~ Preface ~

My mother, Mary Louise Hays (Roye), was born in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, on Jan. 5, 1930 ... on the kitchen table in a house on Lide Avenue, which my grandfather, Henry Russell Hays, built around 1917. Before she passed away on August 15, 2015, she gave me a box containing folders of her family artifacts and documents that she had held on to for her entire life, telling me that I was probably the only one in our family that would be interested in having them. Recently, I have been going through some of these treasures and decided to scan them to be able to share with my family and thier kids to maybe help them know of their heritage and family identity, although deemed it may be a lack of interest on their part. Nevertheless, being old enough to have met and still remember a few of my mother's relatives that were 'old' when I was a young boy, the Hays family history has always intrigued me.

Mary Louise (known as Mama Lou to her family and grandkids), dedicated her entire life to serving her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, her family, and spent her life sharing her love and faith with anyone and everyone she came in contact with ... without a doubt, the most loving and caring person I have ever known.

These website pages are dedicated to her loving memory and to her Hays-Hudson-Paris family heritage .. which is rich in American history that dates back to the Revolutionary War, and a lot I am learning of for the first time as I am reading about her geneology.

This is a work in progress as I attempt to collect together the letters, photos, articles and family records she collected. She was very organized .. me, not so much, but I will attempt to put together these artifacts as I come across them. I regret not doing this while she was still alive, as I know how proud she was of her family and her family heritage, but I will do the best I can to put together in an orderly fashion.

She was loved by so many people during her time in this life, and is terribly missed to this day.

~ Her oldest, son .. David Mack Roye ~

My Autobiography (by Mary Louise Hays) - 1948

Sunday, January 5, 1930, was born the third child to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Russell Hays. They gave me the name of Mary Louise. I had black hair and blue eyes.

Grace Paris and Henry Russell Hays were married January 26, 1915. They made their home in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. My father worked in a dry-goods store until he opened a store of his own.

Their first child, Henry Paris, was born December 13, 1917. Ada Caroline was born February 13, 1920.

My paternal grandfather, Henry Moore Hays, was born October 18, 1831. He lived in Tennessee all his life except in his old age he moved to Arkansas. He married Nancy Caroline Koonce, also of Tennessee, on December 6, 1865. She was born March 11, 1839. They had a family of ten children, only eight of which lived to be grown. My father being next to the youngest child, was born May 9, 1876.

My maternal great grandparents were both from South Carolina. William Livingston Paris was a son of John and Nancy (Morris) Paris who were born in South Carolina in 1794 and 1798. After their marriage they lived about sixteen years in South Carolina, and in 1842, came to Gibson County Tennessee. Both were members of the Missionary Baptist Church, and became the parents of seven children. The father was a Democrate and farmer, and died in 1846, leaving a wife and six small children with a very small competency. They fought the battle of life as best they could until the children were grown; then the mother made her home with her son, William, and died at his home in 1866. Mr. Paris (was of) inherits Dutch and English blood from his father, and English blood from his mother. He was born in Spartingburg County, South Carolina, June 8, 1833, and when only thirteen years of age his father died, and he was obliged to assist in supporting the family his school days only amounted to about six months.

In 1858, he married Margaret Elizabeth Chandler, who was born in Gibson County on the 9th of April, 1834, and their marriage resulted in the birth of seven children. James Alvin, my grandfather, married Adah Blanch Hudson. The family were members of the Missionary Baptist Church, and James Alvin was a Democrate in politics. In 1862, he joined Carrol's Company of calvary, under Forrest, and served about three years. After the war he has worked at farming, grist milling, and carpentering, and owned 108 acres of land. His son, Roy, owned forty acres. There were five other children in this family. James Alvin became a Baptist preacher and moved with his family to Kentucky and a few years later moved to New Mexico, then a land very uncivilized, because of his bad health. After about three years took his family to Mt. Pleasant, Texas, to be treated at Delwood Springs. Here he remained until his death in 1928.

When I was seven years of age, I entered school at East Ward. Like most children, I hated school. Everyday during my first year I had to be made to go. My mother had to whip me every morning and my playmates in the neighborhood would pull and push me in the car. At recess I'd slip of and go home to Mama. Then it would start all over again.

I have lived all my eighteen years in Mt. Pleasant and attended the Mt. Pleasant schools. I hope to graduate from Mt. Pleasant Senior High May, 1948.

I like most any kind of sport and I enjoy attending games played by high school or college teams.

My favorite pastimes are listening to good music and reading. I have studied voice, piano and organ and I am assistant organist of the First Baptist Church, Mt. Pleasant. I hope to continue the study of music in the years to come.

After I finish high school I plan to work in Mt. Pleasant for a while and maybe later enter a school of music.

What my future holds for me only time can tell.

~ Mary Louise Hays ~