George Hayward

George Hayward

March 1816 - 15 October 1891

George Hayward was the father of Mildred Isabel Hayward. Hayward was born c1815. According to the transcript from the Register of Deaths kept in the Springport Town Hall, he was born in Delaware County, New York, and his father was also named George Hayward. Alternate spellings of the surname in various sources include Haywood, Harwood, Heywood, Heyward, and Howard. His mother's maiden name is not known.

Hayward is said to have been a canal boatman. The transcript from the Register of Deaths lists his name as George Haywood, and his occupation as Boatman. A Muster Roll from 1863 lists his occupation as Farmer.

According to the Civil War record on file at the Cayuga County Historian's office in Auburn, NY, George Hayward was married to Rebecca Flin. The death record of his daughter, Alice Hayward Yawger, however, lists her mother's name as Mary Flynn. Still other sources name her as Joan or Aurora, and the surname is alternately spelled Flynn, Flyn, Flinn or Flin.

In the 1860 census for Union Springs, NY, visitation number 207 lists George Hayward, 44, Civil War. Living next door with the William Hathorn family is Netta Hayward, aged 16, "domestic help." That same year Torfosia Hayward, 13, "attends school," is living with the Andrew Laird family; and Amelia Hayward, 8, is with the Edward A. Waldron family. It may be surmised that these are George Hayward's daughters Nettie Hayward, Alice Triphosa Hayward and Mildred Isabel Hayward.

Hayward enlisted as a private in Company G, 19th Infantry at Springport, NY on 9 May 1861. He was discharged on 22 May 1863, but reenlisted on 2 September 1863 in Albany, NY. In the military Muster Rolls, both the Haywood and the Hayward spellings can be found for this man. In the "Muster and Descriptive Roll of U. S. Vols." dated 30 September 1863, Hayward is described as 5'8" tall, with dark eyes, black hair, and a dark complexion. His birthplace is listed as Caledonia, NY (which is in Livingston County).

The 1870 census for Union Springs, NY lists George Hayward, 53, Botman. In that same year the family Bible originally belonging to Benjamin Gabriel Soules and Mildred Isabel Hayward Soules names George Hayward as a witness to their marriage on 28 November in Union Springs.

Hayward appears in the Bicentennial History of Springport and Union Springs, New York with Illustrations (c1976) on page 153 under the heading: "Troops Furnished to the United States by Union Springs and Springport in the War of the Rebellion." He was a private in Batteries G and K in the 3rd New York Light Artillery. It is possible that the George Harwood listed on page 149 with the "Residents of Springport in Company K" is the same individual. George Harwood is also on the list of Civil War Soldiers for the Town of Springport (written in 1865).

George Hayward was honorably discharged at Richmond, VA on 30 June 1865. Following his discharge, he petitioned for a pension from the War Department as an invalid. Documents pertaining to his petition, including a Certificate of Family Physician, Dr. Benjamin A. Fordyce, are on file at the National Archives in Washington, D. C. The date filed is given as 16 August 1872.

George Hayward died of pneumonia at the age of 76 on 15 October 1891 in Union Springs, NY. He is buried in Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Lot 253, Section 1. On 22 October the Union Springs Advertiser carried the following notice of his death: "in the Village of Union Springs on Thursday, 10-15-1891 George Hayward aged 76 years, a soldier in the war for the Union."

A petition to the Surrogate's Court of the County of Cayuga dated 3 November 1894 lists the following as George Hayward's next of kin at the time of his death: Mrs. Nettie H. DeHart, daughter, of New Brunswick, NJ; Mrs. Alice T. Hawyard Yawger, daughter, of Battle Creek MI; George W. Hayward, son, of Richmond, TX; Mrs. Millie Soules, daughter, of Petrolia, PA; and Miss Luvie Hayward Stiles "who did reside in the state of California but whether said Luvie Hayward Stiles is now living is unknown." According to the petition, Hayward left no widow. The transcript from the Register of Deaths, however, lists him as married, not widowed. Family tradition has it that he was divorced.

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