Merle Calvin "Chick" Hayes was born on his parents farm in Morrisionville, IL where he lived with his parents and 3 brothers Orville, Scott, and Dale. They moved to a farm in Butler township c.1906 where his youngest brother, John Robert, was born in 1907. Calvin Hayes, Merle's grandfather, also lived with the family until his death in 1914. He went to Ware's Grove school and finished at Hillsboro High School. While he went to high school in Hillsboro he supported himself by working as a bellboy at the Hillsboro Hotel. His main job as he described it was 'running back and forth between the trains that brought many traveling salesman to the growing town and carrying their suitcases back and forth between the hotel and the station'. When he wasn't in school, carrying suitcases, or working on the family farm he spent time with friends and became acquainted with his future wife, Ruth Brookman. They were married on May 16th, 1917.
Merle and Ruth set up housekeeping in Clara Brookman's home on Helston Place in Hillsboro while Merle worked at the Penwell Klar department store. That same year they moved from Hillsboro to the small but original farmhouse built by Alexander Gray on what was now Alexander's son, William A, Gray's, farm in Butler Township. Their first child, Janis Lorraine, was born there on June 2nd, 1918. They continued to live in Butler Township until 1924 when they relocated to Decatur Illinois. During this time they had two more daughters. Dorcas Ann who was born on January 4th, 1920 and died with factor RH- on January 12th, and a third daughter, also called Dorcas Anne and my mother, who was born on July 11th, 1923 at Hillsboro Hospital.
The move to Decatur enabled Merle and his brother Orville, who already lived in Decatur, to work together. Their efforts turned into the family business known as Hayes Hatcheries which eventually included all five Hayes brothers. This business lasted until the middle 1930's when each brother took ownership of his own part. Merle and his family lived in Decatur until 1926 after which time they moved to Pana, Illinois where he owned, operated, and prospered as the owner of Hayes Hatchery Leader Chicks for the next 30 years. Meantime Ruth kept her meticulous home and raised their daughters.
Although he retired from the hatchery business c.1950 Chick was never retired. He started building the first he owned, paying for it outright. The story which came down to me from my dad was that Chick would never own a home unless he paid cash for it. This resulted from what he saw happen to so many people who lost their homes during the Depression of the 1930's. The home was too large and after a few years Ruth tired of caring for it. They sold the home and moved to Mattoon, IL where he started another business. This was called Toy World and was a never ending source of delight for his grandchildren. He spent part of his time building toy chests in the store's back room while Ruth watched the front. He successfully sold his handcrafted chests in the toy store.
He sold the toy business in the early 1960's and opened an antique store in Shelbyville, IL. He and Ruth built their second home there. He spent his time filling the store with antiques which he purchased at estate auctions in towns and farms raging from Shelbyville to Hillsboro. He relished his participation in auctions and had a great eye for quality goods. He also delighted in purchasing "junk" boxes for $0.25 which were filled with all kinds of odds and ends and where he found various treasures. When he sold this venture in the mid 1960's they sold their home and moved to Sarasota, FL. They spent their winters there and the rest of the time they lived in our family home in Pana. This was during the time my mother went back to college full time in the summers and one or two evenings during the week. Now my grandfather opened a framing shop in downtown Pana and my grandmother helped take care of the home and watched over me, the last child remaining at home. When this duty was done they sold their home in Sarasota and lived in their own home in Pana. After Ruth died in 1976, Merle lived with my parents in until his death.
Besides for his entrepreneurial and woodworking/carpentry skills he was well known for the large vegetable gardens whose produce he loved to share with his many friends. He was a golfer and regularly played cards with friends, his contemporaries and the movers and shakers of the bustling Pana business district in the 1930's and 40's. He was kind and generous to a fault, happy, joking, and could easily be located by the sound of his whistling. He was religious walker and did so well into his late 80's. He is loved and missed by those of us who are left behind.
written by grandson FJE
Decatur, IL Herald-Review, 27 Jul 1990
PANA — M.C. "Chick" Hayes, 94, Pana, died Thursday (July 26, 1990). Survivors: daughters, Janis Naney, Decatur; Mrs. Fran (Dorcas) Endris, Pana.
