Elijah Ayer (1753 - 1837)

Born 27 Apr 1753 in Norwich, New London, Connecticut

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Hicks) Ayer — married 30 May 1771 in Sackville, New Brunswick

Husband of Mary (Beckwith) Ayer — married 4 Mar 1824 in Westmorland, New Brunswick

Descendants

Died 13 Apr 1837 at age 83 in Buctouche, Bouctouche, Kent, New Brunswick

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Biography

Capt Elijah Ayer served with Nova Scotia during the American Revolution.

Elijah Ayer is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A004079.

Elijah Ayer is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: 105901
Rank: Captain

35. Elijah Ayer (Elijah Ayer , Joseph Ayer , Joseph Ayer , John Ayer , John Ayer , Robert , ) was born on 27 Apr 1753 in Norwich, New London Co., CT. He died on 12 Apr 1837 in Buctouche, Kent Co., NB.

Elijah married (1) Elizabeth Hicks on 30 May 1771 in Sackville, Cumberland, NS. Elizabeth was born on 20 Jul 1751 in Warren, Bristol Co., RI. She died on 22 Aug 1823.

They had the following children:

• + 41 F i Dorothy Ayer was born on 27 Dec 1771.
• + 42 F ii Hannah Ayer was born about 1772 and died in 1865.
• + 43 F iii Abigail Ayer was born on 14 Nov 1775 and died on 23 Nov 1862.
• + 44 F iv Sarah Ayer was born about 1778 and died on 24 May 1860.
• + 45 F v Elizabeth Ayer was born about 1785 and died on 23 Jun 1864.
• + 46 M vi William Ayer was born about 1787 and died after 1871.
• + 47 F vii Rebecca A. Ayer was born in 1783/1790 and died in 1874.
• + 48 F viii Mary (Polly) Ayer was born about 1792 and died on 12 Nov 1819.
• 49 M ix Mariner Ayer died about 1811.

Elijah also married (2) Mary Beckwith on 4 Mar 1824 in , Westmorland, NB. Mary was born about 1774. She died in May 1851 in Shediac, Westmorland Co., NB and was buried on 28 May 1851.^[1]

AYER

• - Elijah m. Elizabeth Hicks, 30 May 1771
• - Dorothy b. 24 Dec 1771 ^[2]

Ref: Revolutionary War pension file S30838, National Archives, Washington DC; {24,41,42,44}.

Capt. Elijah Ayer and Capt. Jonathan Eddy married daughters of Ira Hicks of Dorchester, an uncle of Samuel Hicks (late) of Sackville. Samuel was from New England in 1772 and registered as owner of half of lot 59 in Letter C. division in Sackville. He is ancestor of Sackville Hicks family. Capt Ayer had lived at Dorchester Island until about 1807 and built a number of vessels there. Property of Capt. Ayer was confiscated and regranted to other people. After his death, his chldren received a bonus of $1000 from the U.S. Governemnt. Elijah, born in Conn., removed to Dennysville, ME in the late 1770's and to Wellington about 1790. (Milner, W.C. The History of Sackville, 1937?)

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Elijah Ayer, Jr., settled in Eastport ME before 1775. The sons lived and died in Sackville NB. Elijah was Captain of the armed schooner "Nesquawaite" and privateer "Rover" 1781.^[3] Will dated Aug. 16, 1832, presented to court May 9, 1837, Richibucto, Kent Co., NB. Elijah settled in Sackville around 1800 and later went to Buctouche. Is this the Elijah who lived at Dorchester Island until about 1807?

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In the book on "The Revolution" by Frederic Kidder (1867) is found the following in Chapter XII on Col. Allan, re Eddy's attack on Fort Cumberland --- among the inhabitants of Cumberland who espoused the American cause was Capt. Elijah Ayer, a native of Connecticut, who had moved to the head of the Bay of Fundy; and after the defeat, he hid himself in a haystack. The British soldiery made desperate efforts to capture him, and visitng his home, endeavored by threats and harsh treatment to compel his wife to reveal his hiding place. Failing in this, as they went away, one of their number took a brand from the hearth and set fire to the building. As the distracted wife and mother escaped with infant daughter in her arms, a piece of burning wood fell from overhead and left a scar upon the baby's wrist. Arriving at womanhood, this girl was married to Ebenezer C. Wilder, one of the prominent men among the early settlers of Dennysville. When she died at the advanced age of 87 years, leaving a numerous and most respectable body of descendants, she still bore upon her wrist that same scar of the Revolutionary times.

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Moved to Cumberland (Canada) with his father about 1761. the Anglican Church recrod shows #83 - May 25, 1851. Shediac Church yard. Mary Ayre ae 77 yrs., widow of the late Capt Ayre. Buried by G.G. Jarvis, D.D. (per letter from B.T. Keith dated Jan 9, 1967.)

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Elijah with his father settled in Edmonds [ME] about 1785 and moved back to NS in 1792. On Nov. 26, 1781 he was Commodore of the schooner "ROVER" a privateer. In Dec. 1782 he was commander of the "HAWK." After the war he returned to NS settling on Dorchester Island where he built many coastal vessels (WC Milner, History of Sackville) In 1784 Sackville NS became part of NB. (Maine Families in 1790. Vol. 2. Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication No. 5. Edited by Ruth Gray. Assoc. Editor Alice MacDonald Long. Picton Press: Camden, Maine, 1990.

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Elijah had a grant of land in Buctouche in 1810. (LDS Microfilm #15,497, Item 30)

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During the Revolution he came to Machias and lived there seven years, thence to Dennysville and Edmonds - he built the first house in the present township of Edmonds and engaged in the building of mills there but being unsuccessful he returned to N.B. and died there. He married his second wife tho outlived him. He was in the service during the Revolution and his children received a pension due him for the service from the U.S. (LDS Microfilm #15,497, Item 30)

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• Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch Elijah Ayer, Jr., son on Elijah Ayer and Abigail Merrill, must have been one of their five sons listed in the 1770 census of the Township of Cumberland, Nova Scotia as living at Home. In 1776, then a resident of Sackville, Novia Scotia, he was listed as a petitioner for relief. After the disastrous attack of Fort Cumberland, he fled to "the States", to Machias, to be exact. In 1781 he was a captain of the armed schooner Nesquawaite and the privateer Rover. (From May 15, 1781 to August 19 1781) In 1786-87 he built a mill at Dennysville. In the 1790 Maine census, he lived on Plantation No. 10 in Washington county, Mine, with one male under 16 and five females. One of those girls was Rebecca Ayer Wilder through whom several descendants trace DAR lineage.

• Fact: Burial Bouctouche, Kent, New Brunswick, Canada

Sources

1. ↑ http://home.earthlink.net/~dougayer/ayer/pafg08.htm#1197
2. ↑ http://sites.rootsweb.com/~cannb/Church%20Records/Westmorland%20County/sackville-township-register.htm
3. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 24 Oct 2023), "Record of Elijah Ayer Jr", Ancestor # A004079.

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 08 June 2021, 21:17), entry for Commodore Elijah Ayer Junior (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:9DM1-ML1 ); contributed by various users.

• "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7WY-38K : 3 December 2014), Elijah Ayer, 27 Apr 1753; citing ; FHL microfilm unknown.

• http://home.earthlink.net/~dougayer/ayer/pafg08.htm#1197