John Allen Hay was born in Marion on March 17, 1902, at 513 S. Market Street in the home of his grandparents, Romulus and Adelle Holland who built the home in 1875. John was the second child born to the marriage of Charles W. Hay (1873-1967) and Elizabeth “Bess” Holland.

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. Continue reading →