The Fay Family: Ephraim and Hiram Fay
   
THE FAY FAMILY PAGE

GENEALOGIES
   
Ephraim Fay (1785 - 1864) and his Descendants
Hiram Fay (1811 - ) and his Descendants
and the connection between them
   
   
John Fay
David (OPF #5) (1679 - 1738) son of John and Susanna Shattuck
Robert (OPF #8) (1715 - 1810) son of David and Sarah Larkin
Robert (OPF #69) (1764 - 1810) son of Robert and Anna Harrington
Ephraim (OPF p. 234) (1785 - 1864) son of Robert and Submit Rice
There is no known connection between Lucy Chapin (see below) and Edward Chapin. The postcard was, however, sent from Homer, Cortland County, in 1882, and might indeed be from a very distant relative. The postcard was included on a page of New York star marks.
   
CONTRIBUTED BY
ERIK FAY, KAREN HOLST, LOU JENSON, REGINALD DAY
with additions from research
   
Research into these lines (or, if I am right, this line) began in 2004 with a series of questions from Erik Fay about Hiram Fay, born in New York, died in Nebraska. Not being able at that time to solve the mystery of Hiram, I told Erik what I had found and put it aside. In May 2007, I happened upon Cubert Fay in the World War I registrations, and was interested in his name. In researching his background, I came eventually to Hiram and picked up the older material. I found a tree on ancestry.com posted by Reginald Day but containing source references to material from Karen Holst. The information found there supplemented what I had learned from Erik and what I had found through use of the standard census records, draft registration and social security records. I tried to get in touch with Karen and Reginald, but had no luck at first try. I also found messages on the boards from Lou Jenson, referring to the same line, but with the emphasis on Chapin. I corresponded with him, and he forwarded to me a much more recent file from Karen, which I have used in preparing this version. I also found a book, York County, Nebraska and its people : together with a condensed history of the state (hereafter called York County), which contained a short bibliography of Henry W. Fay and his father Hiram. I have included that material here.
   
According to Hiram's obituary found in a family Bible by Erik Fay, "Hiram was born in March 1811 in Cortland, Courtland County, New York. He moved in his 'early days' to Genessee County, Michigan. He moved to Chicago for the period 1853 - 1858. He later moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, then to Belle Plain, Iowa, and then to Taylor County, Iowa. He eventually landed in York, Nebraska where he died." All of the census records confirm this outline: New York to Michigan to Iowa to Nebraska, with descendants continuing to California and Oregon. York County places his death in 1883 at the age of 74.
   
Given this information, it should be possible to discover the identity of Hiram's parents. Many different possibilities have been checked (Orlin's index for Hiram, Fay in Michigan in 1830 and 1840, Fay in New York in 1810, among others). Research has not yet produced a confirmed answer, but it has produced a very strong possibility. The census of 1880--the only place we see any information at all--lists Hiram's father as born in Vermont, his mother in New York. Censuses, however, often are inaccurate in some of the information they provide. I believe that Hiram's father was Ephraim Fay, born in Massachusetts but moving early to New York. I have written to the Cortland County Historical Society, to see whether there is information available there.
   
   
Hiram married Lucy Chapin on January 2, 1837 in Dearborn, Wayne County, Michigan (LDS). Lucy was born June 29, 1817, in New York (Karen Holst), and died in September 1874 in her 58th year (York County; Karen gives September 15, 1875, for her death). After Lucy's death, Hiram married Anna Wright, the widow of George Wright. It looks as if Anna and Lucy were connected through a rather complicated Chapin link, with Anna's son marrying Lucy's niece (Holst and Jenson). Anna was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Iowa (Holst).
   
With the listing of Hiram and his family in the census of 1850 in Michigan, it becomes easier to follow his line. However, there ARE a few questions about the number of children Hiram had, and what happened to them. Consider the following set of five census records, and note the similarities and the differences between them. The "Holst list" was provided by an ancestry tree from Karen Holst and Reginald Day. It should be noted that this was a preliminary version of Karen's conclusions. The more recent version which she has provided does not show Eva as a Fay daughter, but it does still list Sarah Russel as a Fay daughter without discussion. And Karen has found one more child, Hiram Clement. Following the table is a discussion of some of the entries; and after that, a summary of the line as I see it.
   
