Hannah (Unknown) Ayer (abt. 1598 - 1688)

Born about 1598 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England [uncertain]

Wife of John Ayer Sr. — married about 1620 in Cockfield, Durham, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 8 Oct 1688 at about age 90 in Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Hannah (Unknown) Ayer migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Hannah's parents and origins are as yet unknown. See the Research Notes for full details. Much research and hypothesis has been done on the wife of John Ayers.

Hannah married John Ayer by about 1620 in England.

Their children include:

1. John b. abt 1620, England^[1](some sources have him later in the birth order, b. 1647 in Haverhill^[2]
2. Rebecca b abt 1623^[1] m John Aslet 8 Oct 1648. she survived her husband who died 6 Jun 1671(Sidney Perley lists Rebecca 2nd, after John, before Robert). ^[3][4]
3. Robert b abt 1625^[1]
4. Thomas b abt 1629^[1]
5. Mary b abt 1631^[1] (Sidney Perley lists Mary as 6th, between Peter and Obadiah). ^[3][4]
6. Peter b agt 1633^[1]
7. Obadiah b abt 1638^[1]
8. Nathaniel b abt 1642^[1]
9. Hannah b 21 Dec 1644 Salisbury;^[1] m 24 Mar 1662/3 Stephen Webster

• Note: see Research Notes for disputed children Susanna & Alexander.

Hannah was named in her husband John's will of March 12, 1657 ^[5] which was proved 6 October 1657.^[6] Hannah, survived him, and died Oct. 8, 1688, having remained his widow.^[7] John Ayer devised his homestead to his son John Jr.^[2] He named his children: sons John, Robert, Thomas, Obediah, Peter and Nathaniel; daughters Hannah, Rebecca, and Mary.

Death & Burial

The widow Hannah Ayer died in Haverhill on 08 October 1688.^[8]

Said to be buried in Pentucket Cemetery, Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts^{[citation needed]}

Research Notes

Disputed Parents / Origins: There is no evidence for Hannah's last name of Webb or Evered. Hannah Evered/Webb had been shown as being born 1598 in Salisbury, Wilt, England, daughter of John Evered and Mary (Richmond) Evered, but no quality sources have been found for her birth information, or tying Hannah Evered to John Ayers at all. Based on this, her parents will be disconnected, and her last name at birth will be changed to Unknown; if quality sources are found in the future identifying her parentage, her profile will be updated.

Willis Brown in regards to Hannah and her maiden name:

First and possibly foremost, John Ayer was not married to Hannah Evered. He was married to Hannah, who was not an Evered. A very early researcher, perhaps as early as 1860, identified her as Hannah Green(?) with the question mark next to it. He left us no notes, or lists of reference. I have found nothing that would indicate where he developed that theory.

One early identification found of the wife of John Ayer as Hannah Evered was a newspaper genealogy column known as "The Boston Transcript." According to that source Hannah was listed in the will of John Evered alias Webb dated 10 February 1665-1666, in which he named his wife Mary and six of the children of John Ayer, calling them his niece Rebecca, wife of John Arsleby of Andover, and her brothers, John, Robert, Thomas, Peter and Nathaniel Ayres of Haverhill; supposition is that Hannah therefore must have been his sister. She was not listed in that will. In fact, Hannah was still alive when the will was offered for probate, she was not mentioned and did not inherit. John Evered alias Webb did mention his cousins as the children of John Ayer: and not as the children of his sister Hannah. I think John Evered alias Webb knew what he was doing, and I do not try to second guess him. In some so-called family trees, Hannah has been added as a sibling of John Evered alias Webb, but that is not supported by English records.^[2]

There was apparently some kind of relationship between the John Evered Alias Webb and the Ayer family, but doubt has been cast on Hannah being a close relation of John by the fact that John Evered alias Webb did not name a sister Hannah in his will. ^[9]

