W. E. Hayman

Co-founder of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company of San Antonio. Owner of Merchants Coffee Co. before the 1912 merger; president of Hoffmann-Hayman until his January 1920 buyout by the Menger family; co-incorporator of the parallel Tucker Coffee Company in the early 1920s.

Addresses

Period	Address	Source
pre-July 1913	331 East Park Avenue	1913-07-06 real-estate item
July 1913	Buena Vista and South Pinto Streets (bought from S. D. Seamonds via George W. Dietz Realty for $5,500; moved for “a permanent home”)	1913-07-06 real-estate item
1924 (at death)	1018 Kayton Avenue	hayman-death-notice-1924

Birth

Born 22 July 1865, Letart Falls, Meigs, Ohio, United States. (FamilySearch LZVM-GXZ) Letart Falls is a community on the Ohio River at the Meigs County, Ohio / Mason County, WV border — explaining why he is identified as “of Letart, W.Va.” in the 1890 and 1897 newspaper clips, and why the 1900 census places him in Mason, West Virginia. The community straddles the state line; residents routinely used either side as their address.

Death

Died Saturday, August 9, 1924, at 1:15 p.m., at his residence, 1018 Kayton Avenue, San Antonio, Texas. He was in his 59th year (born July 22, 1865; died 18 days after his 59th birthday). Source: death notice, 1924 (slug: San Antonio Express-News, 10 Aug 1924).

Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon, August 10, 1924, at 4 o’clock from the residence. Officiated by Rev. Frank S. Onderdonk, under direction of Hazy & McCollum. Interment at Mission Burial Park.

Pallbearers: J. Sutcliff, W. M. Marvin, Frank Cunningham, Hal Tucker, L. B. Stoner, H. S. Affleck.

Note: FamilySearch (LZVM-GXZ) records the death date as “9 June 1924” — a month-number transposition of the primary-source August 9 date. The primary-source death notice is authoritative here.

Family

Spouse

Sarah Anna McKnight (1864–1948). Married 1 September 1886, Saint Johns, Perry, Illinois. The KB had previously identified her only as “Mrs. Anna Hayman” — she used her middle name Anna. (FamilySearch LZVM-GXZ; source: Illinois, County Marriages, 1810–1940)

Children

Name	Sex	Dates	Notes
William Clifford Hayman	Male	1889–1890	Died in infancy/early childhood
Mary Constance Hayman	Female	1892–1951
Norman D Hayman	Male	1897–1936

Parents and siblings

Father: William T. Hayman (1826–1901) — general merchant, Letart, W. Va. A stoneware wax-sealer canning jar (c.1875, Western Pennsylvania manufacture) survives with stenciled cobalt advertising: “W.T. HAYMAN / DEALER IN / DRY GOODS, GROCER., NOTIONS, HATS, BOOTS, SHOES, HARDWARE & C. / LETART W. VA” (Crocker Farm auction lot 491, October 17, 2015; realized $920). The jar documents a multi-department general store operating at the Ohio River community when W.E. Hayman was approximately 10 years old. Commissioning branded stoneware was a significant investment, indicating a store of established scale. W.E.’s own “merchant” identification in 1890 and 1897 is directly continuous with this family trade.

Mother: Mary Jane Donnelly (1829–1909)

Siblings (6 total; 5 named in FamilySearch):

Name	Sex	Dates
Nancy Adriana Hayman	Female	1852–1931
Ann Elizabeth Hayman	Female	1853–1917
Ann Eliza Hayman	Female	1854–1917
Florence R Hayman	Female	1860–d.
Margaret E Hayman	Female	1862–1965
(unnamed)	—	—

FamilySearch lists “Ann Elizabeth” (1853) and “Ann Eliza” (1854) as separate siblings born one year apart — possibly a duplicate entry for the same individual. All siblings are female; W. E. Hayman appears to be the only (or youngest) son.

Pre-Texas years: Letart, WV (1890–c.1909)

Two primary sources document Hayman’s life in West Virginia before his arrival in San Antonio.

