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#9538. 6. AYRES. A. R. H., July 2, 1923. I am also interested in the Ayres line and have studied all the references you mention besides others and am convinced that Mary Wait who married Asa Ayres was daughter of William Wait of Granby. (Note, their second son was named William Wait). Have you any data pertaining to William Wait? Was he a son of Martin Wait of Hadley? As Asa Ayres is listed in census of 1790 of Hadley, this must be the Asa we are tracing, as no other of the name appears in the census of 1790 elsewhere.

Asa and Mary (Wait) Ayres had a son Asa who died young, then a daughter Polly, and another son Asa, born March 1, 1791. Not long after this Asa and Mary must have removed to Chester, for the Chester Vital Records, page 14, record births of the following children: Pamelia, Aug. 21, 1793, died 1810; Sally Jan. 31, 1796, died Feb. 11, 1796; Sally again, Feb 24, 1798; William Wait, Sept. 12, 1800; Franklin, Oct. 13, 1805; two more, not found in Chester records were: Samuel, born 1803, and Buenos, born 1810. Among Chester marriages are recorded the following: Mary (intentions Polly) Ayers and Jude Stevens, July 13, 1815. Sally Ayers and Charles Slayton (intentions of Potsdam, N.Y.).

Now my problem begins here. What became of Asa Ayers, Sr? Did he ever leave Chester? The Hadley history states that “Asa Ayers married Mary Wait and moved to Ohio.” In face of the foregoing records this proves to be an error. But the fact is, Asa Ayers, Jr., born March 1, 1791, served in the war of 1812 from Kirtland, Ohio. He married Rachel Bolton March 5, 1812 (where?). She was born Oct. 15, 1792 (where?), and died 1866 in Benton Harbor, Mich. Tradition says she was of Irish ancestry. Children of Asa and Rachel (Bolton) Ayers, all born in Ohio, were: Pamelia, 1812; Emily 1814; Maria, 1816; Almon Perry, 1818; James Bolton, 1820; John Nelson, 1822; Laura, 1825; Charles Wesley, 1827; Mary, 1831; Ransom G., 1835, and Benjamin Franklin, 1838.

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Transcribed by Gloria ODOM.

NOTE FROM GLORIA: I am a direct descendant of Asa AYRES & Mary WAIT; I have found the PLACE of death for Asa & Mary, with records to prove the location, from another AYRES descendant. Please see: "Ayres & Ayres Archives" here on the internet under "Ayres mystery!" for additional details.

I am also compiling an updated record on the descendants of this couple, to include in the Descendants of Captain John AYRES of Brookfield, MA, from whom Asa is descended. Am willing to share information as well.