Florence Catherine Hays was born February 11, 1875 in Beloit, Wisconsin to Henry
Millard Hays and Josephine Waters Hays. The family moved to Rockford, Illinois where
Mr. Hays was in the grocery business. In 1893 the family moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin
where Henry became a partner in Bemis-Hopper-Hays, Wholesale Grocers.
Florence’s first job as a librarian was in the Oshkosh Public Library from 1896-1902.
After Oshkosh she worked at the Manitowoc Public Library 1902-1904 in Manitowoc, WI;
Manistee Public Library 1905-1906 in Manistee, Michigan; Ripon College 1907-1912 in
Ripon, Wisconsin; Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library in Madison, Wisconsin
1912-1918, University of Wisconsin Extension Division, Municipal Reference Bureau
1918-1921 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In 1922 she joined the staff of St. John’s University in Shanghai, China. She spent
four years as the University Librarian, serving from 1922-1926. While serving in
China, Miss Hays visited many cities in the provinces surrounding Shanghai,
extending as far north as Peking (now Beijing). When Florence returned from China,
she joined the Watertown Public Library in Watertown, Wisconsin; where she remained
until she retired in 1940.
She then moved to Milwaukee and worked as a librarian at Photoart Visual Services
from 1942-1953. During World War II, she was a Reference Library Assistant for the
351st College Training Detachment at State Teachers’ College. Her last position was
with the Spencerian Business College in Milwaukee from 1954-1957. Florence was
active in the Episcopal Church, Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) Sorority, the Daughters of
the American Revolution (DAR), and the American and Wisconsin Library Associations.
She was living at St. John’s Home in Milwaukee when she passed away on August 11,
1965.
