Version 6.01

06 March 2021

David March © 2019

Mrs H BATTAILE née SUSAN SEYMOUR ROGERS,

JOHN WILLIAM GILLET AYRES, MRS J W AYRES née MARY LOUISE AYRES,

JOHN GILLET AYRES, ESTELLE CONWAY BATTAILE,

Mrs ASHTON CONWAY SOUTHALL née MARGARET "MAGGIE" SUE BATTAILE,

Mrs F W BATTAILE née ELLEN BESSIE CLIFT, ELIZABETH F BATTAILE,

CHARLES T AYRES, Mrs BEULAH AYRES née MEARS,

NINA M AYRES & MARY EVELYN AYRES

Susan Seymour Rogers was born on 4 February 1849 in Accomack, Virginia to George Seymour Rogers (1810-1879) and Margaret J W Moore (1809-1884). Susan had six siblings, Maria Louisa (1830-1849), John Houston (1832-1839), William Perry (1834-1849), George Augustus (1836-1840), Mary Anna Adelaide "Addie" (1838-1881) and Louis (1841-1864). Susan was a seamstress prior to her marriage to Henry Battaile in about 1894 in Accomack. Henry was born on 29 July 1830 in Caroline county, Virginia to Francis Whittaker Battaile (1802-1872) and Elizabeth Madison Catlett (1811-1883).

Henry had ten siblings, John (1830-1910), William Catlett (1832-1867), Elizabeth Bettie (1833-1880), Lawrence (1834-1868), Charles Robinson Sr (1836-1922), John (1838-1917), Mary (b 1841), Amy May (1844-1858), Aaron White (1847-1917) and Champe (b 1855). Henry also had one half-bother, Francis (1828-1910). Henry had previously married Mary Anna Adelaide "Addie" Rogers (1838-1881) on 19 December 1861 by whom he had eight children,

George Seymour (1863-1885),
Ann Hay Taliaferro (1864-1899),
Mary Louise (1866-1941),
Ellen "Nellie" Zipporah (1868-1920),
Francis Whitaker (1870-1909),
Margaret "Maggie" Sue (1872-1961),
Henrietta Adelaide (1875-1961) and
Estelle Conway (1878-1968).

Mary Louise Bataille was born on 5 July 1866 in Accomack. Mary married John William Gillet Ayres in 1899, probably in Pungoteague. John was born in July 1865 in Accomack to James Kellam Ayres (1833-1917) and Sarah Upshur Hack (b 1824). John had four siblings, Peter Thomas Hack (1858-1914), Sally Virginia Hack 'Virgie' (1863-1915), Richard I (1869-~1875) and Charles T (1870-1959). John was Postmaster for Pungoteague at the time of their marriage. Subsequent to their marriage, they farmed in Pungoteague and then John established himself as a merchant. Mary and John had two children,

Mary Gillet (1900-1903) and
John Gillet Jr (1908-1984).

John Gillet Jr was born on 28 December 1908 in Pungoteague. He worked for Nicolls Farm Machinery as assistant manager in later years. He never married and died on 5 November 1984 in Nassawadox, Virginia.

John William Gillet Ayres died in 1940 and Mary Louise Ayres, née Bataille died on 17 January 1941. They are buried in Onancock, Virginia.

Francis Whitaker Battaile was born on 28 February 1870. He married Ellen “Bessie” Clift around 1900. Bessie was born in about 1873 in Maryland to Saxe G Clift (1850-1935) and Elizabeth Griffiths (1854-1933). Bessie had two siblings, Frank M (1870-1945) and Robert Shields Griffith (1872-1940 ). Francis and Bessie had one daughter Elizabeth F. Francis died on 25 January 1909 in Accomack. Bessie lived with her mother following her husband’s death. Later she and her daughter lived at 802 Maryland Avenue, Washington, DC with her niece Louise Clift (daughter of her brother Robert Shields Griffith Clift.) Bessie died in 1939.