Services: 10 a.m. Saturday, McCracken Funeral Home, Pana. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Burial: Rosemond Grove Cemetery, Rosamond. Memorials: First United Presbyterian Church.
Merle and Ruth set up housekeeping in Clara Brookman's home on Helston Place in Hillsboro while Merle worked at the Penwell Klar department store. That same year they moved from Hillsboro to the small but original farmhouse built by Alexander Gray on what was now Alexander's son, William A, Gray's, farm in Butler Township. Their first child, Janis Lorraine, was born there on June 2nd, 1918. They continued to live in Butler Township until 1924 when they relocated to Decatur Illinois. During this time they had two more daughters. Dorcas Ann who was born on January 4th, 1920 and died with factor RH- on January 12th, and a third daughter, also called Dorcas Anne and my mother, who was born on July 11th, 1923 at Hillsboro Hospital.
The move to Decatur enabled Merle and his brother Orville, who already lived in Decatur, to work together. Their efforts turned into the family business known as Hayes Hatcheries which eventually included all five Hayes brothers. This business lasted until the middle 1930's when each brother took ownership of his own part. Merle and his family lived in Decatur until 1926 after which time they moved to Pana, Illinois where he owned, operated, and prospered as the owner of Hayes Hatchery Leader Chicks for the next 30 years. Meantime Ruth kept her meticulous home and raised their daughters.
Although he retired from the hatchery business c.1950 Chick was never retired. He started building the first he owned, paying for it outright. The story which came down to me from my dad was that Chick would never own a home unless he paid cash for it. This resulted from what he saw happen to so many people who lost their homes during the Depression of the 1930's. The home was too large and after a few years Ruth tired of caring for it. They sold the home and moved to Mattoon, IL where he started another business. This was called Toy World and was a never ending source of delight for his grandchildren. He spent part of his time building toy chests in the store's back room while Ruth watched the front. He successfully sold his handcrafted chests in the toy store.
He sold the toy business in the early 1960's and opened an antique store in Shelbyville, IL. He and Ruth built their second home there. He spent his time filling the store with antiques which he purchased at estate auctions in towns and farms raging from Shelbyville to Hillsboro. He relished his participation in auctions and had a great eye for quality goods. He also delighted in purchasing "junk" boxes for $0.25 which were filled with all kinds of odds and ends and where he found various treasures. When he sold this venture in the mid 1960's they sold their home and moved to Sarasota, FL. They spent their winters there and the rest of the time they lived in our family home in Pana. This was during the time my mother went back to college full time in the summers and one or two evenings during the week. Now my grandfather opened a framing shop in downtown Pana and my grandmother helped take care of the home and watched over me, the last child remaining at home. When this duty was done they sold their home in Sarasota and lived in their own home in Pana. After Ruth died in 1976, Merle lived with my parents in until his death.
Besides for his entrepreneurial and woodworking/carpentry skills he was well known for the large vegetable gardens whose produce he loved to share with his many friends. He was a golfer and regularly played cards with friends, his contemporaries and the movers and shakers of the bustling Pana business district in the 1930's and 40's. He was kind and generous to a fault, happy, joking, and could easily be located by the sound of his whistling. He was religious walker and did so well into his late 80's. He is loved and missed by those of us who are left behind.
written by grandson FJE
Decatur, IL Herald-Review, 27 Jul 1990
PANA — M.C. "Chick" Hayes, 94, Pana, died Thursday (July 26, 1990). Survivors: daughters, Janis Naney, Decatur; Mrs. Fran (Dorcas) Endris, Pana.
Services: 10 a.m. Saturday, McCracken Funeral Home, Pana. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Burial: Rosemond Grove Cemetery, Rosamond. Memorials: First United Presbyterian Church.
