George Vincent Ayres Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1313-1316 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	GEORGE VINCENT AYRES was born on a farm in Northmoreland township, 
Wyoming county, Pennsylvania, on the 1st of November, 1852, and is a son 
of James L. and Patience Maria (Vincent) Ayres. James Leonard Ayres was 
born in New York City on the 11th of May, 1810 and his death occurred at 
Beatrice, Nebraska, on the 11th of December 1892. At Kingston, Luzerne 
county, Pennsylvania, on the 11th of November 1837 the Rev. Benjamin 
Bidlack pronounced the words which united him in wedlock to Miss 
Patience Maria Vincent, who was born in Beakman township, Dutchess 
county, New York, on the 19th of October, 1819, and who still maintains 
her home in Beatrice, Nebraska. Of the genealogy in the paternal line, 
the subject has practically no authentic data, but on the maternal side 
the line is clearly traced for several generations. His mother was a 
daughter of Richard and Hanna (Albro) Vincent, who were married in 1806, 
the former being a son of Reynolds and Patience (Bull) Vincent, he being 
a son of Richard and Rachel (Mabee) Vincent. The maternal grandparents 
of the subject removed from Dutchess county, New York, to Luzerne 
county, Pennsylvania, in 1820. 

	George V. Ayres early accompanied his parents to the west and was 
reared amid the scenes and conditions of the pioneer era, while his 
educational advantages in youth were such as were afforded by the 
schools of the early days, his discipline in the line being completed in 
the public schools of Beatrice, Nebraska. His experiences were those of 
the average boy located on a frontier farm, where neighbors were few and 
far removed from each other. He passed through the hardships of western 
frontier life from 1859 to 1866, having few associates aside from the 
members of his own family, while there was much of self-denial and 
deprivation. All had to work hard, the facilities for pleasure and 
recreation were few, but happiness and contentment were not lacking. In 
1857, when he was about five years of age, his parents removed from 
Pennsylvania to Franklin township, DeKalb county, Illinois, where they 
took up their residence in March of that year. In the fall they removed 
to McDonough county, where they passed the winter, and in the spring of 
1858 located in Hancock county, remaining until the fall of the same 
year, when they located in Buchanan county, Missouri, and in the 
following spring took up their abode in Nemaha county, Kansas, where all 
were so afflicted with chills and fever that one member of the family 
was not able to care for another. In the spring of 1860 they removed to 
Gage county, Nebraska, locating on a farm five miles east of Blue 
Springs, remaining until the spring of 1866, when they removed to the 
town of Beatrice, in order that the children might secure educational 
advantages. The family made the entire trip from Pennsylvania to 
Nebraska in a wagon drawn by oxen. In 1864 our subject and his father 
crossed the plains from Beatrice to Fort Kearney and Julesburg, 
returning home just in time to escape the Indian massacre of that year. 
He remained in Beatrice with his parents, attending school in winter and 
working on neighboring farms in summer, until the spring of 1870, when 
he secured a position in a local drug store, where he learned the 
business, remaining in this establishment until February 28, 1876, when 
he resigned, and on the 1st of the following month started for the Black 
Hills, then practically unknown and still a part of the Sioux Indian 
reservation. The trip was made via Cheyenne, Wyoming, where our subject 
and companions hired a team and wagon loaded with provisions, and on the 
8th of March started across the country, by way of Fort Laramie, for 
Custer City, in the Black Hills, reaching their destination about noon 
on the 25th of the same month, in the midst of a fierce snowstorm. The 
party was on the road between Cheyenne and Custer City for a period of 
seventeen days and snow fell on ten of these days, while at times the 
weather was severely cold, entailing no little discomfort, as the party 
was poorly equipped, having no tents and being compelled to sleep out of 
doors each night during the entire trip. Their team was overloaded, so 
the men in the party walked nearly the entire distance of three hundred 
miles. At Indian creek they encountered a large party of Sioux Indians, 
but as it was cold and blustering they made no attack upon the party. At 
Cheyenne river, however, the Indians attacked them about three o'clock 
in the morning, but fortunately none of the party was injured. 

