Bristol County MA Archives Biographies.....Ames, Family ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ma/mafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 13, 2006, 11:37 pm Author: J. H. Beers & Co. (1912) AMES. This surname is of early English origin, and the family living at Bristol bore the following coat of arms: Argent, on a bend cotised sable, three Toses of the field. Motto: Fama candida rosa dulcior. Crest: A white rose. (I) John Ames was buried at Bruton, Somersetshire, England, in 1560. (II) John Ames (2), son of John, died in 1583; married Margery Crome. Children: John, Launcelot and William. (III) John Ames (3), son of John (2), born in 1560, .died in 1629, married Cyprian Browne. Children: William and John. Of these John went to New England, settling fast at Duxbury, where his name was on a fist of those able to bear arms in 1643; removed to Bridgewater, and married Oct. 20, 1645, Elizabeth Heyward; died and left his estate to his brother's heirs. (IV) William Ames, son of John (3), born in 1605, came to New England and settled in Braintree as early as 1638. He was admitted a freeman May 26, 1647. The Christian name of his wife was Hannah. After his death, which occurred Jan. 1, 1653-54, she married (second) April 6, 1660, John Heiden (Hayden). Children: Hannah, born May 12, 1641; Rebecca, born in October, 1642; Lydia, born in 1645; John, born March 24, 1647; Sarah, born March 1, 1650; and Deliverance, born Feb. 6, 1653. (V) John Ames (4), son of William, born March 24, 1647, married Sarah, daughter of John Willis. He settled in West Bridgewater, Mass., as early as 1672. He served in King Philip's war. He died about 1726, when his estate was settled. Children: John, born in 1672; William, born in 1673; Nathaniel, born in 1677; Elizabeth, born in 1680 (married in 1697, Capt. John Field); Thomas, born in 1682; Sarah, born in 1685 (married in 1706 Daniel Field); David, born in 1688; and Hannah, born in 1689 (married in 1712 David Packard). (VI) Thomas Ames, son of John (4), born in 1682, in West Bridgewater, Mass., married in 1706" Mary, born in 1685, daughter of Joseph Hayward. Children: Thomas, born .in 1707; Solomon, horn, in 1709; Joseph, born in 1711; Ebenezer, born in 1715; Mary, born in 1717 (married Seth Howard); Susanna, born in 1720 (married Thomas Willis).; Nathan, born in 1722;. Sarah, born in 1724 (married Capt. Jacob Packard); Betty, born in 1727 (married James Ames). (VII) Thomas Ames (2), son of Thomas, born Feb. 6, 1707, married in 1731 Keziah, daughter of Jonathan and Sarah (Dean) Howard. He died Nov. 27, 1774, aged sixty-seven years; she died Nov. 20, 1773. Children: Keziah, born in 1732; Susanna, born in 1734; Thomas, born in 1736; John, born April 7, 1738; Mehetabel, born in 1740; Silvanus, born in. 1744. Of these, Keziah married in 1751 David Howard; Susanna married in 1752 Josiah Snell; Mehetabel married in 1759 Eliab Fobes. (VIII) Capt. John Ames, son of Thomas (2), born April 7, 1738, married in 1757 Susannah, born 1735, daughter of Ephraim Howard. Children: David, born in. 1760, who was the founder of the famous Springfield Armory under commission of President Washington and his Secretary of War, General Knox; Keziah, Abigail and Susanna, triplets, born in 1762; Keziah (2), born in 1764; Huldah, born in 1768; Abigail (2), born in 1769; Cynthia, born in 1772; John, born in 1775, who established a knife shop in the northeast part of the town of Easton; Oliver, born in 1779. Of these, Keziah married (first) Elijah Packard and (second) Benjamin Robinson; Abigail married Joseph Lazell; Susanna married Joseph Fobes; and Huldah married Isaac Willis. Capt. John Ames was a pioneer iron manufacturer in New England and proprietor of one of the nail and slitting mills condemned by the iron manufacturers of Great Britain, as the competition of American manufacturers endangered their monopoly, and they asked the government to abolish the American mills, declaring them a nuisance. Thereafter he took up the manufacture of shovels at his forge in Bridgewater, in 1773, and with heavy, clumsy implements, including a trip hammer weighing about eighty pounds, and a common hammer and anvil, he produced a shovel which compared favorably with those subsequently manufactured by his son Oliver, who succeeded him in the business. In the American Revolution he was the gunmaker of the Province of Massachusetts. He was captain of a company of minute-men at Bridgewater, and was repeatedly called into active service on "alarms" in Rhode Island and elsewhere. Toward the close of the Revolutionary war he was commissioned major of his regiment. Captain Ames died at West Bridgewater July 17, 1805. His wife survived him until Jan. 11, 1821. (IX) (HON.) OLIVER AMES, son of Capt. John and Susannah (Howard) Ames, was born April ll, 1779, in West Bridgewater, Mass. He received but an ordinary common school education, which with practical experience in the blacksmith shop of his father furnished him the ground work of a sober judgment, industrious habits, and a stable and energetic character. At the age of eighteen he went to Springfield, Mass., where his elder brother, David, then