Hays family of North Carolina

Paul Heinegg's information on FPOC has given me a jump forward on my Hayes research in NC. He has done some very good initial research on many of these families of NC. I have been trying to fill in the gaps of my ancestors that were FPOC. Even with all the quick start from Mr. Heinegg's information, it has still been a very uneasy task.

Out of all the families I have researched, this is the most complex and difficult to follow. It was virtually impossible for me to even come close to successfully tracing the Hayes family. For some reason multiple family members of latter generations in a given County named their children the same as multiple family members in preceding generations in the same and other counties. I also found where any member of a given Hayes family could be found living with other Hayes families in any of the counties that I researched. What a puzzle! Try it for yourself. Check the Hayes families from 1850-1900 and from New Hanover, Pender, Duplin, Sampson, Cumberland and Bladen counties.

I also found that the Hayes families lived with, neighbored to and married into other families of FPOC. These families included the Jacobs, Holmes, Kings, Freemans, Young's, Emmanuels, Manuels, Maynors and others. It's just like they followed each other from County to County. It seems like this pattern started changing after slavery was ended.

I found Elizabeth Hayes living in Wilmington in 1850 with a listed age of 99. I am assuming that Esther who was listed as 65 in 1850 and also living in New Hanover County was her daughter. I am also assuming that Edith and Caroline of Bladen County and Lizzette, Amy, Thomas and Ceasar of New Hanover County who were all born sometime around the beginning of the 19th century were Esther's children. For some reason I found most of the Hayes families to be headed by woman with no spouse listed. I could be wrong, but I'm thinking a lot of these woman were found like this because their mates were people who could not be listed with them (married white men who they were servants and maids for or black men who had not yet obtained their freedom).

Amy (Betsey) Hayes born 1790-1800 and her son Charles Washington Hayes born in 1835 in New Hanover County were both found in census reports prior to 1860 along with other brothers and sisters. They were found in townships from Franklin to Wilmington in New Hanover County in 1850. For some reason Amy and her children and most of her Hayes neighbor's and their children left New Hanover County sometime between 1860-1870 and came to Bladen and Sampson counties where other Hayes relatives were already living.


Descendants of Amy Betsey Hayes

1 Amy Betsey Hayes 1790 -
..... 2 Charles Washington Hayes 1835 -
......... +Esther Herring 1840 -
............. 3 Sophia Herring Hayes 1858 - 1921
................. +Gabriel Powell 1840 - 1925
.................... 4 Sophie Jane Powell 1900 - 1980
........................ +Willie R. Douglas Thomas 1892 - 1976
.................... 4 George Powell 1875 -
.................... 4 Idella Powell 1876 -
........................ +William Richardson 1882 -
.................... 4 Mitchell Powell 1880 -
.................... 4 Ann Powell 1884 -
........................ +Franklin McDuffie
.................... 4 Isiah Powell 1882 - 1910
.................... 4 Rachel Powell 1885 -
.................... 4 Sandy Powell 1886 -
........................ +Prisillia 1894 -
.................... 4 Jefferson Powell 1892 -
.................... 4 Gabriel Jr. Powell 1896 -
.................... 4 June S. Powell 1899 -
..... *2nd Wife of Charles Washington Hayes:
......... +Edith Herring 1835 -
............. 3 Rose Anna Herring 1862 - 1921
.................... 4 John H. Johnson 1887 -
.................... 4 Stella Johnson 1883 -


In 1860 Amy was found living in the Colly township of Bladen County in an area called Gravilly or Gravity Hill which was just south of the Lisbon township in Sampson County. She was living with a man whose name was George Hayes and who was just a few years older than her. I don't know if George was her brother or cousin but he was found to be a cook.

I found her son George living with other Hayes relatives in the tomahawk (Beatty's bridge) area of the Colly township of that time.

In 1860 Washington Hayes was listed as being 24 years old and was found living with a white family as their servant in the Lisbon township of Sampson County. The Lisbon township of 1860 was comprised of Grarland, Clear Run, Long View and other neighboring areas.

