Rebecca (Caudill) Ayars (1899 - 1985)

Born 2 Feb 1899 in Poor Fork, Harlan, Kentucky, United States

Wife of James Sterling Ayars — married 8 Sep 1931 in Davidson, Tennessee, United States

Died 2 Oct 1985 at age 86 in Urbana, Champaign, Illinois, United States

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Biography

Rebecca (Caudill) Ayars is Notable.

This profile is part of the Pine Mountain Settlement School, Harlan, Kentucky One Place Study.

The first children's author inducted into The Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, Caldecott and Newbery Honor winning author Rebecca Caudill wrote of Appalachian pioneer life.

Rebecca Caudill was born on February 2, 1899 in Poor Fork, Harlan, Kentucky, United States to Susan (Smith) Caudill (1867-1918) and George Washington Caudill (1867-1924).^[1]

As a child, Rebecca was one of eleven children in the household of farmer George W Caudill in Poor Fork, Harlan, Kentucky, United States. ^[2]

By 1910, Rebecca and her family had moved to Sumner, Tennessee, United States. ^[3]

After her mother died in 1918, her father remarried Lillie B. (Perdue) Caudill (1893-1968) and Rebecca had two half-sisters.^[4]

The first in her family to attend college, Caudill graduted from Wesleyan College in 1920 and earned her masters from Vanderbilt in 1922.^[5]

Rebecca married fellow author James Sterling Ayars (1898-1986) in 1931. ^[6] They settled in Urbana, Champaign, Illinois, and had two children. ^[7]

Caudill served on the board of trustees for the Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County, Kentucky.

Rebecca died on October 2, 1985, aged 86. She was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery and Mausoleum.^[1]

The Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award is named in her honor.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88292196/rebecca-ayars: accessed 11 May 2023), memorial page for Rebecca Caudill Ayars (2 Feb 1899–2 Oct 1985), Find A Grave: Memorial #88292196, citing Mount Hope Cemetery and Mausoleum, Urbana, Champaign County, Illinois, USA; Maintained by Adana Thompson Adams (contributor 47795772).
2. ↑ 1900 Census: "United States Census, 1900"
   citing Affiliate Publication Number: T623; Line: 48; FHL microfilm: 1240525; Record number: 15172;
   FamilySearch Record: M94D-WQY (accessed 11 May 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: S3HT-6SF3-8ZF Image number 00313
   Rebecca Caudill (1), single daughter, in household of George W Caudill (33) in Poor Fork, Harlan, Kentucky, United States. Born in Kentucky.
3. ↑ 1910 Census: "United States Census, 1910"
   citing enumeration district (ED) ED 147, sheet 1A, family 7, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1523; FHL microfilm 1,375,536.
   FamilySearch Record: MGNQ-M49 (accessed 11 May 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 33S7-9YY8-S63H Image number 00126
   Rebecca Caudill (11), single daughter, in household of George W Caudill (42) in Civil District 16, Sumner, Tennessee, United States. Born in Kentucky.
4. ↑ 1920 Census: "United States Census, 1920"
   citing Affiliate Publication Number: T625; Affiliate Film Number: 1767; Line: 18; FHL microfilm: 1821767; Record number: 53926;
   FamilySearch Record: MNPC-55M (accessed 11 May 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 33SQ-GRND-XJD Image number 01107
   Rebecca Caudill (20), single daughter, in household of George W Caudill (57) in Civil District 16, Sumner, Tennessee, United States. Born in Kentucky.
5. ↑ Library of Congress LCCN (Accessed 12 May 2023)
6. ↑ "Tennessee Marriages, 1796-1950", database, FamilySearch Record: X81M-T5G : (accessed 27 January 2020), Rebecca Caudill in entry for James S. Ayars, 1931.
7. ↑ 1940 Census: "United States Census, 1940"
   citing enumeration district (ED) 10-39, sheet 5A, line 37, family 99, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 766.
   FamilySearch Record: KWW6-PBT (accessed 11 May 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 3QSQ-G9MB-77HQ
   Rebecca C Ayars (41), wife, in household of James S Ayars (41) in Urbana, Champaign, Illinois, United States. Born in Kentucky.

See Also

• Rebecca Caudill Wikipedia Accessed 11 May 2023.
• Wikidata: Item Q7301692, en:Wikipedia