Ames family

The Ames family is one of the oldest and most illustrious families of the United States.[1] The family's branches are descended from John Ames, the son of a 17th-century settler of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and numerous public and private works throughout the U.S. are named after family members, including the city Ames, Iowa and the NASA Ames research center in California.

Ames
Family
Arms matriculated to William Ames sometime before 1608
CountryUnited States
EtymologyAmyas; merchant of Amiens
Place of originBraintree, Massachusetts

Origins

The scion of the American Ames family was William Ames who was born in England to John Ames and Cyprian Ames (née Brown) in 1605.[1] The family's earliest known ancestor died in 1560.[1] It is thought the family's surname was, at some point prior to emigration, changed from Amyas.[1] In the 16th century Amyas was frequently confused with Ames.[2]

William Ames immigrated to Massachusetts Bay in 1638, eventually settled in Braintree, and died in about 1653.[1] With his wife Hannah, he had one son, John, born in 1647.[1][lower-alpha 1]

Heraldry

The heraldist William Armstrong Crozier recorded an heraldic achievement matriculated to William Ames, from an original grant issued by the College of Arms.[3]

Shield
Argent on a bend cotissed between two annulets Sable, a quatrefoil between two roses of the field;
Crest
A rose Argent, slipped and leaved proper, in front thereof an annulet Or

Notable family members

The children of William Ames' son, John (born 1647), included John (born 1672), Nathaniel (1677), and Thomas (born 1681). They, in turn, had a number of notable descendants.

Among many monuments and facilities named after members of the Ames family include (clockwise, from top left) the Ames Monument, NASA's Ames Research Center, Boston's Ames Building, and the Ames Memorial Hall.

Descendants of John Ames (born 1672)

Descendants of Nathaniel Ames (born 1677)

Descendants of Thomas Ames (born 1681)

The descendants of Thomas Ames, known for the Ames Manufacturing Company and Ames True Temper which was the source of their wealth, have principally been associated with North Easton, Massachusetts.[1] Stonehill College maintains the Ames Family Collection, containing documents related to the Thomas Ames branch dating from the 19th to 20th centuries.[8] They were donated to the college in 2000 by Elizabeth M. Ames, and later supplemented by additional deposits from other family members.[8]

Family tree
  • Harriet Ames (1819-1896) / Asa Mitchell (1819-1877)

Notes
  1. A younger brother of William Ames, John, arrived in Massachusetts a few years after William Ames and settled in Duxbury. He fought in King Philip's War and had two sons, William and John.[1]

References
  1. Cutter, William (1914). New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 3. Lewis Historical Publishing. p. 1288.
  2. Reaney, P.H. (1997). A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press.
  3. Crozier, William (1904). Crozier's General Armory: A Registry of American Families Entitled to Coat Armor. Genealogical Association. p. 12.
  4. Chamberlain, Joshua (1901). University of Pennsylvania: Its History, Influence, Equipment and Characteristics; with Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Founders, Benefactors, Officers and Alumni. R. Herndon Company. p. 442.
  5. Dorsey, Ernest (1944). "Joseph Sweetman Ames: The Man". American Journal of Physics. 12 (135). doi:10.1119/1.1990567.
  6. Crawford, Mary (1930). Famous Families of Massachusetts Volume II (PDF). Little Brown & Co. pp. 358–364.
  7. Davis, William (1895). Bench and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Volume 2. Boston History Company. p. 199.
  8. "Ames Family Collection". stonehill.edu. Stonehill College. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
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