James Stark Hay, Part 1

James Stark Hay was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania to Samuel Hay and Julia Mock (I am attempting to confirm this with better documentation than I currently have.)  He was born February 22, 1850 in Wilksbarrel, Luzerne Co, Pennsylvania.

Samuel Hay died around 1850, so James would not have known his father.  James's mother Julia never remarried after the death of her husband (as far as I can tell) and she died prior 1870 (see below.)

The 1860 census states that James was 12 years old.  This would be incorrect if he was born in 1850.  I believe the information is incorrect, since the ages of others in this family are also incorrect when compared to the 1850 census.

According to Pennsylvania, Prison, Reformatory, and Workhouse Records, 1829-1971 (ancestry), on September 7, 1867 James was convicted of Larceny and sent to Pennsylvania's Eastern State prison for a year.   James' parents were both deceased by the time he was sent to prison.

Pennsylvania, Prison, Reformatory, and Workhouse Records, 1829-1971

The record states that James was "occasionally intemperate."  I imagine prison life in 1867 was tough and his "intemperate" behavior was not unusual.  See my post on Eastern Pennsylvania State Prison.