| Abstract: |
Joseph Hays (1838-1916) was the son of Abraham and Bertha Hexter Hays of Storndorf, in the German state of Hesse Darmstadt.
After Joseph's mother died in 1844, he and other family members immigrated to Cleveland, Ohio, Abraham and Joseph arriving
in 1856. Joseph Hays started as a peddler and eventually became involved in the clothing, scrap iron, and real estate business.
He married Rosetta Schwarzenberg, and had five children. His daughter, Bertha, married Charles Eisenman, co-founder of Kastriner
and Eisenman, later Kaynee Company, a clothing manufacturer. Eisenman was also a founder and first president of the Federation
of Jewish Charities (later known as the Jewish Community Federation). Joseph Hays' sons, Louis and Eugene Hays, later purchased
Kaynee Company from Eisenman. Louis Hays, who had served as a vice president and trustee of Mt. Sinai Hospital, was president
of Kaynee at the time of his death in 1918. His son, Robert, was president of Kaynee from 1937 until 1954, when the company
was sold. Robert Hays was also a founding member of Suburban Temple. Louis Hays' wife, Jessie Seligman Feiss, was the niece
and adopted daughter of Julius Feiss, owner of Joseph and Feiss Company, which manufactured clothing. His son, Paul Louis
Feiss, served as chairman of the company, beginning in 1925. He was also a founder and first president of Mt. Sinai Hospital.
The collection consists of correspondence, legal documents, an autobiography, a family history, speeches, genealogies, and
miscellaneous materials.
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