John Charles Hayden was born 1860 and died in Charles City, Iowa on
December 27, 1889, at the age of 29 years. He was the son of Matthew Henry
and Ann Hayden. His siblings were Frank, Mary and George. The 1880 Federal
Census showed the family living in Chickasaw Township.
He wrote for the "New Hampton Tribune" and his pen name was "Jack Top."
It was a bimonthly column of towns, people and local happenings in
Chickasaw. He had also written for the "Elma Sun" paper. His first
article appeared on 4-18-1887 and he signed off "Jack Top & Co." He
wrote a poem "My Best Girl" in the 6-6-1887 column.
He was a merchant with a general store and sold eggs at 10 cents a dozen.
In the February 24, 1888 column, he mentioned he became an insurance agent
for Des Moines Fire Insurance. He played on a baseball team in town. They
held many dances at the general store on the second floor.
He married Cora Adella Rowley, daughter of Charles and Abbie True
Rowley, on December 21, 1884, in Chickasaw County, Iowa. They had three
children, Ora, Iva and Merle.