William Hayes served in the Southern States Mission from 1893 to 1895. He married in the Manti Temple, in 1888, and his wife died shortly after their daughter was born, in 1890. He received his mission call, in 1893, and left his daughter in the care of friends and family while he served in the East Tennessee Conference. His transcribed journal of his labors in Blount County have offered valuable insights into the lives of the first Smoky Mountain Saints.