Relative Something

About that new relative that contacted me, which I made mention of in yesterday’s post… She shared a most interesting tidbit in subsequent email exchanges.

First, let me say that the whole reason I started investigating my family history was because I wanted to learn why the surname, “Hays,” in my family, is spelled without the “e” that people so commonly choose to insert when writing my name. “Hayes” is more often than not, the default spelling. The short answer to the question of why the two similar names have different spellings is most likely related to the place of origin. Spelling without the “e” aligns more with an Irish or Scottish source, while the spelling with the “e” identifies as more English. The root of the Irish name goes back to “Hay.” If the spelling had stayed at that, it would have simplified everything.

When I received the message through Ancestry.com a couple days ago, the very first thing I noticed was that the name of the ancestor in question appearing in the subject line was spelled, “Hayes.” It is like finger nails on a blackboard irritating. Of all places, in my own family tree!

I did a little quick research to clarify that the “Charles W. Hayes” being referred to, matched my data collected thus far. I found a record of the 1910 United States Federal Census in which Charles’ entire family, including his mother –my great, great-grandmother– were listed with the last name spelled, “Hayes.” Charles was definitely part of my family tree, but why in the heck the “e” in the spelling?

I queried my new contact and was more than intrigued at her response:

“Yes, according to my grandfather he and his brother John  had a falling out when they were very young and grandfather added the e to his name.  He and his brother never saw each other after that.”

I never would have guessed at something like this. Family drama aside, the discovery that family members were choosing to insert the “e” when I am on a quest to identify why we don’t spell it with an “e” just boggles my mind. Meanwhile, what could my great-grandfather and his brother have been at odds about that would lead to such animosity?

It’s enough to inspire a person toward genealogy research. It’s not all just about names. There are stories connected to all those people.

Brothers John Waters and Charles W. were the two who had a falling out.