Merle Calvin "Chick" Hayes was born on his parents farm in Morrisionville, IL where he lived with his parents and 3 brothers Orville, Scott, and Dale. They moved to a farm in Butler township c.1906 where his youngest brother, John Robert, was born in 1907. Calvin Hayes, Merle's grandfather, also lived with the family until his death in 1914. He went to Ware's Grove school and finished at Hillsboro High School. While he went to high school in Hillsboro he supported himself by working as a bellboy at the Hillsboro Hotel. His main job as he described it was 'running back and forth between the trains that brought many traveling salesman to the growing town and carrying their suitcases back and forth between the hotel and the station'. When he wasn't in school, carrying suitcases, or working on the family farm he spent time with friends and became acquainted with his future wife, Ruth Brookman. They were married on May 16th, 1917.
Merle and Ruth set up housekeeping in Clara Brookman's home on Helston Place in Hillsboro while Merle worked at the Penwell Klar department store. That same year they moved from Hillsboro to the small but original farmhouse built by Alexander Gray on what was now Alexander's son, William A, Gray's, farm in Butler Township. Their first child, Janis Lorraine, was born there on June 2nd, 1918. They continued to live in Butler Township until 1924 when they relocated to Decatur Illinois. During this time they had two more daughters. Dorcas Ann who was born on January 4th, 1920 and died with factor RH- on January 12th, and a third daughter, also called Dorcas Anne and my mother, who was born on July 11th, 1923 at Hillsboro Hospital.
The move to Decatur enabled Merle and his brother Orville, who already lived in Decatur, to work together. Their efforts turned into the family business known as Hayes Hatcheries which eventually included all five Hayes brothers. This business lasted until the middle 1930's when each brother took ownership of his own part. Merle and his family lived in Decatur until 1926 after which time they moved to Pana, Illinois where he owned, operated, and prospered as the owner of Hayes Hatchery Leader Chicks for the next 30 years. Meantime Ruth kept her meticulous home and raised their daughters.
Although he retired from the hatchery business c.1950 Chick was never retired. He started building the first he owned, paying for it outright. The story which came down to me from my dad was that Chick would never own a home unless he paid cash for it. This resulted from what he saw happen to so many people who lost their homes during the Depression of the 1930's. The home was too large and after a few years Ruth tired of caring for it. They sold the home and moved to Mattoon, IL where he started another business. This was called Toy World and was a never ending source of delight for his grandchildren. He spent part of his time building toy chests in the store's back room while Ruth watched the front. He successfully sold his handcrafted chests in the toy store.
He sold the toy business in the early 1960's and opened an antique store in Shelbyville, IL. He and Ruth built their second home there. He spent his time filling the store with antiques which he purchased at estate auctions in towns and farms raging from Shelbyville to Hillsboro. He relished his participation in auctions and had a great eye for quality goods. He also delighted in purchasing "junk" boxes for $0.25 which were filled with all kinds of odds and ends and where he found various treasures. When he sold this venture in the mid 1960's they sold their home and moved to Sarasota, FL. They spent their winters there and the rest of the time they lived in our family home in Pana. This was during the time my mother went back to college full time in the summers and one or two evenings during the week. Now my grandfather opened a framing shop in downtown Pana and my grandmother helped take care of the home and watched over me, the last child remaining at home. When this duty was done they sold their home in Sarasota and lived in their own home in Pana. After Ruth died in 1976, Merle lived with my parents in until his death.
Besides for his entrepreneurial and woodworking/carpentry skills he was well known for the large vegetable gardens whose produce he loved to share with his many friends. He was a golfer and regularly played cards with friends, his contemporaries and the movers and shakers of the bustling Pana business district in the 1930's and 40's. He was kind and generous to a fault, happy, joking, and could easily be located by the sound of his whistling. He was religious walker and did so well into his late 80's. He is loved and missed by those of us who are left behind.
written by grandson FJE
Decatur, IL Herald-Review, 27 Jul 1990
PANA — M.C. "Chick" Hayes, 94, Pana, died Thursday (July 26, 1990). Survivors: daughters, Janis Naney, Decatur; Mrs. Fran (Dorcas) Endris, Pana.
