BIO: William AYRES, Dauphin County, PA

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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 171-172. 
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  AYRES, WILLIAM, son of Samuel Ayres and his wife Margaret Richmond, 
who came to Philadelphia with his family in 1745, was born in 1720 in 
the county of Antrim, Ireland, came to the Province of Pennsylvania 
previous to 1745, in advance of his father's family, and settled in the 
country contiguous to the Pennepack, then Philadelphia county, Pa. In 
the year 1773 William Ayres with all his family, excepting Samuel and 
Charles, who remained in the old locality, moved to the west, then in 
Paxtang township, Lancaster county, now Middle Paxtang, Dauphin county, 
Pa., and purchased land on the east side of Peter's mountain, where the 
turnpike crosses, three miles above Dauphin. The common road terminated 
at that point, and when supervisor of roads, in 1781, he constructed 
the first road across the mountain.  In the map of purchase from the 
Indians, only twenty-four years previously (1749), the country west of 
the mountain is entitled "Saint Anthony's wilderness."  He was several 
times elected to township offices.  Although nearly sixty years old, we 
find him doing Revolutionary service in Capt. Richard Manning's company 
of the Fourth battalion of Lancaster county, Col. James Burd, March 13, 
1776.  In the winter of 1784-5 he was accidentally drowned in Fishing 
creek, near old Fort Hunter, his wife having died previously, and both 
were buried in the old graveyard above Dauphin, where sleep all the 
oldest residents of that section of the county.  William Ayres married 
Mary Kean, daughter of Charles Kean, of the same locality.