The Wikipedia page for her husband shows Hannah's name as "Hannah Evered als. Webb", and with the parents listed above, but does not identify any sources.^[10]

Disputed Death: Sources also dispute the date of her death: Perley says "his wife Hannah survived him, and died 8 Oct 1688, having remained his widow,"^[3] however, she must have died aft 1692 when she, along with some of her ch, deeded land to son Robert^[4][11]

Disputed children: Previously attached, without reliable sources, were two children: Susanna (Ayres) Stanhope (1635-1676) and Alexander Ayer (1639-1723). They have been removed, and if records prove the relationship can be reattached. Madison-125 22:13, 27 February 2024 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} Holman, Mary (Lovering), Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury, published 1938. Reference Volume 2, page 1085
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} The Story of John Ayer of Haverhill Massachusetts by Janson Ayer http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ayergenealogy/story.htm NOTE: Unreachable site as of June 2 2022
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Ayer Genealogy - The Descendents of John Ayer of Salisbury 1640; Haverhill 1647 by Sidney Perley, first published in The Essex Antiquarian, Vol. IV, No. 10, October 1900, Salem, MA. Page 145
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} The Ayres and Ayer Families by W.H. Whitmore in NEHGS Reg (Oct 1863) Vol. 17 pp 307-310
5. ↑ "Probate Records of Essex county, MA" vol 1 publ 1916, p 260-263 https://archive.org/stream/probaterecordsof01dowg#page/260/mode/1up
6. ↑ "Early Settlers of Essex and Old Norfolk," NEHGR Vol. 6(1846):207. Archive.org
7. ↑ Topsfield Historical Society, compiler, Vital Records of Haverhill, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Salem, MA: Newcomb & Gauss Printers, 1910), Vol. 2:348. Archive.org

   "Ayer, Hanah, wid., Oct. 8, 1688."

8. ↑ Topsfield Historical Society, compiler, Vital Records of Haverhill, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Salem, MA: Newcomb & Gauss Printers, 1910), Vol. 2:348. Archive.org

   "Ayer, Hanah, wid., Oct. 8, 1688."

9. ↑ Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts, Salem, MA: Essex Institute, 1916, Vol. 5: 1672-1674
10. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ayer
11. ↑ some information received from Thomas Ayer's Descendants by Rhonda R. McClure [email removed]

See also:

• Treman, Ebenezar M., The History of the Treman, Tremaine, Truman family in America, Publication: Ithaca, N.Y.: Press of the Ithaca Democrat, c. 1901. Note: Alternative repository: Google Books
• George Thomas Little, A. M., Litt. D., Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine'' (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York 1909) Subsequent Source Citation Format: George Thomas Little, A. M., Litt. D.,
• New England heritage of Rousmaniere, Ayer, Farwell, and Bourne families Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.Original data - Bailey, Rosalie Fellows,. New England heritage of Rousmaniere, Ayer, Farwell, and Bourne families. New York: unknown, 1960.Original data: Bailey, Rosalie Fellows,. Ne Note: Includes bibliographical references. hathitrust
• A Potter-Richardson memorial : the ancestral lines of William W. Potter of Michigan, and his wife, Margaret (Richardson) Potter Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.Original data - Hanna, Doreen Potter,. A Potter-Richardson memorial : the ancestral lines of William W. Potter of Michigan, and his wife, Margaret (Richardson) Potter. unknown: unkno Note: Errata sheet tipped in.|||Includes bibliographical references.
• Powers, William Howard, Powers-Banks ancestry..., published 1921 Reference pages 171-172 Shows her last name as "Webb?" with no sources for the name
• Find A Grave, database and images https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33708360/hannah-ayers#source NOTE: No sources shown with the memorial
• Ayer Genealogy by Janson Ayer, hosted by RootsWeb - Ancestry Chart of Janson Ayer - Janson Ayer to John Ayer. NOTE: Family tree with no sources shown
• Kate Montressor. My Old Dead Relatives "Hannah", retrieved 6.20.2021