resided, to learn the trade of gunsmith. Oliver Ames continued there until the close of his brother's term as superintendent of the Armory; in 1802, and then returned to Bridgewater and engaged with his father in the manufacture of shovels. At the very beginning of the, nineteenth century, and very soon after his marriage, he removed from Bridgewater to the town of Easton, and began the manufacture of shovels and hoes. On Aug. 1, 1803, he purchased the Shovel Shop pond privilege and moved to Easton the following year, building the first factory for the manufacture of the famous Ames shovels. After three years there he moved to Plymouth to manufacture shovels for Messrs. Russell, David & Co. However, he retained his property and business in Easton, carrying on there the manufacture of hoes and shovels, and was also one of the partners in the cotton factory managed by Col. David Manley. He returned to Easton in 1811. In those early days he was beset with embarrassments and difficulties that would have disheartened and defeated anyone but a man of persistent energy, and great ability. The effect upon business of the war of 1812 was still felt; the cotton factory had been burned; he. was endeavoring to restore the business of his father to a prosperous condition, and had made great outlays in getting established in Easton. But his credit was good and his courage strong; his character and ability alike inspired unlimited confidence, and he worked steadily on a sure and lasting success. His business in time became by far the largest and most prosperous shovel business in the world. He never would permit any work to be sent to the market that was imperfect, and he thus laid the foundation for the great reputation which the Ames shovel has borne and which it continues to bear. In 1844 he retired from active business, transferring the active management to his sons Oakes and Oliver, under the firm name of Oliver Ames & Sons. Mr. Ames was a man of strong and resolute will, of great force of character, indomitable energy, and persevering industry. He possessed a splendid physique, and easily bore off the palm in all feats of strength and skill, especially in wrestling, of which he was very fond. His manly and dignified bearing gave all who saw him the impression that they looked upon a man of mark. Born of the people, he was always very simple in his tastes, as well as democratic in his feelings and principles. He was equally decided in his likes and dislikes; but his judgment of persons was based upon what he believed to be the real worth of anyone, without reference to station or condition. He was consequently greatly respected and beloved by his neighbors and townsmen. Mr. Ames was no lover of office, being ambitious alone to have the charge of the highways of his town intrusted to him; yet he was a number of times honored by his fellow townsmen, being elected in 1828, 1833, and 1834 to the Massachusetts Legislature, and served with marked ability upon the committee on Manufactures. Contrary to his desires he was elected in 1845 and by a large vote to the Massachusetts Senate. In his religious faith Mr. Ames was a decided Unitarian, and the founder of the Unitarian Society of Easton, and he was liberal in his aid to religious institutions. He gave largely to charities. In April, 1803, Mr. Ames married Susan Angier, who was born March 8, 1783, daughter of Oakes Angier (Harvard, 1763), an eminent barrister of his day. Through her maternal grandfather, Edward Howard, she was a direct descendant of John Winslow, a brother of Gov. Edward Winslow and uncle of Gov. Josiah Winslow; John Winslow married Mary Chilton, of "Mayflower" stock. She was a great-great-granddaughter of Rev. Urian Oakes, president of Harvard College, 1675-81, a direct descendant of Rev. Dr. William Ames, the eminent divine, author, theological controversialist and professor in the University of Francker, in Friesland. Dr. Ames's daughter, Ruth, after his death came with her mother and brother to New England, where she married Edmund Angier, of Cambridge, and their son, Rev. Sam- [transcriber’s note – there seems to be something missing here, although all the pages are present in the book] able and honorable man. His name was felt to be a sufficient indorsement of the worth and promise of any enterprise. Business cares were not allowed to .engross all of Mr. Ames's attention. He continued to the last his interest in literature, kept himself familiar with the great questions that agitate thought and life, enjoyed the society of cultivated persons, and often surprised them by the clearness and comprehensiveness of his carefully formed opinions. In his character there were blended an admirable simplicity and a most cordial fellow feeling with a real dignity and refinement. He was noted for his generosity. No help was denied any object that commanded his confidence; but he shrank from all publicity in his benefactions. He had a high sense of honor, that was prompt to rebuke anything mean and dishonorable. He was not only a philanthropic but also a deeply religious man. Many of his benefactions have not been disclosed, but those he was known to