Services: 10 a.m. Saturday, McCracken Funeral Home, Pana. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Burial: Rosemond Grove Cemetery, Rosamond. Memorials: First United Presbyterian Church.
Merle and Ruth set up housekeeping in Clara Brookman's home on Helston Place in Hillsboro while Merle worked at the Penwell Klar department store. That same year they moved from Hillsboro to the small but original farmhouse built by Alexander Gray on what was now Alexander's son, William A, Gray's, farm in Butler Township. Their first child, Janis Lorraine, was born there on June 2nd, 1918. They continued to live in Butler Township until 1924 when they relocated to Decatur Illinois. During this time they had two more daughters. Dorcas Ann who was born on January 4th, 1920 and died with factor RH- on January 12th, and a third daughter, also called Dorcas Anne and my mother, who was born on July 11th, 1923 at Hillsboro Hospital.
The move to Decatur enabled Merle and his brother Orville, who already lived in Decatur, to work together. Their efforts turned into the family business known as Hayes Hatcheries which eventually included all five Hayes brothers. This business lasted until the middle 1930's when each brother took ownership of his own part. Merle and his family lived in Decatur until 1926 after which time they moved to Pana, Illinois where he owned, operated, and prospered as the owner of Hayes Hatchery Leader Chicks for the next 30 years. Meantime Ruth kept her meticulous home and raised their daughters.
Although he retired from the hatchery business c.1950 Chick was never retired. He started building the first he owned, paying for it outright. The story which came down to me from my dad was that Chick would never own a home unless he paid cash for it. This resulted from what he saw happen to so many people who lost their homes during the Depression of the 1930's. The home was too large and after a few years Ruth tired of caring for it. They sold the home and moved to Mattoon, IL where he started another business. This was called Toy World and was a never ending source of delight for his grandchildren. He spent part of his time building toy chests in the store's back room while Ruth watched the front. He successfully sold his handcrafted chests in the toy store.
He sold the toy business in the early 1960's and opened an antique store in Shelbyville, IL. He and Ruth built their second home there. He spent his time filling the store with antiques which he purchased at estate auctions in towns and farms raging from Shelbyville to Hillsboro. He relished his participation in auctions and had a great eye for quality goods. He also delighted in purchasing "junk" boxes for $0.25 which were filled with all kinds of odds and ends and where he found various treasures. When he sold this venture in the mid 1960's they sold their home and moved to Sarasota, FL. They spent their winters there and the rest of the time they lived in our family home in Pana. This was during the time my mother went back to college full time in the summers and one or two evenings during the week. Now my grandfather opened a framing shop in downtown Pana and my grandmother helped take care of the home and watched over me, the last child remaining at home. When this duty was done they sold their home in Sarasota and lived in their own home in Pana. After Ruth died in 1976, Merle lived with my parents in until his death.
Besides for his entrepreneurial and woodworking/carpentry skills he was well known for the large vegetable gardens whose produce he loved to share with his many friends. He was a golfer and regularly played cards with friends, his contemporaries and the movers and shakers of the bustling Pana business district in the 1930's and 40's. He was kind and generous to a fault, happy, joking, and could easily be located by the sound of his whistling. He was religious walker and did so well into his late 80's. He is loved and missed by those of us who are left behind.
written by grandson FJE
Decatur, IL Herald-Review, 27 Jul 1990
PANA — M.C. "Chick" Hayes, 94, Pana, died Thursday (July 26, 1990). Survivors: daughters, Janis Naney, Decatur; Mrs. Fran (Dorcas) Endris, Pana.
Services: 10 a.m. Saturday, McCracken Funeral Home, Pana. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Burial: Rosemond Grove Cemetery, Rosamond. Memorials: First United Presbyterian Church.
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