- GEORGE HAYES, who resides in Clinton, is numbered among the
pioneers of this county of
- 1843. He came to Wisconsin in the days when its prairies
were in their primitive condition, when wild game of all kinds
was to be found in abundance and the red men were still numerous.
From that time until the present he has witnessed the rapid changes
which have been made by progress and civilization, has seen the
prairies by the cultivation of man blossom as a rose, towns and
villages have sprung up, and countless manufactories have been
introduced until Rock is now on a par with any in this vast commonwealth.
- Mr. HAYES was born in Bavaria, Germany, on the 9th day of
June, 1825, and there received his
- education in the common school. He remained at home until
sixteen years of age, when wishing to try his fortune in the
New World, in 1840, he bade goodbye to home and friends and sailed
for America. Landing in this country, he went to Milwaukee in
1841, since which time he has been a resident of Wisconsin. Two
years later he came to Rock County and engaged in working upon
a farm until 1846, when he enlisted in the Mexican War, serving
for twenty-one months, his duty being in the naval service. He
there first saw John A. LOGAN, though he never met him personally
until 1880, when he was called to Janesville to meet the gallant
General.
- In 1851, Mr. HAYES and Miss Eliza S. HILTON, who was born
near Oswego, N.Y., in 1831,
- were married in Beloit. Unto them was born a family of ten
children, six of whom are living - Angie P., who was first in
order of birth, is now the wife of Andrew FINLEY, of Brookfield,
Mo.; Annie J. who married O. A. WESTOVER, is living at home;
David H., is engaged in blacksmithing in Clinton; John A. is
residing in the far West; George T., is now living in California;
Fred M., is still at home with his parents.
- At the breaking out of the Rebellion in 1861, Mr. HAYES was
among the first to assist in enlisting soldiers for the war,
they forming a company under Col. VAN VALIN. He became a member
of Company C, of the 13th Wisconsin Infantry, in 1864, but shortly
afterward was transferred to Company C, Veteran Reserve Corps,
and sent to Nashville, where he was stationed when Gen. Forest
entered that city. He served until the close of the war and was
mustered out at Cincinnati, Ohio, after which he returned to
Sharon, Wis., where his family was then living. He now receives
a pension of $30 per month. Socially, he is a member of the G.A.R.
Post and Temple of Honor, both of Clinton, and politically, is
one of the warmest supporters of the Republican party. He is
a member of the Congregational Church, and his wife is a communicant
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They are widely known throughout
the community in which they reside and hold an enviable place
in the hearts of their many friends.
-
- Taken from "The Portrait and Biographical Album of
Rock County, Wis." (c)1889, pp. 380.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
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