	Mr. Ayres remained in Custer City until May, 1876, when he pushed 
on to Deadwood, arriving there on the 23d of that month. Being unable to 
secure employment as a druggist or in the mines, he associated himself 
with others and entered into a contract to cut one hundred thousand feet 
of saw logs for the firm of Thompson & Street. Just before the 
completion of this contract Mr. Ayres suffered an attack of mountain 
fever, a disease which was prevalent and often fatal in the northern 
hills at that time, and after recovering sufficiently to travel, he 
returned, in July, to Custer City. In making this trip he overtaxed his 
energies and the result was that he suffered a relapse, being ill during 
the remainder of the summer. His friends greatly feared that he would 
not recover, but finally recuperated and being now without funds he 
again began "hustling," doing considerable prospecting and also working 
at carpentering with his partner, who was a competent workman in the 
line. In the latter part of October, 1876, he secured a position in the 
general merchandise store of Harlow & Company, in which establishment 
was located the office of the Cheyenne & Black Hills stage office. He 
remained with this firm until the next July, at one time having had 
charge of a branch store at Sheridan, on Spring creek, and in the latter 
part of the month mentioned, he engaged in placer mining in Sunday 
gulch, near Hill City. The mine did not prove a success and in September 
Mr. Ayres resigned his interest to his partners and started for Deadwood 
in search of employment, riding from Custer to Jenny's stockade in a 
buckboard and thence to Deadwood on top of the stage coach. He reached 
his destination "flat broke," as the expression goes, being finally able 
to secure work and provide for his temporary needs. In the latter part 
of September he returned to Custer for the purpose of voting in 
connection with the election to determine the location of the county 
seat, and while there he received a telegram stating that R. C. Lake 
would give him a position in his hardware store in Deadwood. He 
immediately started for that place, walking thirty-five miles of the 
intervening distance, through snow nearly a foot deep. The morning 
following his arrival he entered the employ of Mr. Lake in the capacity 
of bookkeeper and salesman, and from this point his success became 
assured, his present business being conducted on the same site, where he 
has labored for more than a quarter of a century. In the spring of 1882 
he secured an interest in the business, as junior partner, under the 
firm name of Ismon & Ayres, Mr. Lake remaining in the concern as a 
special partner. In the spring of 1884 Mr. Ismon sold his interest to H. 
B. Wardman, whereupon the firm title became Ayres & Wardman, so 
continuing until 1895. In the spring of that year the business was 
incorporated by Mr. Ayres, Mr. Wardman and A. J. Malterner under the 
name of Ayres & Wardman Hardware Company, the subject becoming president 
and general manager and thus continuing until March 18, 1900, when he 
and Mr. Malterner purchased the interests and stock of Mr. Wardman, the 
corporation being cancelled on the 1st of the following May, while the 
two principals then formed a co-partnership under the firm name of 
George V Ayres & Company, under which title the extensive enterprise is 
conducted at the present time. 

	In his political allegiance Mr. Ayres is an uncompromising 
Republican and is well fortified in his conviction as a matter of public 
policy. He was a member of the city council of Custer City under the 
provisional government, in 1876-7, before the treaty was signed by which 
the Indians abandoned their claim to the Black Hills in favor of the 
federal government. He was receiver of public moneys in the United 
States land office at Rapid City from January 2, 1890, until June 8, 
1893, having been appointed by President Harrison and resigning after 
the election of President Cleveland. He was a member of the city council 
of Deadwood from May, 1900, to May, 1902, when he declined a 
renomination. 

