Henry Blake Hays (1829–1881) was a leader of the coal industry in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Henry Blake Hays
Born(1829-08-12)August 12, 1829
DiedAugust 10, 1881(1881-08-10) (aged 51) Hays Station, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Resting placeAllegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)Cavalry captain, railroad operator
Years active
  • Diplomat: 1850-1857
  • Military: 1861-1864
  • Railroads: 1857-1881
Spouse
Mary Howard
(m. 1869)
Children2
ParentJames Harden Hays (father)
Military career
Allegiance
RankCavalry captain

Early life

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He was born August 12, 1829, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, the son of James H. Hays and Mary Cready.[1]

Military career

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He served as a captain in the 6th U.S. Cavalry during the Civil War from 1861 to his resignation in 1864.[1]

Industrial career

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As the son of James H. Hays, he helped run the family coal mines.[2] He operated the H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad, a narrow gauge coal railroad with branches that ran along Becks Run and Streets Run. He was a director of the Pittsburgh, Virginia and Charleston Railway.[3]

He married Mary Howard in Pittsburgh on November 17, 1869, and they had two children.[1]

He died at his home in Allegheny County on August 10, 1881.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XVI. James T. White & Company. 1918. p. 347. Retrieved December 12, 2020 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Krause, Paul (1992). "Labor Reform in Pittsburgh". The Battle for Homestead, 1880-1892: Politics, Culture, and Steel (book). Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 148. ISBN 9780822954668.
  3. ^ Pennsylvania Office of the Auditor General, Pennsylvania Bureau of Railways (1876). Annual Report of the Auditor General of the State of Pennsylvania and of the Tabulations and Deductions from the Reports of the Railroad, Canal, & Telegraph Companies for the Year 1874 (digitized book). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B.F. Meyers. p. 595.