1850 Calhoun MI
H. 39 NY
L. 32 NY
H. 15 MI
L. 8 MI
Henry 6 MI
R. 3 MI
Hiram 3/12 MI
1856 IOWA
Hiram 44
Lucy 37
H 16
L 14
H 10
R 8
1860 Benton IA
Hiram 50 NY
Lucy 43 NY


Henry W. 15 MI
Ruba 11 MI

Sarah Russel 4 IA
1870 Taylor IA
Hiram 59 NY
Lucy 53 NY


H. W. 25 MI
Rhuben 22 MI

Sarah 14 MI
Eva 18 IA
Holst List
Hiram 1811
Lucy 1817
Harlow 1840
Lucy 1840
Henry W. 1844
Ruben 1847
Hiram 1850
Sarah 1851
Eva 1852
Alice 1852
   
One of the things most clearly seen in this side by side listing concerns the position, birth and ages of the last three children entered for Hiram and Lucy on Holst's original list. It is certainly possible that Lucy bore three children within such a short period of time, but I was very sceptical, especially in view of the census data. The original list of children shows Sarah born in 1851, Eva in 1852, and Alice in October 1852. There is no census listing for Alice; one would not expect it, since she was born and died between censuses. Her name and dates must have been found in some other source by Ms. Holst.
   
Eva appears ONLY in 1870 as a girl of 18. In 1870, therefore, she would have been 8. Where is she in the census of 1860? She is NOT living with her "parents." It is my opinion that "Eva" is actually Frances Evelyn Brown, the wife of Henry Waterloo. Everything fits; Evelyn was born 12/1/1851 in Iowa; she and Henry were married January 2, 1870; this census was taken in August 1870. Henry and Frances Evelyn stayed with his parents for a time before setting up their own household. Eva is indeed a Fay, but by marriage and not by birth. The 1885 Nebraska State census actually lists her as "F. Eva Fay." As noted above, Karen also seems to have come to this conclusion.
   
The second question is about Sarah Russel. She appears in 1860 and 1870; she was born not in 1851 (Holst) but in 1856, according to the census. She is listed as a Fay in 1870. In 1860, the listing is questionable. There is no ditto mark to indicate that she is a Fay. The normal conclusion would be that she was a Russel. If she was 4 in 1860, she would have been born in 1856, the year of the state census. There is no entry for Sarah with the family in 1856. There IS, however, an entry for a Sarah Russel, the 1 year old daughter of Thomas and Catherine Russel. Thomas and Catherine are still in Iowa in 1860; Sarah is there, and a baby brother. This census was taken on July 10. On August 1st, Sarah is with the Fays and her brother, William F. Russel, is staying with John and Ester Bradford, a very short distance from Sarah and the Fays. I think that something happened to the parents between July 10 and August 1, and the children were placed with other families. Sarah seems to have been either officially adopted, or more probably, cared for as their own, by the Fays. When she married, she was married under the name Sarah A. Russel.
   
