John’s mother, Bess Holland, died in 1908 when he was only six years old and the situation was reflected in the 1910 census. His grandfather, Romulus Holland, owner of the home on S. Market, was 64 and a salesman for a coal oil distributor. John’s father, Charles W. Hay, owned a shoe store at 304 Public Square, next to the First National Bank and was a widower, 37 years of age. John A. Hay was aged 8 and his older brother, Charles C. Hay was aged 10. Also in the large house, were John Holland, 26, his father’s brother who worked as a dry goods salesman, Adelle Holland, 59, his grandmother, Julia Ragsdale, a 45 year old live-in domestic servant and Robert Allen, a 70 year old, widowed, livestock dealer who was lodging in the home.
In 1915, John’s father, Charles, remarried to Alliba Thurmond. Alliba was born in 1890 to Elisha M. Thurmond (1864-1943), Mayor of Marion from 1927 to 1931 and founder of the Thurmond Monument Company. Alliba was a fluent singer and musician and operated a music studio over the C.W. Hay Mercantile store on the square.
John studied pre-law at the University of Illinois and was graduated in 1925 from the University of Michigan law school.
After graduating law school, John began practicing law in the office of D.T. Hartwell in Rooms 30-31 of the Marion State and Savings Bank where he was found in a 1927 city directory. Attorney Hartwell and his wife Frances lived at 515 E. Everett St.
In the years, 1927-31, Hay served as City Attorney for the City of Marion. Also in 1929-30, Hay served as President for the Marion Lion’s Club.
After the death of John’s law partner, D.T. Hartwell, in 1933, John married Harwell’s widow, Frances Freeman Hartwell, on June 22, 1935 in Benton, Missouri. They lived in the Hartwell home at 515 E. Everett.
Hay, after Hartwell’s death, partnered up with attorney Hosea Ferrell in the Ferrell-Hay law firm at 1204 Public Square, over the J.V. Walker Clothing Store near the old City Hall in the northeast corner of the square. Their partnership was a very successful one until Ferrell retired in 1950 with Hay retiring and closing the business in 1952. Hay was an active outdoorsman.
Following the building of the Marion Memorial Hospital in the early 1950’s, John Hay was a substantial contributor toward the building of the X-Ray/Radiology wing of the hospital.
In 1961, Hay retired from the Marion Library board of directors on which he had dedicated years of service.
John Hay, 65, of 510 S. Madison St., Apartment 3, Marion, died at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, December 26, 1967, in Marion Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Hay was survived by his wife, brother, Charles C. Hay of Carbondale; step-mother, Mrs. Alliba Hay of Marion; and a half-sister, Mrs. Ed (Betty) Hay McDevitt of Marion.
Services were held at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Wilson Funeral Home of Marion. The Rev. Henry Clay Wright officiated. Burial followed in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Charles wife, Frances Hay, passed away on April 23, 1981, they had no children between them.
(Extracted from Marion Daily Republican obit dated Dec. 28, 1967; Federal Census Records; Marion City Cemetery Records; Missouri Marriage Records; Marion City Directories; Southern Illinoisan articles; Marion Illinois History Preservation; John Hay young photo courtesy of Hay family; Compiled by Sam Lattuca on 01/17/2014)