October 1890 — Riverboat co-owner. The Pittsburgh Post of 28 October 1890 carries a Louisville river dispatch noting: “The Bob Ballard left at noon to-day for the Kentucky river with one of the largest tows ever taken up the Kentucky valley. W. E. Hayman of Letart, one of the owners, accompanied by his wife, will make the round trip on the Ballard.” (HH-CLIP-1890-0001) This places Hayman in the Letart Falls / Letart community on the Ohio River as a co-owner of a working river towboat twenty-two years before the H&H merger. He would have been 25 years old and married for four years.

April 1897 — Merchant in Letart. The Cincinnati Enquirer of 1 April 1897 includes a hotel arrival notice: “Mr. W. E. Hayman, merchant, of Letart, W. Va., is at the Palace.” (HH-CLIP-1897-0001) Seven years after the Bob Ballard, Hayman is still in Letart and still self-identified as a merchant — consistent with the river-trade commercial profile of the Ohio River valley, where boat owners routinely combined vessel ownership with general merchandising.

Capital source: river commerce. The Bob Ballard was carrying “one of the largest tows ever taken up the Kentucky valley” — a significant commercial freight operation. River towboat co-ownership in the Ohio River valley in the 1890s was a capital-intensive, revenue-generating business. This commercial history is the most plausible explanation for the substantial capital Hayman brought to San Antonio: the mortgage he held on Western Coffee Co. (c.1909), the $20,000 H&H capitalization (1912), and the $5,500 home purchase (1913). This resolves the previously open question about the source of his pre-Texas wealth.

Home base: Letart, WV. Both primary pre-Texas sources (1890, 1897) identify his home as Letart, W. Va. — a small Ohio River community in Mason County. The 1915 San Antonio Express-News travel note refers to his “old home” as “Point Pleasant, W.Va.” (the Mason County seat, approximately 35 miles upriver from Letart). Hayman may have moved within Mason County between 1897 and 1910, or the 1915 paper used the county seat as a shorthand for his WV home generally. Both place him in Mason County, WV.

Pre-H&H: Western Coffee Company (c.1909–1910)

Before co-founding Hoffmann-Hayman, Hayman held a promissory note and mortgage on the Western Coffee Company — a San Antonio coffee roaster incorporated in 1907 by H. C. Wedemeyer at Buena Vista and Comal Streets.

In April 1909, Wedemeyer placed a “Wanted” notice in SAEN seeking outside investment of $25,000–$50,000 — that search apparently failed. In February 1910, Hayman filed suit in Bexar County on the note and to foreclose the mortgage, recorded in the Express-News court calendar as “W. E. Hayman vs. Western Coffee Company et al” (HH-CLIP-1910-0001).

This pre-H&H entanglement carries two implications:

Hayman was financially invested in the SA coffee trade before 1912. His mortgage-creditor relationship with Western Coffee would have given him working knowledge of local coffee trade assets, customer lists, and market conditions before co-founding H&H.
Timing puzzle. The 1917 Express-News feature says he “came to San Antonio from West Virginia in 1910,” yet the February 1910 foreclosure suit was filed that same year. Either he arrived early in 1910 and quickly escalated the legal action, or — more plausibly — he held the Western Coffee note as an absentee investor from West Virginia and traveled to SA specifically to foreclose, then stayed. The latter scenario aligns with the material wealth he evidently brought: $20,000 H&H capitalization (1912) and a $5,500 family home purchase (July 1913).

Western Coffee survived (or was reconstituted) after the suit and was still operating in November 1914 under the “Statesman Coffee” brand. See Western Coffee Company.

A third implication flows from the timing: the earliest documented attestation of Hayman’s own Merchants Coffee Company is November 1911 — after the foreclosure, not before. This raises the hypothesis that Merchants Coffee was founded using assets or trade relationships acquired through the Western Coffee judgment. See Merchants Coffee Company.

Role in Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co.

W. E. Hayman was one of the three original incorporators of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company, chartered February 5, 1912. He appears first on the list of incorporators in both the Express-News and Light reports.

Before 1912, Hayman owned the Merchants Coffee Company of San Antonio; the 1912 charter merged Merchants with William R. Hoffmann’s business (Hoffmann had died January 1912). The 1925 San Antonio Light industrial section retrospective on the firm corroborates the merger structure. Display copy immediately branded Hoffmann-Hayman as successor to “Wm. R. Hoffmann” and “Merchants Coffee” — see the 4 February 1912 announcement and 11 February 1912 West Commerce wholesale notice. Neither is a biography of Hayman, but together they establish the merged trade identity.

