LOWRY N. AYRES

One of Cedar county’s most public-spirited citizens is Lowry N. Ayres who from pioneer days has been prominently identified with the development and prosperity of this section of the state. He was born in Venango county, Pennsylvania, on the 2d of April, 1845, and is a son of David Ayres, whose birth occurred in York county, that state, on the 17th of July, 1821. His paternal grandparents were John and Rachel (Wonders) Ayers, who came west in 1854 and settled in Cedar county, Iowa, where they spent the remainder of their lives. In their family were the following children: David, the father of our subject; Mrs. Anna Wearham, deceased; Sebastian, also deceased; John, a resident of Bennett, Iowa; Mrs. Jane Wearham, deceased; Newton, of California; Mrs. Caroline Dice, of Wilton, Iowa; Mrs. Clementine Blizzard of Malcom, Iowa; and Mrs. Leah Gano, of Cedar county.

David Ayres grew to manhood in his native state and in Venango county, Pennsylvania, was married May 5, 1840, to Miss Mary Ann Walter, whose birth occurred in that county, August 14, 1819. Her parents were John and Elizabeth (Walter) Walter, who spent their entire lives in the Keystone state. Mr. and Mrs. Ayres continued to reside in Venango county until 1854, when they came to Cedar county, Iowa, with their five children, all of whom were born in Pennsylvania. Six others were added to the family after locating here and in order of birth they are as follows: Sheldon and Cobault, who died in Pennsylvania in boyhood; John, who died during the first year of their residence in Iowa at the age of fourteen; Lowry N., whose name heads this sketch; Elizabeth, the widow of Jonathan Ford and a resident of Sugar Creek township; Amanda, the wife of C. V. Kenneson of Nebraska; Henry Barkey of Wilton, Iowa; Peter, a resident of Inland township; Etta, the wife of William McCroskey, of Center township; Tabitha, who died in infancy; and Banes, who also died in infancy.

The father became one of the most extensive landowners in this section of the state, having about one thousand acres in four different townships. He continued to follow farming through life, making his home at Ayresville and taking a very active and prominent part in church work. He was instrumental in securing the first preacher who came to this locality from the east and organized the Meneca church. In politics he was first a whig and later a republican and always took a commendable interest in public affairs. After a useful and well spent life he passed away on the 15th of October, 1901. His widow still survives him and continues to make her home in Ayresville, where at the age of ninety-one years she is still living, enjoying excellent health, being able to make and take care of her own garden and mow her own lawn. Until about a year ago she also kept and milked one cow, making all the butter for her own use. She is a woman of remarkable vitality and is loved and respected by all who know her.

Lowry N. Ayres was about nine years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal from his boyhood home in Pennsylvania to Cedar county, Iowa, the family locating in Ayresville, where he grew to manhood and made his home until 1900, when he removed to Wilton. He remained under the parental roof until twenty-three years of age and then commenced farming on his own account, continuing to follow that occupation until taking up his residence in Wilton. He was the owner of eighty acres of fine farming land on section 1, Sugar Creek township; also had eighty acres just across the road in Farmington township; and another eighty in Farmington township near Bennett. In addition to this property he still owns two hundred and forty acres of land in Inland township. In all he now has four hundred and eighty acres under cultivation and a tract of twenty acres of timber land in Center township. The village of Ayresville is located on the corner of four different townships, Center, Inland, Farmington and Sugar Creek, and the family has therefore been identified with the development of each of these.

In 1868 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Ayres and Miss Catharine Fulton, who was born in Ohio in 1849 and was about fifteen years of age when she accompanied her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Fulton, on their removal to Cedar county. Six children blessed this union, namely: Perry, who lives on his father’s farm in Sugar Creek township; Charles, who died at the age of four years; Frank, who died at the age of three years; Clarence, who died at the age of four years; Vera Bertha, now the wife of Dr. H. H. Johnson, a physician of Wilton; and Fay, at home. The mother of these children passed away on the 4th of July, 1907, and Mr. Ayres was again married March 24, 1910, his second union being with Miss Ella N. Duchen, a native of Cedar county, who successfully engaged in teaching in the public schools of Wilton for seventeen years after her graduation from the schools there.

Since becoming a resident of Wilton, Mr. Ayres has taken quite a prominent and influential part in public affairs, serving as a member of the city council for three years and mayor of the city for two terms. Never were the affairs of the city government in more capable hands and he did all in his power to promote the interests of Wilton. During his administration many needed improvements were made and he never withheld his support from any enterprise which he believed would prove of public benefit. Prior to his removal to Wilton he served as trustee of Sugar Creek township for six years and was a member of the school board for a number of years. The republican party finds in him a stanch supporter of its principles, and he has always been an active church worker. At an early age he united with the Church of God and was superintendent of the Sunday school for a number of years and a trustee of Meneca church while residing on the farm, but since coming to Wilton has joined the Presbyterian church, with which he is now affiliated. He also belongs to the Knight of Pythias lodge at that place.

Mr. Ayres relates many interesting experiences of pioneer life and with the development of this region he has been prominently identified. Shortly after the arrival of the family here his father drew a furrow from Durant to Ayresville as a line to mark the stage route between the former place and Tipton. This furrow extended about nine miles across the prairie where no fences had been built or roads laid out. To the plow were hitched two yoke of oxen and one horse. On this horse our subject rode while his father guided the plow. The road that they then laid out was used for several years until fences began to be built and the course was changed to section lines. In those early days there were plenty of deer roaming across the prairie and country was decidedly wild and unimproved.