Elizabeth F Battaile was born on 1 January 1901 in Maryland. Elizabeth worked as a filing clerk and later a stenographer for Hamilton National Bank in Washington, DC. At some point, possibly as late as 1970, Elizabeth married a widower Harry Robert Statham (1897-1977). Elizabeth died on 28 February 1977 in San Antonio, Bexar, Texas.

Margaret "Maggie" Sue Bataille was born on 23 July 1872 in Boggs Wharf, Accomack. Maggie was a music teacher when she married Ashton Conway Southall on 21 October 1901 in Accomack. Ashton was born on 6 April 1878 in Campbell County, Virginia to William Smith Southall (1848-1928) and Ella J Bugg (1849-1893). Ashton had four siblings, John B (1871-1875), Willie W (1874-1875), Hubert R (1880-1952) and Irine Norwood (1882-1893). Ashton died the year following their marriage; he was only 24 years old.

Maggie went to live first with her married sister Henrietta Mears and then her widowed aunt by marriage, Susan S née Rogers. Maggie married Ira Festus Davis (1875-1960) on 7 May 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ira was born on 19 October 1875 in West Virginia to Madison Thenton Davis Sr (1848-1938) and Nannie Jones (1855-1882). Ira had two siblings, Mary L (b 1847) and Madison Thenton Davis Jr (1879-1935). Ira died on 19 March 1960 and Maggie died on 30 October 1963 both in Nassawadox.

Estelle Conway Bataille was born on 13 September 1878 in Accomack. She lived on the family farm until her father died in 1910. Estell did not marry. She also lived with her sister, Henrietta and then her widowed aunt, Susan. Subsequently Estelle lived with her widowed sister, Nellie. Estelle died on 8 July 1968 in Accomack.

Susan Seymour Rogers lived with her married daughter Henrietta after Henry Battaile died on 23 February 1910 in Accomack. Susan died on 5 March 1929 in Pungoteague.

Charles T Ayres was born on 13 January 1870 in Accomack to James Kellam Ayres (1833-1917) and Sarah Upshur Hack (b 1824). Cahrles had four siblings, Peter Thomas Hack (1858-1914), Sally Virginia Hack 'Virgie' (1863-1915), John William Gillet (1865-1940) and Richard I (1869-1875). Charles married Beulah James Mears on 3 September 1899 in Savageville, Virginia.

Beulah was born on 3 September 1880 in Accomack to Lloyd W Mears (1849-1906) and Mary E James (1853-1932). Beulah had one brother, Harry Thomas (1881-1939). She and Charles had six children,

Nina Mae (1900-1982),
Melvin Thomas (1903-1992),
Charles Warner (1905-1992),
Lloyd Washington (1907-1979),
Mary Evelyn (1910-1920) and
Harry Vincent (1913-1990).

Nina Mae Ayres was born in 1900 in Accomack. Nina lived on the family farm until her marriage to Clarence Custis Williams on 10 November 1923 in Melfa, Virginia. Clarence was born on 6 September 1901 in North Carolina to George Washington Williams (1860-1952) and Josephine Scott (1860-1935). Clarence had three brothers, Robert (b 1889), Paul Braxton (1891-1938) and Harry/Henry Archie (1897-1984). Clarence worked at the Ford motors factory in Norfolk, Virginia. They had no children and divorced in 1932.

Nina subsequently married Oscar Lee Willett (1890-1949). On 23 April 1961 in Northampton, Virginia, Nina married Alfred M Johnson (1888-1974). Alfred was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on 20 July 1888 and came to the US in about 1892 with his parents John Johnson and Catherine Sorrenson. Nina died in 1982.

Mary Evelyn Ayres was born on 5 September 1910 in Accomack. She died of pneumonia on 20 March 1920 in Accomack.

Their family tree can be found on Ancestry under the title 6517 Ayres/Battaile Tree.

Margaret "Maggie" Sue Battaile’s story also continues in the Hiden/Southall story told here.