Footnotes for letters 87- 90: 1873

Footnotes for Letters 86 - 90: 1873 -1875

Keep this reference page open as you read letters 86 - 90.

(1)This letter is from Judge James B. Yager to Margaret Watts Hays.
(2) Elizabeth Berry Watts
(3)Andrew Jackson Watts
(4)More than 10 years after her husband’s death, Margaret was still waiting for the settlement of his estate.
(5)Dr, Henry Foote Hereford (1827-1900). Born in Alabama, he lived in Chihuahua, Mexico before moving to Westport, Jackson Co., Missouri in 1851. During the Civil War he was condemned to be shot on sight for his views. He moved in disguise for some time before he and his family were secreted away to California by friends. After the war, he returned to Kansas City, where he practiced medicine until his death.
(6)Samuel Hays (1824-1872), Margaret’s brother-in-law. He died shortly after Margaret Hays left Missouri.
(7)G. P. Briant – probably George W. Briant (Bryant) (1830-?). A former business partner of Upton Hays. After the Civil War he became a successful banker in Westport. The bank was forced to close after the financial panic of 1873 although they paid their depositors dollar for dollar, and in consequence the business was closed. He was married to Margaret Hays’ cousin, Elizabeth Lobb.
(8) Henry Harper (1835-?) was married to Margaret Hays’ niece, Rachel Yager.
(9)Rebecca Berry Hays (1828-1873), the wife of Samuel Hays and Margaret’s cousin.
(10)Edward F. West (1837-1918) was the second husband of Martha Muir Yager. Her first husband was Margaret’s cousin, Richard Francis Yager.
(11)Bishop – possibly David Bishop (1800-?) a farmer who had lived near Independence, Jackson Co., Missouri.
(12)Margaret’s children
(13)Elizabeth Watts
(14)Andrew Jackson Watts
(15)Peter Louis Utz (1831-1915). He lived on the Hays farm near Westport then followed Margaret Hays to California.
(16)William B. Overstreet (1835-1916). He also followed Margaret to California and became her husband in 1877.
(17)Louisa Yager Hamilton (1849-1933). Judge Yager’s daughter and Margaret’s cousin.
(18)Darius and Mary Gregg.
(19)Mary Berry Yager, his wife.
(20)Judge James B. Yager (1809-1883).
(21)This letter is from Laurenda Holloway Hays to Margaret Watts Hays’ sister-in-law..
(22)Elfleda Hays, Margaret’s daughter.
(23)James Allen Holloway (1802-1874). Laurinda’s father.
(24)Benjamin Thornburg Halloway (1841-1924), Laurinda’s brother.
(25)Temperance J. Thornburg Halloway (1807-1850).
(26)Meek Self – probably America H. Shanks Self, the wife of Winfield Scott Self (1849-?). The child was probably Maudie M. Self (1874-?). Winfield was a son of Elizabeth E. McFarland Self (1827-1872) and Jacob William Self (1824-1873). They had been neighbors of Upton and Margaret Hays in Missouri and had named one of their children for Upton and one for Upton’s brother, Linville Hays.
(27)Scrofula – an infection of the neck cause by the tuberculosis organism.
(28)Seat
(29) The orphaned children of Elizabeth and Jacob self. Maggie (1861), Aaron Roger (1866) and Betty (1868) were the youngest.
(30)Jane Upton Hays, Margaret’s daughter.
(31)Linville Hays, Laurinda’s husband.
(32)Linville Wylie Hays (1862- after 1920), Laurinda’s son.
(33)Nan Ervin
(34)Mrs. Mary Cunningham, Margaret’s companion on the Hays farm in the 1850’s.
(35)grangers – The Order of Patrons of Husbandry, commonly called the Grange was a farmers organization which worked for political and economic advantage. It was founded in 1867 in Washington, D. C. and in 1873 had 200,000 members. Many small rural town still have a Grange Hall and active members and it provides insurance and social activities to it’s members.
(36)Dixie Hays – Louisa D. Hays (1862- before 1896), a daughter of Samuel Hays.
(37)James C. Lobb (1835-1908), Margaret’s cousin who was married to Mary Elizabeth Hays, her niece.
(38)Eliza Watts Dickerson (1813- after 1900) of Howard Co., Missouri. Although she and Margaret called each other “sister” they probably had different father’s.
(39)Cholera, a severe bacterial infection which causes severe dehydration which may cause the death of the person infected in several hours. Contaminated water or shell fish are usully the source of infection.
(40)Fayette, Howard Co., Missouri
(41)Letty Watts Rowland (1821-1910), Margaret’s half-sister who lived in Cass Co., Missouri.
(42)John Nathan Hays, William B. Overstreet, Peter Louis Utz.
(43)Laurinda W. Holloway Hays (1820-1890), Margaret’s sister-in-law, married to Linville Hays. They had a family of 11 children of which only 5 survived to adulthood.
(44)Hale – probably Francis Hale (1840-?), an unmarried daughter of Miles and Margaret Hale who lived near Lees Summit, Jackson Co., Missouri. They were neighbors of Margaret Hays before she left Missouri.
(43)Probably Isabelle Adams (1854-?), unmarried daughter of W. H. Adams a well-to-do lawyer who lived near Lees Summit, Jackson Co., Missouri.
(46)Laurinda W. Holloway Hays
(47)Alfred Boone Hays (1846-1919) a son of Laurinda and Linville Hays. He moved to a farm in Kings Co., California a few years after this letter was written. The farm was near his Aunt Margaret Hays’ farm.
(48)prairie
(49)Southern Pacific.Railroad Station. As a farmer he would need a railroad to ship his crops to market.
(50)Preempt – probably refers to the availability of land to homestead, rather than a farm for sale.
(51)He was worried about predators attacking his livestock.
(52)Indians – Native American people of California.
(53)Eliza J. Hornbuckle Crump (1832-?), Dick Crump’s wife.
(54)Clayton Bane (1824-1899), a neighbor in Cass Co., Missouri.
(55)Amazon and Mary Berry Hays
(56)Alfred Hornbuckle (1829-?)
(57)Richard P. Crump (1828-1901), the son of Upton Hays’ sister Louisa Hays Crump and Thompson Smith Crump. He had moved his family to Jack Co., Texas by 1880.
(58)From Judge James B. Yager to Margaret Watts Hays
(59)John Nathan Hays
(60)Mary Berry Yager
(61)Louisa Yager Hamilton
(62)William Briant Hamilton (1874- before 1880)
(63)James Yager Hamilton (1872- after 1930)
(64)Margaret’s first grandchild was Asa Edward Moutrey (1874-1922), the son of Elizabeth Hays Moutrey.
(65)Mary Elizabeth Hays Moutrey
(66)Darius Gregg (1836-?) and Mary Harper Gregg (1839-?).
(67)County Poor Farm
(68)California
(69)Judge James B. Yager (1809-1883) of Jackson Co., Missouri.
(70)Henry Harper (1835-?), Judge Yager’s son-in-law.
(71)Rachel Yager Harper (1844- after 1880), Judge Yager’s daughter.
(72)From Judge James B. Yager to Margaret Watts Hays
(73)William Bernard and Louisa Yager Hamilton, Judge Yager’s daughter and husband.
(74)Banks – bank failures were common during the late 1800’s during times of economic recession.
(75)Samuel Hays, Margaret’s brother-in-law.
(76)Independence, Jackson Co., MIssouri
(77)Mary and Darius Gregg .
(78)Westport, Jackson Co., Missouri
(79)Elizabeth Berry Watts
(80)Mary J. Berry Yager, Margaret’s aunt.