have bestowed were most wisely made, and are doing a good that is incalculable. He gave a fund of $50,000 each for the schools, the roads and a free public library. He built and gave a beautiful church to the Unitarian Society. Besides these may be mentioned his gift of the Village cemetery, of Unity Church parsonage, and two other bequests to keep the church, parsonage and cemetery in repair. On June 12, 1833, Mr. Ames married Sarah, born Sept. 23, 1812, daughter of Hon. Howard and Sally (Williams) Lothrop, of Easton. She died Feb. 28, 1890. Their children were: Frederick Lothrop Ames, born June 8, 1835; and Helen Angier Ames, born Nov. 11, 1836, who died Dec. 13, 1882. Oliver Ames died March 9, 1877, at North Easton, Massachusetts. (XI) FREDERICK LOTHROP AMES, A. B., son of Oliver and Sarah (Lothrop) Ames, was born June 8, 1835, in North Easton, Mass. He acquired wholesome home training and at the start laid the groundwork of his scholastic education in the neighborhood schools of Easton. He then for a time studied in a school at Concord, Mass., and later fitted for college in the famous preparatory school at Exeter, N. H., Phillips Academy. He passed from that institution to Harvard College, and graduated in 1854. At his graduation his inclination was to the study of law. But there was a call for him in the large family business. Yielding his own preference to his father's wishes, he took his place with his older kinsmen, and engaged at once in the service of the company at North Easton, making himself acquainted with their already widely extended and still extending business enterprises. He became a member of the firm in 1863, and its treasurer in 1876, when the reorganization took place. This office he continued to fill to the end of life. His advance as a man of business was from the first steady and sure, soon carrying him beyond the limits of the manufacturing plant at North Easton. Among the many New England men who have distinguished themselves and their section of the country by building up an exceptional prosperity, he had few equals in the capacity for seeing with a clear judgment and grasping with a firm hand the conditions of success. The construction of railroads in all parts of the country was developing its resources and these resources as they were developed demanded additional facilities for transportation and travel. Vast capabilities for opening and improving unoccupied regions presented themselves to farseeing men. And now the country, plunged suddenly into civil conflict for its existence, had desperate need of expeditious communication between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. But such enterprises involved extraordinary risks. Among the most- sagacious of those who comprehended both the magnitude and the importance of these enterprises, and at the same time the risks, were the brothers Oakes and Oliver Ames. Patriotic observers all over the land welcomed their aid, applauded and indorsed their leadership. Frederick L. Ames was of the same blood. Not rashly but boldly he entered this field, took on himself with rare coolness and confidence heavy responsibilities in undertakings the results of which even the sanguine scarcely ventured to predict. His expectations were justified. And so conspicuously was his ability manifested, so approved his foresight by events, that his cooperation was sought at all points by those who had large, complicated .and difficult projects of this nature in hand, till "he held directorships in about threescore railroad companies, among them the Union Pacific, Chicago & Northwestern and Old Colony (afterward the New York, New Haven & Hartford). He was also president of the First National Bank of Easton, North Easton Savings Bank, Hoosac Tunnel, Dock & Elevator Company, director of the New England Trust Company, Old Colony Trust Company, Bay State Trust Company, all of Boston, Mercantile Trust Company, of New York, General Electric Company and many others. It did not take men of discernment long to conclude that a man who had a head for the management of such far-reaching and intricate organizations was a desirable adviser and assistant in any sort of affairs requiring these qualities. Naturally .he was solicited to become associated with many and varied corporate bodies. To some of these solicitations widely away from the transactions of business Mr. Ames lent a sympathetic ear, accepting official trusts and responsibilities in educational, charitable and religious organizations, in which he took a sincere interest, bringing to them the clear head so necessary as the complement to the warm heart. He was president of the Home for Incurables, a trustee of the Children's Hospital, of the Massachusetts General Hospital, of the McLean Insane Asylum, and of the Kindergarten for the Blind, a director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and "was very constant and faithful in his duties to those institutions." He was a fellow of the Corporation of Harvard College from 1888, till his death, and as a loyal son was devising liberal things for her benefit, the fulfillment of which only his death prevented. His greatest