Origin and arrival in San Antonio

The 29 April 1917 Express-News feature states Hayman “came to San Antonio from West Virginia in 1910.” The 8 October 1915 Express-News travel note confirms his “old home” was Point Pleasant, W. Va. — he and Mrs. Hayman and “their family” returned from a five-week visit there by way of New Orleans just after the 1915 hurricane.

The 1917 article identifies him as “president, manager and treasurer” — he held all three roles simultaneously in that period.

Public spokesman, late 1910s

Through 1919, Hayman served as the firm’s public spokesman. The 11 November 1919 San Antonio Light feature on Hoffmann-Hayman’s growth and advertising campaign names “Mr. Hayman” throughout the quoted interview copy — stressing quality, same-day roasting and delivery, pride in San Antonio labor and institutions, and confidence in H & H Blend as a home product versus “imported brands” kept in warehouse (full column + transcription). The article also summarizes the consolidation history (Merchants + William R. Hoffmann Store seven years earlier) and locates the works in the Caffarelli Brothers block at North Medina and West Travis — context that overlaps the timeline’s 307 N. Medina chapter.

Morrison Coffee acquisition (1917)

While Hayman was still president, Hoffmann-Hayman acquired Morrison Coffee Co. in March 1917, consolidating operations at the Medina–Travis quarters. Site copy does not yet attribute the Morrison deal to Hayman personally; corroboration of his individual role would tighten the narrative.

Exit and Tucker Coffee Company (January 1920+)

January 1920 — Menger buyout. Hayman sold his interests in Hoffmann-Hayman to the Menger brothers. The 4 October 1925 San Antonio Light industrial section summarizes the transition: “In 1920, Mr. Hayman’s interests were taken over by G. P. Menger … and R. W. Menger … Mrs. William R. Hoffmann … retains her full interest and is vice president.” (post). After the buyout, G. P. Menger became president; R. W. Menger became secretary-treasurer; Minnie Menger Schlosser (then “Mrs. William J. Schlosser”) retained her VP role.

1921 — Tucker Coffee Company incorporation. Hayman appears as a co-incorporator with the Tucker family. Spice Mill (March 1921, p. 480) reports the incorporation in San Antonio with capital $25,000 and incorporators H. W. Tucker, H. H. Tucker, and W. E. Hayman.

1923 — Tucker Coffee charter granted. The 29 December 1923 San Antonio Light “Charters Granted” column (post) lists the Tucker Coffee Company, San Antonio; capital $50,000; incorporators Hal W. Tucker, H. H. Tucker, and W. E. Hayman. The 1921 Spice Mill notice is the first filing cited on the site; the 1923 charter may be an amended filing, capital increase, or refile worth confirming against Texas Secretary of State records.

Tucker operations. Address 422–424 Ruiz Street, San Antonio. Brand: Aviation coffee (documented on letterhead and the surviving Aviation tin lid — Aviation lid post). A circa-1920s Tucker Coffee letterhead lists officers A. B. Walker, C. A. Luafenburg, T. W. Willard, A. Walker, B. B. Dinius — Hayman is not named among the operating officers on that specimen, suggesting his role at Tucker may have been investor / co-incorporator rather than day-to-day management. Hypothesis pending corroboration by city directories or trade-press officer listings.

Interpretation. Tucker Coffee is a parallel San Antonio roaster/packer, not a predecessor of Hoffmann-Hayman. The narrative line on the site (after selling the H&H stake, Hayman invested in / co-organized Tucker) is supported. “Competition” between Tucker and the old firm is geographically and commercially plausible (both wholesale coffee in San Antonio) but not yet attested by a dedicated newspaper story of rivalry or any non-compete document; that framing is interpretive, not sourced.

