Moses Hayes

Moses Hayes was a yeoman farmer, a typical resident of the Mecklenburg county area in the late 18th and early 19th century. He owned his own land and, because of their own hard work, his family was able to be supported from its yields. He owned no slaves. His home was a log cabin, unpainted both inside and out. He had few luxuries. He was not wealthy, but he was not one of the poor whites who owned no land and had to hire themselves out to obtain necessities. Moses Hayes and his family might sell or barter their labor or some of their farm products to obtain extras or during difficult times.

The Hayes were one of James Latta's customers on his peddler's route. They sold him their 100 acres, log dwelling, and barn for $600 in 1799.

The interpretation of a yeoman farmer's cabin was built in the 1980's by a Central Piedmont Community College class. It is an extremely well-built house with board floors and a brick fireplace. Packed dirt floors were not uncommon and were sometimes decorated with colored clays to resemble rugs. The fireplaces of the earliest settlers were often mud and wattle, rather than stone or brick. The cabin has no glass in its windows. Glass was expensive and was the kind of nicety that could wait for more affluent times.

There was a large contrast between settler families like the Hayes and planter families like the Lattas. Not only were their dwellings immensely different, but their food, food preparation, clothing, education, and daily habits would have been anything but parallel.