Lyman H. Hays

Submitted by Elizabeth Burns, Aug 2002

Wilcox

Arizona, The Youngest State, 1913

Lyman H. Hays, an attorney of Wilcox whose ability has brought him to the front rank in the practice of law so that he is now accorded an extensive clientage was born on May 6, 1868 in Lawrence County Missouri, a son of W.S. and Elizabeth (Boyd) Hays. The father, who was born in Indiana, October 25, 1839, died in Idaho, in May 1914 but the mother still survives. The ancestral line is traced back to James Hays, who was born in England in 1747 and emigrated to America in 1764 settling in Massachusetts, where his sympathy with the cause of the colonists led him to join the American army at the time of the Revolution. He did active duty with the Massachusetts regiment and thus aided in securing independence for the nation. His son, David Hays, was born in Massachusetts in 1780 and was the father of John Hays, whose birth occurred in 1808. He was the father of W.S. Hays, making Lyman H. Hays, a representative of the fifth generation of the family in America. Removing to the west, W.S. Hays established his home in Iowa and afterward went to Missouri where he followed farming. In July 1861 he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting as a member of Company E, Sixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry at Burlington. He saw active service throughout Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi and was honorably discharged at Keokuk, Iowa in 1865 returning to his home.

Lyman H. Hays was a lad of seven when his parents removed to Sedan Kansas where he attended the public schools, passing through consecutive grades to the high school. Later he became a student in the Kansas State University at Lawrence, where he pursued a course in law and graduated in 1889. He afterward went to Aspen, Colorado, where he entered upon the active practice of his profession and while there residing he became county attorney of Pitkin County for three years. In January 1909 he removed to Wilcox Arizona where he entered upon the active practice of law and by Judge Marrow of San Francisco was appointed U.S. commissioner in Wilcox, filling that position until Judge Sawtelle was appointed his successor by President Wilson in 1914.

Mr. Hays was married September 27, 1893 to Miss Maggie Bymaster, a daughter of John and Mary (Porch) Bymaster; the former a native of Germany and the latter of Indiana. They first established their home in Indiana and later removed to Missouri becoming farming people. Both are now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Hays have been born six children: Vinton, born in 1895 and now a student at Arizona University at Tucson; Mabel, born in 1897, a high school student; Lyndall, born 1901 and also attending high school; John, Mary and Paul, who were born in 1907, 1909 and 1912.USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material must obtain written consent of the archivist or submitter.

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