Ada-Caribou-Bingham County ID Archives Biographies.....Hays, Gertrude Lindsey 1867 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/id/idfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 January 10, 2012, 11:44 pm Source: See below Author: S. J. Clarke, Publisher MRS. GERTRUDE LINDSEY HAYS, of Boise, was born near Pittsfield, Illinois, February 20, 1867, and is a daughter of James C. and Samantha Elizabeth (Smith) Lindsey. The family removed to Pittsfield when Mrs. Hays was ten years of age and there she attended the public schools until graduated from the high school in 1885. She was afterward a pupil in summer normal schools and in the spring of 1886 taught at Detroit, Michigan. In December of the same year she came to Idaho and was a teacher at Soda Springs until the following June, while in the winter of 1886-7 she taught in Blackfoot, Idaho. On the 1st of March, 1887, Gertrude Lindsey became the wife of Samuel Hubbard Hays and has since lived in Boise. She has become the mother of six children: James Buchanan, born April 30, 1888; Samuel Lindsey, who was born January 17, 1890, and died June 6, 1890; Elizabeth, born August 31, 1892; Samuel Dent, April 8, 1894; Gertrude and Permelia, twins, born September 7, 1895. The eldest son married Louise Sebree, of Caldwell, Idaho, in September, 1913. Elizabeth became the wife of Leon M. Decker, of Lincoln, Nebraska, on the 15th of November, 1916. Samuel Dent married Anna Gertrude Denecke, of Richfield, Idaho, September 7, 1918. He is a veteran of the World war, in which he served with the rank of first lieutenant. Mrs. Hays has been very prominent in connection with the work of the women's clubs and with many civic and political interests as well. She is an associate member of the Young Woman's Christian Association and belongs to the Tuesday Musical Club, the Saturday Fortnightly Club and the Boise Columbian Club, of which she was the fourth president, filling the office for two terms or from 1898 until 1900. While president she attended the fifth biennial convention of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, held in Milwaukee in 1900, also the biennial at Los Angeles, California, in 1902, at St. Louis in 1904 and at San Francisco in 1912. She served as chairman of the General Federation Committee for Idaho from 1900 until 1902 and was a director of the General Federation of Women's Clubs from 1902 until 1904, while from 1910 until 1912 she served on the membership committee of the same organization. She was elected a member of the Pioneer Members of the General Federation of Women's Clubs in 1912. During her presidency of the Columbian Club the first ten traveling library cases were collected and started on their beneficent way over the state. They were afterward turned over to the state and a State Traveling Library Commission created, of which Governor Hunt named her a member. Mrs. Hays also assisted in organizing the first District Federation of Clubs in the state at Mountain Home in 1900, this being called the District Federation of the Second District. She also attended the organization meeting of the State Federation. In May, 1906, Governor Gooding appointed Mrs. Hays to fill out an unexpired term of a year and a half as regent of the University of Idaho, on the expiration of which period she was appointed for the full term of six years, so that she served altogether for seven and a half years as regent. Mrs. Hays was a member of the nominating convention of the democratic party of the state which met at Pocatello in 1905 and there she seconded the nomination of F. W. Hunt for governor, being the first woman to break the trail for such an occasion. When America entered the World war she was appointed through the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense at Washington, D. C., temporary chairman to call the women of Idaho together. She was afterward elected state chairman and served throughout the war. She was also appointed by Governor Alexander as a member of the State Council of Defense and served on the executive committee throughout the war period. She was on the executive board of the State Food Administration, also of the War Savings Stamp board. She served on the Home Service Section of the Red Cross executive committee and the Woman's Liberty Loan Committee for Idaho and she is now a member of the board of the Ada County Public Health Nurses Association. Additional Comments: Extracted from: IDAHO DELUXE SUPPLEMENT CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1920 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/id/ada/bios/hays34gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/idfiles/ File size: 4.9 Kb