   
Descendants of Hiram Fay and Lucy Chapin
Contributed and Researched
   
2  Hiram Clement Fay  b: 3/20/1838  d: 3/26/1846
    --from Karen Holst--
2  Harlow Lawrence Fay  b: 4/20/1840  d: 11/8/1857
    --Karen has his middle name as 'Lucene'--
2  Lucy Jane Fay  b: 8/1/1842  d: 4/18/1919
...+William Postlewait  b: 1829
......3  Lucy L. Postelwait  b: 1859  d: before 1870
......3  William Postlewait  b: 1862
......3  William O. Postlethwaite  b: 8/1861
.......  +Elsie F.  b: 4/1860
............4  Gilbert Garwood Postlethwaite  b: 4/5/1885
............4  Myrtle Postlethwaite  b: 1/1889
............4  Ross Clifford Postlethwaite  b: 10/23/1890
............4  Glenn Darrel Postlethwaite  b: 9/17/1897
............4  Forrest Postlethwaite  b: 10/1899
............4  Hazel Postlethwaite  b: 1903
............4  Richard A. Postlethwaite  b: 1905
...+John Sisco  b: 1834
......3  Nellie Sisco  b: 1867
......3  Lucy Sisco  b: 1870
......3  Hattie Sisco  b: 1872
......3  John Sisco  b: 1874
......3  Harry Sisco  b: 1878
......3  Julia Sisco  b: 1880
......3  Ira Sisco  b: 7/1881
......3  Richard Sisco  b: 8/1885
    Lucy was married twice. Her first husband was William Postlewait (this family name is spelled in many different ways). William fought in the Civil War, and was mustered out in July 1865. Then he and Lucy seem to have been divorced. Their daughter must have died, while their son William went with Lucy. Both William and Lucy remarried within a very short time. Lucy married John Sisco (his name is given as James by York County and Karen, but all the census records list him as "John.")
2  Henry Waterloo Fay  b: 10/5/1844 in MI  d: 1/10/1935 in NE
...+Francis Evelyn Brown b: 12/1/1851 in IA m: 1/2/1870 d: 5/10/1945
......3  Hiram W. Fay  b: 12/1871 in IA  d: 1938
.......  +Bessie M. Shuler  b: 1877
............4  Opal M. Fay  b: 1905 in NE
............4  Willard Hiram Fay  b: 1907 in OK
............4  Charlotte J. Fay  b: 1911 in OK
.............  +[] Rule
......3  Eugene Fay  b: 1872 in NE  d: in infancy
......3  Cora E. Fay  b: 3/2/1873  d: 11/12/1960 in NE
.......  +Leroy Levi Perrine  b: 12/17/1877  d: 11/11/1926
......3  Henry Arthur Fay  b: 6/1/1879 in NE  d: 11/15/1922
......3  Clark Dewitt Fay  b: 11/10/1881 in NE  d: 3/15/1942
.......  +Edith Lenore Laird  b: 10/12/1881  m: 1919  d: 1951 or 1955
............4  Clark Donald Fay  b: 2/11/1920 in NE  d: 1/25/1991
.............  +Virginia Svitak  b: 2/5/1939  m: 12/27/1964
..................5  Denise Fay  b: 3/5/1973  d: 3/27/1973
............4  Leroy Perrine Fay  b: 1925 in NE
.............  +Estelle Bustamante  m: 1957
..................5  Bruce Erik Fay  b: 1961
..................5  Robert Roy Fay  b: 1964
......3  Maude M. Fay  b: 10/1883 in NE
.......  +Philip Orrin Ferree  b: 3/5/1879
............4  Gaynelle Ferree  b: 1912
......3  Gaynelle R. Fay  b: 6/10/1888 in NE  d: 9/3/1969
......3  Allen Eugene Fay  b: 6/3/1890 in NE  d: 1/1973
.......  +Bessie B.
............4  Dorothy J. Fay  b: 1920 in NE
............4  Betty A. Fay  b: 1922 in NE
............4  Marilyn F. Fay  b: 1928 in NE
......3  Leonora Fay  (died at the age of 4)
......3  Cornelius Fay  (died in infancy)
    sources: information from Erik Fay; census records; Holst; York County
2  Reuben Alonzo Fay  b: 11/6/1847 in MI  d: 3/5/1926 in OR
...+Laura Elizabeth  b: 7/31/1850 in MI  d: 2/17/1936 in OR
......3  Evinda R. Fay  b: 8/16/1876 in NE  d: 11/15/1971 in OR
.......  +William Peter Palmer  b: 4/24/1875  d: 10/12/1938
............4  Ruth A. Palmer  b: 1906 in OR
............4  Fay (Didofay) Palmer  b: 1908 in OR
......3  Alice Laura Fay  b: 2/24/1878 in NE  d: 2/12/1941 in OR
.......  +Peter Nels Nelson  b: 11/30/1877  m: 6/30/1909  d: 12/7/1967
............4  Laura Alice Nelson  b: 9/17/1911 in OR  d: 1/9/1989
.............  +Earl Herman Holst  b: 4/26/1910  d: 4/29/1972
..................5  Earl Byron Holst  b: 1/16/1838
...................  +Arden Cole  b: 9/24/1941  m: 4/10/1965
..................5  Edward James Holst  b: 8/3/1942
...................  +Cheryl Louise Murray  m: 3/1963
............4  Byron Nelson  b: 12/1/1917 in OR  d: 9/13/1993
.............  +Helen May Allen 
..................5  Carole Sue Nelson
..................5  Alice Ann Nelson
......3  Ethel C. Fay  b: 2/3/1881 in NE  d: 7/13/1958
......3  Bessie J. Fay  b: 8/11/1885 in NE  d: 9/10/1967
.......  +Robert Kelly
		--source: Holst.  I haven't been able to confirm.
......3  Ruth Fay  b: 3/27/1893 in OR  d: 6/20/1972 in OR
.......  +Charles Elliott Benton  b: 4/10/1887  m: 1915  d: 1/6/1965
............4  Kenneth C. Benton  b: 1916 in OR
............4  Audrey R. Benton  b: 1918 in OR
............4  Gerald C. Benton  b: 1921 in OR
......3  Cubert Fay  b: 1/12/1896 in OR  d: 5/2/1968 in OR
		--Cubert was never married.
2  Hiram Claudius Fay  b: 1850  d: 1850
2  Sarah Russel Fay [adopted]  b: 1/1856 in IA
...+William B. Chattin  b: 4/1839
......3  Mary S. Chattin  b: 1879
......3  Charles Howard Chattin  b: 4/11/1883
......3  Ethel B. Chattin  b: 7/1885
......3  William Foster Chattin  b: 12/27/1887
......3  Violet L. Chattin  b: 5/1893
2  Alice Isadore Fay  b: 10/6/1852 in IA  d: 9/30/1853