AREY The Arey family is generally believed to be of Scottish origin and to have been seated in the lowlands. The name was spelled in various ways in early records - two or more spellings sometimes occurring in the same document - the common forms being Ayre, Aerie, Aery, Aray, Aree, Ary, Airey and Arey. Early records in Virginia show it as Airy, Arie and Airey as well as Arey. In England today the name appears as Airey and Arey as it does throughout the United States. It has also been suggested that the name may have a German background, but there is no known basis for that view. The majority of the members of the family now in the North and West are descended from Richard Arey who arrived from England sometime before 1645 and settled eventually on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. He was a mariner engaged in the coasting trade and was drowned at sea 19 November 1669 somewhere between Nantucket and the mainland. The first official record of Richard in New England is found in the files of the Salem Quarterly Court in connection with a law suit relative to a purported agreement for a maritime shipment to Boston. According to the introduction to the book Some Descendants of Joseph Arey by Robert Wardwell Moodie, "In Maryland and the Southern states in general, however, there are many persons named Arey, or more commonly Airy or Airey, who are descended from Rev. Thomas Airey, an immigrant from Scotland to Baltimore in the year 1726, through his son Rev. Thomas Hill Airey." Information has also been reported that a branch of the family in North Carolina is descended from Abraham Arey who, together with a brother whose name is not known, had, prior to the Revolution, gone from New England to Pennsylvania and had thereafter separated, Abraham going to North Carolina and his brother going to Virginia. George AREY was born 15 March 1772, apparently in the neighborhood of the village of Rushville in that part of Augusta County, Virginia that later was set off as Rockingham County. Rushville is situated near the confluence of Dry River and Muddy Creek. Conclusive information as to the father of George Arey has not been found. There are leads that appear to justify at least tentative conclusions. The "Minute Book of the County Circuit Court of Rockingham through the Revolutionary Period" as reported in Vol. II, Chalkley's "Records of Augusta County, 1745-1800" shows on page 368 the following entry: "1782, March 25th. William, George and Philip Airy, orphans of Cutlip Airy, to be bound." In "A History of Rockingham County" by J. W. Wayland the name Cutlip Arie is included in the list of "Tithables" for 1775 authorized by the Augusta County Court, pp. 55-60. According to the same book (p. 426) there appears under the title "Military Vouchers" in 1788 the following: "Captain Michael Rorick's Company 17 - Cutlip Airy - 1 Tithable, 2 horses." It is evident that a Cutlip Airy (Arie) lived in Augusta County (which then included the area later to become Rockingham County) and that he had a son, George, who along with his brothers William and Philip, was orphaned by 1782. This, of course, it not conclusive that it was the same George who was born near Rushville in 1772 but the facts (1) that he was, at the time of the court action, a minor in his tenth year, and (2) that subsequent census records for the County fail to list another George Arey who was born in 1782 or earlier support the probability that it was. An additional interesting entry from the "Minute Book of the County Circuit Court of Rockingham", cited above, is one that appeared six months prior to the one concerning the orphans of Cutlip Airy. It was: "1781, September 24th. Gatlive Airy's estate committed to Anthony Reader, his son-in-law, widow Mary having refused." This apparently refers to the appointment of an administrator of an estate, the widow having refused to act in such capacity. The entry raises the possibility that Gatlive and Cutlip were merely different spellings of the same name as so often occurred in early records. If that is true, perhaps the subsequent action of the court regarding the orphans resulted from the death or incapacity of their mother. It would also then follow that there was at least one older sister and that she was married to Anthony Reader. His name may provide a lead for the discovery of additional pertinent records. County records show that in 1796, George Arey married Mary Koogler, daughter of George Koogler, who is listed as a landowner in the county during that time. George acquired land and he and Mary established their home and family in that locale. Their children were: John, born 17 October 1797, married Jahiley ? (born 19 December 1804 and died 6 April 1882), had five children (Martha C., David A., Elizabeth E., Samuel H. and Charles P.) and died 13 June 1846 and was buried in the family