The reasons people get into family history vary greatly. Some have family members who have been doing it for years and they want to carry on the tradition. Others watch TV shows like “Who Do You Think You Are” and get the itch to trace their own past. Whatever your reason, enjoy the journey.
For me, there were two things that triggered my interest. First, my parents shared the same last name but spelled slightly differently. My father is Ayres from Harford County in Maryland. My mother was an Ayers from New Haven Connecticut. I was confident that they were not directly related, but I always wondered where the Ayres / Ayers family tree forked. Then one day, my cousin Jennifer (on the Ayers) side asked what I knew about our grandfather, Raymond E. Ayers. His father left the family when he was just three years old and he did not speak of him. We knew that he was born in Binghamton, New York. But we had little information about his father and the Ayers name. Being someone who does not like to say “I do not know”, I took it as a challenge.
It was pretty easy to find his father’s name on the 1910 census. And from there, I was able to trace him back a few more generations. Over time, I was able to trace him back to the first recorded Ayers’ in this country and their origins in Salisbury, England. It was a great treat when my wife and I visited the wonderful town, it’s amazing cathedral, and a few graveyards where distant relatives are buried.
The time I focused on my grandfather’s family also yielded some unexpected results. Through his mother’s side, I found a number of Patriots who fought in the American Revolution. As a member of the SAR, it was satisfying to find new patriots to research. However, the real excitement was finding a connection to the Mayflower. Resolved White is my 10th Great Grandfather. My application was finally approved this past year (early 2019) and my mother’s is in process.
Not everyone’s journey will find these types of connections. However, I usually find something interesting in every tree I research. I hope your journey is rewarding in it’s own special way.
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