Ames family | |
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Current region | Massachusetts, United States |
Etymology | Amyas; merchant of Amiens |
Place of origin | England |
Founded | 1638 |
Founder | William Ames |
Connected families | Butler |
Estate(s) | Borderland Queset House |
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. 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.
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] [a]
The heraldist William Armstrong Crozier recorded an heraldic achievement matriculated to William Ames, from an original grant issued by the College of Arms. [3]
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.
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]
The following is a list of businesses in which the Ames family have held a controlling or otherwise significant interest.
Easton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,058 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Boston area.
Oakes Ames was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. As a congressman, he is credited by many historians as being the single most important influence in the building of the Union Pacific portion of the transcontinental railroad. He is also noted for the subsequent scandal that alleged the improper sale of stock of the railroad's construction company.
The Boston Brahmins, or Boston elite, are members of Boston's historic upper class. From the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, they were often associated with a cultivated New England accent, Harvard University, Anglicanism, and traditional British-American customs and clothing. Descendants of the earliest English colonists are typically considered to be the most representative of the Boston Brahmins. They are considered White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs).
Oliver Ames was an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and Republican politician who served as the 35th governor of Massachusetts from 1887 to 1890.
Stonehill College is a private Catholic college in Easton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr., with 29 buildings that complement the original Georgian-style Ames mansion.
Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr. was a Massachusetts financier and socialite. He was the great-grandson of Oliver Ames, who established the Ames Shovel Company, grandson of Oliver Ames Jr., and son of Frederick Lothrop Ames.
Oliver Ames Jr. was president of Union Pacific Railroad when the railroad met the Central Pacific Railroad in Utah for the completion of the First transcontinental railroad in North America.
George Van Ness Lothrop was a politician in the U.S. state of Michigan, serving as the seventh Michigan Attorney General from 1848 until 1851 and US ambassador to Russia.
The Ames Free Library is a public library designed by noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. It is located at 53 Main Street, Easton, Massachusetts, immediately adjacent to another Richardson building, Oakes Ames Memorial Hall.
The Ames Monument is a large pyramid in Albany County, Wyoming, designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and dedicated to brothers Oakes Ames and Oliver Ames Jr., Union Pacific Railroad financiers. It marked the highest point on the first transcontinental railroad, at 8,247 feet (2,514 m).
Oakes Angier Ames was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist in the Ames family of North Easton, Massachusetts.
The surname Ames is usually either French, English or German in origin. The French name comes from the noun amie, meaning a friend or a beloved. The surname also derives from the Old French and Middle English personal name Amys or Amice, the Latin amicus, or from a Late Latin derivative of this, Amicius. The German roots of the name could have come from the Old High German word amazzig, meaning "busy," as a nickname for an active person. The name also has connections to the modern German name Ameise, meaning "ant".
The H. H. Richardson Historic District of North Easton is a National Historic Landmark District in the village of North Easton in Easton, Massachusetts. It consists of five buildings designed by noted 19th-century architect Henry Hobson Richardson, and The Rockery, a war memorial designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
The Ames Shovel Shops, also known as Ames Shovel Works or Ames Shovel Shop, is a historic 19th century industrial complex located in North Easton, Massachusetts. It is part of the North Easton Historic District, and consists of several granite buildings constructed between 1852 and 1885, along with several newer additions and outbuildings dating to about 1928.
Ames True Temper is a multinational corporation headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon Corporation. Ames True Temper specializes in the manufacture of non-powered lawn and garden products. Its manufacturing plant is located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and produces 85% of the wheelbarrows in the United States and Canada producing 1.7 million wheelbarrows each year. The Harrisburg plant has been in continual operation since 1876.
Oliver Ames Sr. was the family patriarch of the Ames family of Easton, Massachusetts. He established the family shovel business, which over generations grew to become one of the largest family fortunes in New England.
Lothrop may refer to:
Frederick Lothrop Ames was heir to a fortune in railroads and shovel manufacturing. He was Vice President of the Old Colony Railroad, a director of the Union Pacific railroad, and a co-founder of General Electric. At the time of his death, Ames was reported to be the wealthiest person in Massachusetts.
David Ames served as first superintendent of the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1794 to October 31, 1802. He supplied the American army with shovels and guns during the American Revolution and was commissioned in the militia. Upon completion of service at the Armory, he entered the paper-manufacturing business and by 1838 was proprietor of the most extensive paper manufacturing operation in the United States.
Mary Shreve (Ames) Frothingham was born into the prominent Ames family of Easton, Massachusetts. She held crucial roles in the development of many local and nationally recognized organizations through leadership and financial contributions. She assumed modesty in her personal life so as to give generously to others. Her legacy in her hometown can still be enjoyed by many at the Ames Free Library, Unity Church, Frothingham Hall, Frothingham Park and her home ‘Wayside’.