Civic roles (San Antonio)

February 1913 — Named to the arrangements committee of the Jobbers and Manufacturers’ division of the Chamber of Commerce for a planned trade excursion (via the S.A., Uvalde & Gulf or Southern Pacific west of San Antonio). Other committee members included F. P. Caffarelli, W. M. Marvin, and D. J. Straus. (SA Light, 22 Feb 1913)
February 1916 — On the Manufacturers’ Club arrangements committee for a “Made-in-San Antonio” luncheon for the presidents of San Antonio’s 56 women’s clubs (15 Feb 1916). H. and H. coffee (Hoffmann-Hayman) was listed on the printed menu as the event’s coffee. (Express-News, 13 Feb 1916)
January 1919 — Quoted in The News (3 Jan 1919) supporting a Mexican trade bureau for San Antonio: “Mexico would turn naturally to San Antonio for certain lines of trade […]” Appeared alongside Col. F. A. Chapa, H. D. Elliott (SA Drug Co.), Max Goodman (Hertzberg), and Gus Giesecke (Liberty Mills).

Open questions

~~Birth date~~ Resolved: 22 July 1865, Letart Falls, Meigs, Ohio (FamilySearch LZVM-GXZ; consistent with the 1870 census source cited there and with death notice’s “in his 59th year” reckoning).
~~Wife’s identity~~ Resolved: Sarah Anna McKnight (1864–1948), married 1 September 1886, Saint Johns, Perry, Illinois.
~~Children~~ Resolved: William Clifford (1889–1890), Mary Constance (1892–1951), Norman D (1897–1936).
~~Parents~~ Resolved: William T Hayman (1826–1901) + Mary Jane Donnelly (1829–1909).
Home town: Letart Falls (OH) vs. Point Pleasant (WV). Now clear that his birth and early life was in the Letart Falls community on the Ohio/WV border (Meigs Co., OH); the 1900 census places him in Mason, WV; newspaper clips (1890, 1897) say “Letart, W.Va.” (WV side of the community); the 1915 SA paper says “Point Pleasant, W.Va.” (county seat, 35 miles upriver). Plausible he drifted the short distance to Point Pleasant for business or residence between 1897 and 1910. Research angles: Meigs County, Ohio birth records for July 22, 1865 (confirm birth registration); Mason County city directories 1890–1910.
Pre-Texas occupation: partially resolved. Riverboat co-owner (1890) and merchant (1897) documented. What remains open: the full span of his WV/OH business activities; the exact year he moved to SA; whether there was an intermediate WV→SA visit before the 1910 foreclosure filing; the specific nature of his “merchandise” business. Research angles: 1900 federal census (Mason, WV) to identify his listed occupation; WV Secretary of State business entity filings; river trade records for the Bob Ballard; Letart / Point Pleasant local newspapers 1895–1910.
Marriage in Illinois (1886): Hayman married in Saint Johns, Perry County, Illinois — well outside his WV home base. No explanation yet for why the marriage was in Illinois. Research angles: Perry County, IL records; was this his wife’s home community?
FamilySearch death date conflict: FamilySearch LZVM-GXZ records death as “9 June 1924”; the KB primary source (death notice) gives August 9, 1924. The FamilySearch figure is almost certainly a month transposition (June ↔ August, both the 9th). Flag for correction in the FamilySearch tree.
Siblings “Ann Elizabeth” (b. 1853) and “Ann Eliza” (b. 1854) in FamilySearch: likely a duplicate entry for the same person. Both show death year 1917. Verify against census / vital records.
Exact chronology between the January 1920 H&H sale and the March 1921 Tucker Coffee filing — any intermediate ventures.
Texas Secretary of State entity history for Tucker Coffee Company (1921 vs 1923 filings).
San Antonio city directories 1920–1925: Hayman residence/office; Tucker office listings.
Exact chronology between the January 1920 H&H sale and the March 1921 Tucker Coffee filing — any intermediate ventures.
Texas Secretary of State entity history for Tucker Coffee Company (1921 vs 1923 filings; whether the 1923 charter is an amendment or a refile).
San Antonio city directories 1920–1925: Hayman residence/office; Tucker office listings; whether Hayman ever appears as a Tucker operating officer.
Trade or local papers mentioning Tucker vs Hoffmann-Hayman explicitly (rivalry, customer overlap, ad copy comparisons).

H and H Coffee