HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY

Aaron F. Ames, who, after a life filled with varied experiences, is now
living in retirement in Buffalo, was born in Chittenden county, Vermont,
December 30, 1827, son of William and Polly (Brownell) Ames. William Ames
was born and reared in Vermont and there spent a number of years in farming.
After coming west he located in Boone county, Illinois, and kept a stage-
line tavern at Amesville, now known as Garden Prairie. At one time General
Winfield Scott was a guest at the hotel, and the two men became fast
friends. William Ames had twelve children, as follows: Eliza, Caroline,
Adaline, Harriett, Adelia, Emily, Sereno, George, Alson, William, Aaron F.
and Eben. Of this family, George was the first to come to Minnesota.
He first secured twenty acres near the present site of the Hennepin county
courthouse in Minneapolis. He considered the tract of little value and
abandoned it to locate in Rockford township, in Wright county. Aaron F.
Ames received his early education in Illinois. In May, 1852, before the
gold craze of 1849 had subsided, he started out in an ox team for California,
accompanied by his brothers, Alson and Eben, and by another man named J. R. Ames, but not a relative. It was the intention of the party to reach
Sacramento, but in September it was decided to stop at the Yaba river,
ninety miles east of that city. Aaron F. at first secured work at $5.00
a day, but soon discovered that it took more than that to live, so he went
prospecting. For three years he followed mining in various places, and
then started home, making the trip by way of New Mexico, on the line of
the pony express from Sacramento to St. Cloud. He farmed for a while in
Garden Prairie, Ill., and then went to McGregor, Iowa. At the outbreak
of the Civil war, he recruited Co. L, Sixth Iowa Cavalry, and was mustered
in as its captain, at Davenport. He served two years and nine months, and
saw much active service on the Northwestern frontier against the Indians.
In one engagement he was thrown from his horse, causing a rupture from
which he has never fully recovered. He was mustered out at Sioux City,
and returned to his home in Illinois, but shortly afterward he again came
to McGregor and again engaged in the mercantile business. From McGregor he went to Cresco, Iowa. From there, in 1872, he came to Wright county and
located on a place of 130 acres, one half mile north of the village of
Rockford. This was wild land, and no improvements had been made thereon.
Mr. Ames broke the land, erected modern buildings and successfully farmed until 1901, when he retired and moved to Buffalo. He is a member of the G.A.R. Post, and while in the township served as town clerk and town assessor.
The family faith is that of the Episcopal church. Mr. Ames was married
at McGregor, Iowa, in 1866, to Sarah Forsythe, born in Waddington, N.Y.,
May 29, 1843, daughter of John and Mary (Mathews) Forsythe. Mr. and
Mrs. Ames have four children. Rose and Frank were born in Iowa, and
Polly and Edith in Minnesota. Rose lives in Buffalo. Frank died in
1876. Polly is now Mrs. Charles W. Lynd, of Medicine Lake, Mont.
They have seven children, Edith, Ames, Milo, Lloyd, Roy, Vernon and
Cleon. Edith is now Mrs. Irvin L. O'Meara, of Hennepin county,
Minnesota. They have three children, Irvin, Edna and Lois. John
Forsythe was a tailor by trade. He was born in Scotland, came to
New York at the age of sixteen, and married Mary Mathews, who was
born in Montreal, Canada, of Scottish parents. From New York they
went to Wisconsin, and lived for a time near Watertown. Later they
went to McGregor, Iowa, where they spent the remainder of their lives.
John Forsythe enlisted at the first call for three months' men, and
served throughout the Civil war. His son, William, served in the
Sixth Wisconsin Cavalry, his son Robert in the First Wisconsin
Cavalry, and his son George in the Sixth Wisconsin Infantry. The
other children were: Samuel, James, Eben, Margaret, Jane, Sarah
and Emma.