Francis M. Ames was born and raised in Dane County. He was born in the town of Oregon, March 23, 1847, and is the oldest son of John N. and Mary Ann (Ball) Ames, pioneer settlers of the county.
John N. Ames was the son of David H. and Betsy (Norton) Ames. He came with his grandfather to Wisconsin, in 1845, and was the only one of the eleven children born to his parents who made his home in this state. More information on John N. Ames.
David H. Ames, was the son of Revolutionary War veteran, Nathanial Ames. David was born near Albany, New York and served in the War of 1812. He died in Trenton Falls, New York at the age of 101 years old. He married Miss Betsy Norton, who was a native of Herkimer County, New York and a granddaughter of General Norton of the Revolutionary War. She also lived to be very old.
Francis’s great-grandfather, Nathaniel Ames was born April 25, 1761, in New Hampshire, was a farmer and a Protestant Methodist preacher, who served under Washington and experienced the miseries of that winter camp at Valley Forge. In 1845, when Nathaniel Ames was 84, he along with his wife and 5 of their children, migrated to the wilds of the then territory of Wisconsin and settled on section 22 of what is now the town of Oregon, in Dane county. More information about Nathaniel Ames.
Francis M. Ames received his primary education Oregon and went on to take courses at University of Wisconsin at Madison. Frances lived at home with his parents until he married. On August 15, 1876, Francis married Miss Alice C. Main, daughter of R. P. and Cordelia A. (Dakin) Main.
After his marriage to Alice, they moved to a 250 acre farm in section 32 in the town of Rutland known as the old Axtell farm. There Francis built a house and made improvements to the property. In addition to this homestead, he owned 200 acres in Brooklyn, Green county which tract is known as the Willis Hazeltine place. Francis grew oats, corn, hay, wheat, and livestock including hogs, horses, and cattle.
In politics, Francis supported the principles of the Prohibition party, but has never aspired to official position.
In 1904, the Farmer’s Mutual Banking & Trust Company of Brooklyn was organized, and Mr. Ames was elected as the first president of the organization, serving in that capacity for two years.
Sources referenced:
- 1906 History of Dane County, Wisconsin, Western Historical Association, Madison, WI, p. 28-31. accessible at https://archive.org/details/historyofdanecou02keye