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William & Mary Haymaker c. 1865

Descendants of William Newlin Haymaker (1822-1904)

William N. Haymaker was born in Franklin Township (Westmoreland County, Pa.), and as a young man moved to Patton Township where he met and married Mary Simpson, daughter of John and Sarah (McCullough) Simpson. He moved with his new bride into a log cabin on a piece of property owned by Matthew Simpson, Mrs. Haymaker’s grandfather, bordering what is now Haymaker Road. (The restored log house still may be seen at its original location).

The Haymakers were to have eight children (Joseph, Anna, Virginia, Seward, John Carothers, Ida, William, and Laura) one of whom, John C. Haymaker, became a prominent judge in Patton Township, and in 1887 was appointed an assistant district attorney in Pittsburgh.

William Haymaker became a respected and active member of the Cross Roads Presbyterian Church, and, in 1854, he was among the attendees at the first national meeting of the Republican Party in Jackson, Michigan.

In August 1861, William Haymaker and his brothers, Michael and John, joined Company A of the 63rd Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers. Haymaker was mustered as a private, but was soon promoted to second lieutenant, and later Captain. In March 1862, he was promoted to quartermaster of the entire regiment.  His letters home reflect his patriotism, his concern for his farm, his family and his neighbors including the Bradleys,  McClellands, Abers, Tilbrooks, and Maxwells.  He regularly asked his wife Mary about farm affairs and for news of his children:

“…is Joseph going to school in East Liberty?  If he does, go see that he behaves himself and if he doesn’t conduct himself properly and pay attention to his studys (sic.) fetch him home. I would rather see him follow the plow with a good character then be at the head of the Pittsburgh Bar with a stain on his character…”

 Haymaker was wounded at the Battle of Fair Oaks, Virginia in May 1862 -- a battle that also cost the lives of many in the regiment including his Monroeville neighbors James Maxwell and Robert John Linton.  The 63rd's final battles were centered on the city of Petersburg; they remained engaged until the expiration of their term of enlistment in August 1864, when William Haymaker returned home to the family farm. 

After the war William Haymaker continued to be actively involved in his community, farming his land while filling various town offices including serving as the local justice of the peace for two terms.  Eventually, he moved to nearby Turtle Creek, where he resided until his death in 1904. William and Mary Haymaker are buried in the Cross Roads Cemetery in Monroeville, Pa.

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Sources:
19^th Century Genealogical and personal histories of the Greater Monroeville area, unpublished paper. Paul Damon, 1986. Archives of the Monroeville Historical Society. 
Guide to the Papers of William N. Haymaker (1861-1886).  Archives of The Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (1889) Chicago: A. Warner & Company.