The Ames family is one of the oldest and most illustrious families of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The family's branches are descended from John Ames, the son of a 17th-century settler of the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of Eng ...

. Numerous public and private works throughout the U.S. are named after family members, including the city

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...

, and the NASA Ames research center in California.

Origins

The scion of the American Ames family was William Ames, who was born in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

to John Ames and Cyprian Ames (née Brown) in 1605. The family's earliest known ancestor died in 1560. It is thought the family's surname was, at some point prior to emigration, changed from '' Amyas''. In the 16th century Amyas was frequently confused with Ames. William Ames immigrated to

Massachusetts Bay Massachusetts Bay is a bay on the Gulf of Maine that forms part of the central coastline of Massachusetts. Description The bay extends from Cape Ann on the north to Plymouth Harbor on the south, a distance of about . Its northern and sout ...

in 1638, eventually settled in Braintree, and died in about 1653. With his wife Hannah, he had one son, John, born in 1647.

Heraldry

The heraldist William Armstrong Crozier recorded an heraldic achievement matriculated to William Ames, from an original grant issued by the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

. ;Shield :''Argent on a bend cotissed between two annulets Sable, a quatrefoil between two roses of the field;'' ;Crest :''A rose Argent, slipped and leaved proper, in front thereof an annulet Or''

Notable family members

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.

Descendants of John Ames (born 1672)

* Samuel Ames (1824-1875), chief justice of the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the Supreme court, court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by ...

* Marcus Ames (1828-1887), chaplain of the state institutions of

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

* Herman Vandenburg Ames (1865-1935), dean of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

Graduate School *

Joseph Sweetman Ames Joseph Sweetman Ames (July 3, 1864 – June 24, 1943) was an American physicist, professor at Johns Hopkins University, provost of the university from 1926 to 1929, and university president from 1929 to 1935. He is best remembered as one of th ...

(1865-1943), president of

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

* Louis Annin Ames (1866-1952), businessman and designer of the City of New York flag

Descendants of Nathaniel Ames (born 1677)

* Nathaniel Ames (1708-1764), almanac publisher * Fisher Ames (1758-1808), member of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

* Nathaniel Ames, (1741-1822), doctor and almanac publisher * Nathaniel Ames (1796-1835), seafarer and author * Ellis Ames (1809-1886), member of the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. Th ...

Descendants of Thomas Ames (born 1681)

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. Stonehill College maintains the Ames Family Collection, containing documents related to the Thomas Ames branch dating from the 19th to 20th centuries. They were donated to the college in 2000 by Elizabeth M. Ames, and later supplemented by additional deposits from other family members. * John Ames (1738-1805), military officer and industrialist * Oliver Ames Sr. (1779-1863), industrialist *

Oakes Ames Oakes Ames (January 10, 1804 – May 8, 1873) 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 ...

(1804-1873), member of the

* Oliver Ames Jr. (1807-1877), president of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

* John Ames Mitchell (1845-1918), architect * Oakes Angier Ames (1829-1899), industrialist * Oliver Ames (1831–1895),

governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

Frederick Lothrop Ames Frederick Lothrop Ames (June 8, 1835 – September 13, 1893) 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 Ele ...

(1835-1893), member of the

Winthrop Ames Winthrop Ames (November 25, 1870 – November 3, 1937) was an American theatre director and producer, playwright and screenwriter. For three decades at the beginning of the 20th century, Ames was an important force on Broadway, whose repertoir ...

(1870-1937), producer and playwright *

(1874-1950), botanist * Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr. (1876-1921), socialite

Family tree

* John Ames / Susannah Howard :* David Ames :* Oliver Ames Sr. / Susannah Angier ::*

/ Evelina Orville Gilmore :::* Oakes Angier Ames ::::*

:::* Oliver Ames / Anna Coffin Ray ::::*

Oakes Ames (botanist) Oakes Ames (; September 26, 1874 – April 28, 1950) was an American biologist specializing in orchids. His estate is now the Borderland State Park in Massachusetts. He was the son of Governor of Massachusetts Oliver Ames and grandson of Cong ...

/ Blanche Ames Ames ::* Oliver Ames Jr. / Sarah Lothrop :::*

/ Rebecca Blair ::::* Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr. / Edith Cryder ::* Harriet Ames (1819-1896) / Asa Mitchell (1819-1877) :::* John Ames Mitchell

Financial holdings

The following is a list of businesses in which the Ames family have held a controlling or otherwise significant interest. * Ames Manufacturing Company * Ames Shovel Works * Annin & Co. * Booth Theatre * Crédit Mobilier of America * D.& J. Ames Paper *

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

* ''Life'' (magazine) * Old Colony Railroad *

* United States Cartridge Company

Buildings, estates & historical sites

* Ames Building * Ames Free Library * Ames Gate Lodge * Ames Monument * Ames Shovel Shop * Borderland * F. L. Ames Gardener's Cottage * Oakes Ames Memorial Hall * Queset House

Notes

References

{{reflist American families Business families of the United States Butler–Ames family