EV. JOHN HAYES was born in North Carolina, March 27, 1767, and died August 4, 1840, aged seventy-three years. It is said that he was converted and commenced preaching among the Methodists: that he was present at the Methodist Conference when O'Kelly and others objected to the system of Episcopacy, and was one of the members that withdrew from that body. However, it is stated by those with personal knowledge that he withdrew from the Baptists with Rev. Richard Gunter. We credit the latter, though at first he labored with O'Kelly.

      In 1807, he attended the General Meeting or Conference, held at Raleigh, North Carolina, commencing on Friday, October 22nd. Rev. M. Debruler and the sixteen year old boy, Joseph Thomas, who was expecting to be made a preacher, stopped with him on their way to this Conference, and the three the following day went together to this Conference. After the formation of the North Carolina Conference, which was the result of the action of the General Meeting in 1810, he labored in its bounds.

[LCM 64]