Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Ayre Family Collection, Ms1963-003, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Ayre Family Collection was donated to Newman Library in two accessions in 1961 and 1963.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Ayre Family Collection commenced in May 2011 and was completed in June 2011.

Biographical Note

Henry Dodge Ayre, the son of George S. and Mary Ann Ayre, was born in Upperville (Fauquier County), Virginia in 1856. He graduated from Virginia Agricultural & Mechanical College (now Virginia Tech) with a degree in agriculture and mechanics in 1876. Ayre married Julia Peck in Salem, Virginia in 1879. The 1880 census describes Henry D. Ayre as a 24-year-old farmer, living in Loudoun County, Virginia with 24-year-old wife Julia. In 1894, Ayre was granted U.S. patent number 512,573 on a device for marking corn rows. By 1910, he was living in Cleveland, Tennessee and engaged in farming and the lumber business. Henry Ayre died on October 3, 1939.

Clayton Emmett Ayre, son of Henry and Julia Peck Ayre, was born in Fauquier County, Virginia on August 5, 1880. He attended Virginia Agricultural & Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (now Virginia Tech) in 1898/1899 and 1899/1900. A 1935 alumni directory lists him as a special student, graduating in 1902. By 1905, Ayre was living in Cleveland, Tennessee, and the 1910 census shows him living in the home of his parents and working in the lumber business. Also in the household was the younger Ayres' wife, Matilda Elizabeth Chappelear Ayre (1878-1962), whom he had married in Salem, Virginia in 1907. The couple continued to live with Ayre's parents through 1920, with their only child, Nanny Josephine Ayre (born in 1910). By 1929, Ayre was living in Guild, Tennessee, and employed as construction superintendent for the Tennessee River Electric Power Company. He later worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority. Following retirement, Ayre worked on the family farm at Cleveland, Tennessee. He died there on November 18, 1967.

Read more about Clayton Ayre in the 50th anniversary history of the Class of 1902 , available online at the Virginia Tech History website.

Scope and Content

This collection contains college memorabilia of father and son Henry D. and Clayton E. Ayre, who attended Virginia Agricultural & Mechanical College (now Virginia Tech) in the late 19th century. The collection contains the elder Ayre's notes from various lectures and an examination certificate of proficiency. The collection also includes Henry Ayre's drawing of a shop engine and an "1876" armband, probably used by him during a school reunion or other function. From Clayton Ayre, the collection contains two cadet kepis and a photograph of the school's shop class, circa 1899.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by item type.

Separated Material

At the time of accessioning, the following items were removed from the collection:

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Ayre, Clayton E., 1880-1967
• Ayre, Henry D., 1856-1939
• Students and alumni
• University History
• Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (1872-1896)
• Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (1896-1944)

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Ayre Family Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).