diversion from the engrossing cares of a busy life was in horticulture. Through his liberality the Arnold Arboretum and the botanical department of Harvard University were enabled to greatly extend their usefulness. For nearly thirty years Mr. Ames was an active member of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and for a long time one of its vice presidents and a member of the finance committee. He was also a trustee of the Massachusetts Society for the Promotion of Agriculture. In his country home at North Easton he had at the time of his death one of the finest collections of orchids in the world. Mr. Ames was a loyal son of his native town, devoting much time to its interests. The railroad station, built by Richardson, was his gift. With his mother and sister he largely increased his father's bequests to build the public library. He was a stanch upholder of his church, and both Unity Church in North Easton and the First Church in Boston had his reverent affection and support. Mr. Ames was as far as possible from a devotee to the accumulation and dispensing of .wealth. As his most intimate friends describe him, there were in him not only the elements of the naturalist and the artist, but of the student of literature and disciple of science; these had a developed life in him and leading influence with him. In the thick of the busiest engagements they claimed a just portion of his time and his care, showing their ruling presence in his conversation and in his character. He not only let the accomplished architect build for him, he meditated and studied the structure for himself. He not only bought and placed the picture that others approved and admired, he, too, admired it and knew wherein it was admirable. His books not only ornamented his shelves, he had them down and read them. When he came home he left his business outside, not seeming merely to have turned in for rest and refitting for the next campaign among the competitors for fame or fortune. He was a man of strict integrity, sound judgment, strong and cultivated intellect, a self-poised, self-respecting, vigorous character, conversant with and interested in all the great questions of the day, with decided literary and intellectual tastes, a lover of the beautiful in nature and art. Mr. Ames was a politician in the best sense, in that he loved his country, studied its institutions and policies, and put himself in its service in any place where he was needed. His preference was for a private life. He died Sept. 13, 1893. On June 7, 1860, Mr. Ames was married to Rebecca Caroline, born Dec. 30, 1838, only child of James Blair, of St. Louis, Mo. She died Jan. 20, 1903. Six children were born to them, of whom five survive the father, namely: Helen Angier, who married Robert C. Hooper, of Boston, and died Feb. 13, 1907; Oliver; Mary Shreve; Frederick Lothrop; and John Stanley. Henry Shreve, the oldest child, born March 20, 1861, died Oct. 18, 1861. (XII) OLIVER AMES (2), son of Frederick Lothrop and Rebecca Caroline (Blair) A^mes, was born Oct. 21, 1864, in North Easton, Mass. He acquired his education at Adams Academy, Quincy, Mass., at George C. Noble's school, Boston, Mass., and in Harvard University, from which latter institution he was graduated in 1886. Soon after the latter event he entered the Oliver Ames & Sons Shovel Works, then a corporation, at North Easton, Mass., and has ever since been actively identified with the extensive business of that concern. Alter his father's death, in 1893, he became one of the trustees of his estate and is director of many railroad and trust companies. He was married Dec. 3, 1890, to Elise Alger West, of Boston, and their children are: Elise, born Aug. 14, 1892; Olivia, Nov. 18, 1893; Oliver, Jr., April 8, 1895; and Richard, Aug. 27, 1896. (XII) FREDERICK LOTHROP AMES, son of Frederick Lothrop and Rebecca Caroline (Blair) Ames, was born in North Easton July 23, 1876, was educated at the Groton School and Harvard College, graduating in 1898. He has extensive interests. On May 13, 1904, he was married to Edith Callender Cryder, daughter of Duncan Cryder, of New York. They have two children: Frederick Lothrop, Jr., born May 1, 1905, and Mary Callender, born Sept. 20, 1908. (XII) JOHN STANLEY AMES, youngest son of Frederick Lothrop and Rebecca. Caroline (Blair) Ames, was born at North Easton Feb. 15, 1878, and received his education in the Hopkinson School, Boston, and Harvard College, graduating from the latter in 1901. He was married April 17, 1909, to Anne McKinley Filley, daughter of Oliver W. Filley, of St. Louis, Mo. They have one son, John Stanley, Jr., born March 26, 1910. Additional Comments: Extracted from: REPRESENTATIVE MEN and OLD FAMILIES of SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS CONTAINING HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF PROMINENT AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS AND GENEALOGICAL RECORDS OF MANY OF THE OLD FAMILIES ILLUSTRATED VOLUME I J. H. BEERS & CO. CHICAGO 1912 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ma/bristol/bios/ames88gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mafiles/ File size: 20.7 Kb