two complete crop failures, and besides these, a number of partial failures, so that he became very much discouraged although he would not give up and gradually was able to build up his place and improve it with good buildings, etc. He now has eight hundred acres of good land, all fenced and cross fenced, and farms one hundred acres, and engages principally in the raising of horses and cattle, also hogs. He has two good wells with windmills and supply tanks, and everything is kept up in first-class shape. During the early years of Mr. Hays' residence in this region he was obliged to haul wood for fuel from Pine Ridge, a distance of fifty miles, and during these trips camped out at night, each trip taking four days.
January 6, 1853, Mr. J. Hays was married in Mercer county, Pennsylvania to Miss Rachel Richards, a daughter of Owen and Nancy Richards, a farmer of Mercer county. Mrs. Nancy Richards was of American birth, descended from Irish stock. Mr. and Mrs. Hays are the parents of six children who are named as follows: James M., Nancy L., Mary, Newton, who assists his father in the running of the home farm, and the only son with him at present; Mina and Louis, the last two living on adjoining land and in sight of their lather's ranch. Mr. Hays lost his wife in the month of March, 1889, just before he moved the family from Iowa to Box Butte county.
Mr. Hays is a strong Republican, and has always been active in local affairs.
Compendium of History Reminiscence & Biography of Western Nebraska, http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/resources/OLLibrary/cofhar/cofh0697.html