Person:Elizabeth Hays (25)

Contents 1 Overview		Hays Tapestry Registers Data Notes Analysis Bibliography Index YDNA. Hays Chalkley's
	……………………..The Tapestry Families Old Chester OldAugusta Germanna New River SWVP Cumberland Carolina Cradle The Smokies Old Kentucky

__________________________

Overview

Elizabeth's connection to this family is known by a single entry in the Smyth County, VA court record for an adjustment to the final settlement of her father William's estate. The cash that remained in the hands of her brothers, James and Jacob, who were the co-executors of their father's last will, was divided among all the children -- Elizabeth Hayter is named.

Knowledge of her married name led to the discovery of a Washington County, Virginia marriage record that reveals her husband was John Jamison Hayter. This man was part of the large clan of this surname in the area known as Hayter's Gap. John Hayter and Elizabeth Hays were married on May 12th 1808 by the minister Nicholas Reagan.

As far as this author knows, no other records for Elizabeth were found in Virginia; however, a fortuitous search on the Find-A-Grave web site reveals information about her probable migrations. A John Jamison (J.J.) Hayter is reportedly buried on the Old Hayter Plantation in Nacogdoches, Texas and the records indicate that his wife, Elizabeth Hayes (sic), is also buried on the plantation although no headstones exists for John or Elizabeth. This discovery was confirmed through US Census records (1850 & 1860) that confirm that John J. Hayter owned a very substantial ranch (in 1860 the real estate value is $60,792) in that part of Texas. Unfortunately no record for Elizabeth was found in these records which supports the information provided in the Find-A-Grave entry stating that she died in 1850.

The 1850 US Census records provide another important clue to the migration of this family. John is listed in the residence with his 34 year-old son Samuel. Samuel was born in Tennessee. Further research is required to fill in the story but there exists a Hayter Family Cemetery in Livingston, Overton County, Tennessee with graves of people who are connected with Hayter's Gap in Virginia. It's possible that this is the area in Tennessee to which John J. and Elizabeth migrated from Southwest Virginia.

There is some confusion over Elizabeth's age. Although the actual source for information is not fully understood, it was thought that Elizabeth was the oldest of William and Elizabeth's five daughters and born about 1775. This assumption might have occurred since she is not mentioned in the Last Will and Testament of either parent and possibly thought to have been married and removed from the Virginia area some years previous. The Find-A-Grave entry has her birth year as 1791 and would make her one of the youngest three daughters and much closer to the age of her husband.

The fact that Elizabeth was not bequeathed any money or property in the last will and testament of either of her parents is somewhat puzzling. With Elizabeth's marriage in 1808 and the death of her father in 1831, one might conclude that she and her husband had removed out of Virginia and therefore possibly excluded; however, it is known from various records that her brother Charles was already in Boone County, Missouri and was named in William's will. One can also find that Elizabeth's husband purchased a horse and a young male slave from William's estate seemingly indicating that had not yet removed to Tennessee. One possible explanation, if not some sort of family estrangement, is that her husband appears to have been very wealthy and William perhaps believed that Elizabeth did not require any additional cash or property. In the 1860 US Census the value of real and personal estate of John J. Hayter is reported as over $145,000.