Lonisa Hayes who was 18 years old at the time was also found to be living with Washington and this white family in Sampson County. I don't know what relation there was between Lonisa and Washington. The white man they were living with was named Owen Herring and his wife's name was Molsey Tatum-Herring. Owens oldest daughter Sarah who was 17 years of age in 1860 also married a man named George W Autry from the Autryville area of Sampson County in 1860. Incidentally George W was the slave master of another one of my slave ancestors, Ned Edward Autry.

I also followed another one of Amy's neighbors who I am assuming was her sister as stated above. Her name was Lizzette Hayes and she was born sometime around 1790 also. She was also listed as the head of her household and she had many many children living with her 1850 and 1860. By 1870 and 1880 Lizzette and her family were found living in the Franklin township of Sampson County. That township at that time bordered the Lisbon township somewhat south and east. I don't know about now but then it was comprised of what is now parts of Ivanhoe, Newton Cross Roads and Harrells Store just to name a few.

In 1870 Amy was found back in New Hanover County living with some of her grandchildren, a son and maybe a daughter. Sometime between 1870-1880 she moved to Sampson County to live with Washington and his family. By this time Washington had married and fathered a very large family in the Lisbon township of southern Sampson County. The Lisbon Township of southern Sampson County bordered the Colly township of Northern Bladen County with South river dividing them. I think this is where Washington and his family resided. My aunt Virginia has spoken of an uncle Usher that resided in this area.

Washington had many relatives including children and a mother-in-law (Phyllis Herring) that were already living in Bladen County by 1870-1880. Somehow his daughter Sophia met and married Gabriel Powell. Gabriel and Sophia Hayes just like Washington and his wife Easter had a very large family of children. Their youngest child was Sophie Jane Powell-Thomas which was Catherine Thomas-Autry's mother.

ii. Jacob, born 17 November 1736 if he was the "Mulatto" boy named Jacob (no last name recorded) who was bound apprentice to John Todd by the Onslow County court on 6 April 1743 [Minutes 1734-49, fol. 38]. He was taxable in Bladen County on 9 head of cattle and 3 horses in 1778 [Byrd, Bladen County Tax Lists, II:102] and head of an Onslow County household of 6 "other free" in 1790 [NC:197] and 7 in 1800 [NC:14].

iii. Samuel, born say 1740, taxable with his wife Susannah in Constable Daniel Harris' list for Fishing Creek District of Granville County, North Carolina, in 1761 [CR. 044.701.19].

1. Isaac Hayes, born say 1730, was a "Molato" taxable on himself, John Hayes, (his wife?) Eliza Hayes and Hannah Hayes in Bladen County in 1770. In 1771 and 1772 Samuel Freeman was also a taxable in his household. Isaac was a "Free Negro" taxable on two adults, one Boy and two females in 1774; taxable on himself, one Black male and one Black female in 1776; and taxable on 160 acres, four horses and two cows in 1778 [Byrd, Bladen County Tax Lists, I:24, 76, 91, 124; II:51, 81, 102, 105]. He may have been the father of

i. John, born say 1755, taxable in the household of (his father?) Isaac Hayes in Bladen County from 1770 to 1772. Perhaps his wife was Hannah Hayes, another taxable in Isaac's Bladen County household [Byrd, Bladen County Tax Lists, I:24, 76, 91]. He was head of a Brunswick County household of one white male 16 or over, three under 16, and four white females in 1790 [NC:189], 7 "other free" in 1800 [NC:14] and 7 "other free" and 1 white woman in 1810 [NC:222].

ii. Jacob, taxable in Bladen County on 9 head of cattle and 3 horses in 1778 [Byrd, Bladen County Tax Lists, II:102]. He was head of an Onslow County household of 6 "other free" in 1790 [NC:197] and 7 in 1800 [NC:14].

iii. William, born before 1776, head of a Sampson County household of 2 "free colored" persons, a man and woman over forty-five years of age in 1820 [NC:282].

iv. Charles, born say 1797, head of a Brunswick County household of 3 "other free" in 1810 [NC:236], and 3 "free colored" in Cumberland County in 1820 [NC:168].

v. Peter, head of a Pendleton District, South Carolina household of 1 "other free" in 1800 [SC:43].

vi. Esther, born 1776-1794, head of a New Hanover County household of 8 "free colored" in 1820 [NC:221].

Copyright by Paul Heinegg 1999

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