BIO: John AYRES, Dauphin County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JAWB Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/dauphin/ http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/dauphin/runk/runk-bios.htm _______________________________________________________________ Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, Containing Sketches of Representative Citizens, and Many of the Early Scotch-Irish and German Settlers. Chambersburg, Pa.: J. M. Runk & Company, 1896, pages 185-186. _______________________________________________________________ AYRES, JOHN, son of William Ayres and his wife, Mary Kean, was born February 9, 1754. At the age of twenty-one years, accompanied his father and family in their movement to Paxtang township, Lancaster, now Dauphin county, Pa.; subsequently became the owner of the homestead there established, and added thereto a certain tract of land called "Ayresburg." In 1775, on the first call for volunteers for the Revolutionary army, he enlisted in Capt. Matthew Smith's company of riflemen, formed in Lancaster county, and detailed on the expedition against Quebec under Arnold, but whilst the army lay before Boston, he took sick and was invalided. On March 13, 1776, he again enlisted in Captain Manning's company Fourth battalion of Lancaster county, commanded by Col. James Burd. His father and several of his connections belonged to the same company. The Oracle of Dauphin, in announcing his death, August 17, 1825, remarks that "he was the last of the Revolutionary patriots in his neighborhood." John Ayres was twice married; married, first, in 1781, Mary Montgomery, daughter of Gen. William Montgomery, of Mahoning, now Danville, Pa., who died at the age of twenty-three years, without issue. He married, secondly, in 1786, Jane Lytle, eldest daughter of Joseph Lytle, of Lytle's Ferry, in Upper Paxtang township, Dauphin county, Pa. Jane Lytle was born near Anderson's Ferry, March 1, 1767; died in Harrisburg, Pa., May 7, 1831. The old burying-ground, one mile above Dauphin, contains the remains of this branch of the Ayres family.