William L. Ames

WILLIAM LAFAYETTE AMES was born April 4, 1857 in Oregon, Dane County, Wisconsin, son of John Norton Ames and Mary Ann Ball Ames. He died June 15, 1951 in Oregon.

A Sketch of the Life of Nathanial Ames

I, Nathaniel Ames, was born April 25th, 1761, in Killingsby, Conn*. My father’s name was David Ames. At the age of six years I was given to my grandfather, who had lost a son in the French War, after whom I was named, who lived in Stonington (now N. Stonington). I lived there until I was eighteen years of age.  I then enlisted in the Continental service for the campaign of 1779.

John Norton Ames

JOHN NORTON AMES was born July 7, 1822, in Steuben, Oneida County, New York. He is the son of David H. and Betsy Norton Ames. He was married to Mary Ann Ball on October 24, 1844.
In the autumn of 1845, he and his wife migrated from New York state to Wisconsin and located in Oregon. He lived on the original half-section entered by his grandfather until 1870, and then purchased 240 acres, lying on both sides of the trace of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, two miles south of the Oregon village, and in the heart of the best farming land in that section of Wisconsin. On this farm, he built a large two-story farm house, a substantial basement barn and other buildings; and although he began his independent career with $100, which he had earned as monthly wages, few men made greater or more constant progress.
John Norton and Mary Ann Ames spent their remaining years in Oregon. Mary Ann died on February 4, 1893 at the age of 70 years, 9 months, and 10 days-exactly coincident with that of her mother at death. John N. died on March 2, 1917, at the age of 94 years, 7 months and 23 days. His illness was but 4 days long and his mind was clear until the end. Both John and Mary are buried at Prairie Mound Cemetery in Oregon.
They were blessed with seven children, two of whom died in infancy.
Francis Marion Ames (married August 15, 1876 to Alice Cordelia Main)Marianne AmesGeorge W. AmesSara Amelia Ames (married Sept. 19m 1883 to Hugh Pierce Jamieson)William Lafayette Ames (married Feb. 27, 1894 to Julia Alice Travis)Florence Alma Ames (married Dec. 1, 1892 to Arthur Hamilton Sholts)John Franklin Ames (married April 20, 1882 to Ella P. Starkweather and on May 19, 1891 to Frances Meaker)
Ref. Erfurth, Shirley A. (1991). The Ames Family 1520 to 1991, p.8. On file at the OAHS.

Mary Ann (Ball) AmesWife of John Norton Ames(From the family books compiled by Shirley Erfurth)

Francis M. Ames

FRANCIS M. AMES is a native-born son of Dane county, and during all of his long and active career he has resided within her confines. He was born in the town of Oregon, March 23, 1847, and is the son of John N. and Mary Ann (Ball) Ames, pioneer settlers of the county, who are deserving of more than a passing mention in a volume devoted to the history of worthy citizens, past and present.John N. Ames was born July 7, 1822, in Steuben, Oneida county, N.Y., and is descended from noble Revolutionary ancestry.