	Mr. Ayres is one of the prominent and honored Freemasons of the 
state, his record in the connection being a noteworthy one. He was 
raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason June, 27, 1874, in Beatrice 
Lodge, No. 26, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Beatrice, Nebraska, 
and later served the same as secretary and junior warden. On the 16th of 
April, 1882, he dimitted from this lodge, and on the 7th of the 
following November affiliated with Deadwood Lodge, No. 7, of which he 
still remains a member. He served as junior and senior warden of this 
lodge in turn, and November 7, 1884, was elected worshipful master of 
the same, in which capacity he served three successive years, while he 
was again elected to the office December 2, 1902, and served one year. 
Never having previously held any office in the grand lodge, he was 
"taken from the floor" and elected deputy grand master of the grand 
lodge of Dakota, on the 13th of June, 1888, while on the 12th of June of 
the following year he was elected grand master of the grand lodge of the 
newly admitted state of South Dakota, having the distinction of being 
the first to hold the office and serving for one year. On the 13th of 
July, 1875, Mr. Ayres received the final degree in Livingston Chapter, 
No. 10, Royal Arch Masons, at, Beatrice, Nebraska, of which he served as 
secretary in the same year. In 1880 he dimitted from this chapter and 
affiliated with Dakota Chapter, No. 3, at Deadwood, on the 8th of that 
month, while on the 22d of the following December he was elected its 
treasurer, serving three years, after which he was secretary of the 
chapter for six successive years from December 12, 1883. January 10, 
1904, he was elected high priest, for a term of two years. On the 13th 
of June, 1895, he was taken from the floor of the grand chapter of the 
state and elected deputy grand high priest, while on the 12th of June, 
1896, he was elected grand high priest, serving one year. On the 9th of 
October, 1895, Mr. Ayres received the degrees in Lakotah Council, U. D., 
Royal and Select Masters, in Deadwood, of which he was appointed deputy 
master the same evening. On the 1st of January, 1881, he received the 
orders of knighthood in Dakota Commandery, No. 1, Knights Templar, in 
Deadwood, of which he was elected recorder in 1883, while by subsequent 
elections in later, years he held the office for a total of six years. 
In 1884 he was elected junior warden of the commandery, senior warden in 
1885, generalissimo in 1887, and eminent commander in 1888. June 22, 
1895, he was elected grand senior warden of the grand commandery of 
South Dakota, was made grand captain general the following year, grand 
generalissimo in 1897, deputy grand commander in 1898, and grand 
commander on the 16th of June, 1899, serving one year. In the grand 
council of annointed high priests of the state, on the 11th of June, 
1896, he was annointed a high priest, and is an active member of that 
body. In the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of the southern jurisdiction 
Mr. Ayres received the degrees in Golden Belt Lodge of Perfection, No. 
5, on the 11th of April, 1893; Robert Bruce Chapter, Rose Croix, No. 3, 
April 11, 1893; Deadwood Council of Kadosh, No. 3, April 12, 1893; and 
Black Hills Consistory, No. 3, July 14th, of the same year, and has been 
an active member ever since. On October 20, 1903, he was elected knight 
commander of the Court of Honor. In the Ancient Arabic Order of the 
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine Mr. Ayres crossed the burning sands in Naja 
Temple, located in Deadwood, on April 14, 1893. :He was elected 
assistant rabban in 1894 and 1895, was chosen chief rabban the following 
year, and illustrious potentate in 1897, while in the following year he 
was representative to the imperial council. He was one of the organizers 
and is an active member of the Masonic Veterans' Association of the 
state. He is identified with Deadwood Lodge, No. 508, Benevolent and 
Protective Order of Elks. He is an active and enthusiastic member of the 
Society of Black Hills Pioneers, of which he formerly served as 
president; is also identified with the Deadwood Business Club and the 
Olympic Association, having served as a member of the directorate of 
each, and is identified with the State Historical Society. Reverting to 
his political associations, we may say that Mr. Ayres has served 
consecutively since 1898 as chairman of the Lawrence county Republican 
central committee, while he is also at the time of this writing a member 
and vice-chairman of the Republican state central committee. He is a man 
of genial nature, sincere and whole-souled, and has the esteem and 
confidence of all who know him, while he has a host of staunch friends 
in business, fraternal, political and social circles. 

	Mr. Ayres has been twice married. At Beatrice, Nebraska, on the 
23d of April, 1885, he was united to Miss Kate Towle, daughter of Albert 
Towle, one of the organizers of that town, in 1857, and its postmaster 
for nineteen years, while his daughter Kate was the first white child 
born in Gage county, that state. She was born August 15, 1859, and her 
death occurred March 28, 1892, in Deadwood. Of the children of this 
union were: James Albert, born March 29, 1886, who is now a resident of 
Douglas, Wyoming; and Helen, born January 1, 1888, died on the 13th of 
the following June. On the 21st of December, 1898, Mr. Ayres wedded Miss 
Myrtle E. Coon, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Coon, of Omaha, 
Nebraska, and they have three children, namely: George Vincent, Jr., who 
was born August 18, 1899; Frances, born August 11, 1900, and Alice, born 
December 19, 1902.