cemetery on Road #752; Samuel, born 5 January 1799, died 1 January 1846 and was buried in the family cemetery on Road #752; Elizabeth, born 6 November 1800, died 12 August 1858 and was buried in the family cemetery on Road #752; Mary, born 3 January 1803, died 23 February 1822 and was buried in the family cemetery on Road #752; George, born 26 September 1804, married Mary Ann Wise (born 20 March 1817 and died 3 March 1873) and died 24 February 1866; Ephraigm, born 27 July 1806, died 8 July 1833 and was buried in the family cemetery on Road #752; William, born 27 August 1808, married Lydia Burkholder (born 25 March 1838), moved to his father's homestead, had four children (Joseph L., William L., George Preston and Mary Warren), died on 5 July 1885 and is buried in the family cemetery on Road #752; Phillip, born 13 November 1811, died 16 July 1854 and is buried in the family cemetery on Road #752; and Margaret, born 16 December 1815, died 28 October 1885 and is buried at Bridgewater, Virginia. George Arey, whose name appears in official records variously spelled Airy, Airey and Arey, was a man of prominence in the community. He, along with five other leading citizens, served on the committee from Dayton to receive subscriptions for the Valley Turnpike Company, incorporated 3 March 1834, to build a pike from Winchester to Harrisonburg. Subscriptions were to be in shares of $25 each to the sum of $250,000. (pp. 209-210 "German Element of the Shenandoah Valley" by J. W. Wayland). The U. S. Census Records for Augusta County, Virginia for 1810 show (1) William Airey with a family of nine including himself; (2) George Airey - ten; and (3) Philip Airey - two. William Airey does not appear after the 1810 census. Philip Airey, still with a household of two, appears for the last time in the census of 1820. George Airey appears in each census to and including that of 1850 which was the last before his death. George Arey died 1 June 1858 in his 86th year. Only three of his children, George, William and Margaret lived beyond the year of his death. George and his wife, some members of his family and several slaves are buried in a carefully planned and developed family cemetery attractively enclosed by a brick wall. The cemetery lies along Muddy Creek on land situated on Road #752. The land is presently owned by Mr. Roy D. Burkholder. An easement permits reasonable access to the cemetery by descendants for purposes of visitation and maintenance. George AREY was born 26 September 1804 in Rockingham County, Virginia, the son of George Arey and Mary Koogler. He married Mary Ann Wise, the daughter of Adam Wise and ? Roller (Mary Ann was born 20 March 1817 and died 3 March 1873). Their children (two others died in infancy) were: William Sylvester, born 2 November 1835, married Elizabeth Ann Hunter (born 6 November 1838 and died 31 August 1889 and buried at Orlando, Florida) on 3 November 1859, had three children (Clara M. who died in infancy, William Jackson and Robert Sylvester Lee), died 22 September 1864 at the battle of Fisher's Hill, Virginia and is buried in St. Michaels Church Cemetery, Rockingham County, Virginia; Amanda Jane, born 9 November 1838, married James Russell Trout (born 23 April 1832 and died 26 May 1900) on 13 April 1865, had nine children (Georgiana, William Edgar, Olivia Virginia, Louella Whisner, Joseph Oscar, Nicholas Kemper, Mary Elizabeth, Martha Viola and James Chesley), died 7 November 1912 and is buried at Pleasantview near Staunton, Virginia; Martha, born 1840, married David B. Croushorn (born 1823 and died 1911), had one son Hugh, and is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Bealton, Fauquier County, Virginia; George Franklin, born 26 July 1842, married Amanda Light (born 1847 and died 1915), had two daughters (Effie and Cora), died in 1916 and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Bridgewater, Virginia; Louisiana, born 5 June 1844, married Reverend P. H. Whisner, died 18 February 1872 and is buried in St. Michaels Church Cemetery, Rockingham County, Virginia; John Wise, born 11 February 1846, married Lucretia Clay Wheeler (born 8 September 1844 and died 2 November 1895) on 18 November 1868, had seven children, died 21 March 1904 and is buried in St. Michaels Church Cemetery, Rockingham County, Virginia; Christian Oliver, born 16 August 1849, married Elizabeth E. Huffman, had four children (Laura, Annie, Stewart and Oscar), died 16 February 1916 and is buried in Friedens Church Cemetery, Rockingham County, Virginia; Frances C., born 14 October 1851, married Clement H. Fulton (born 14 March 1847 and died 16 January 1916), died 25 June 1888 and is buried in Mossy Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Augusta County, Virginia; Mary Ella, born 21 February 1855, married Adolphus Moore, and is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Bealton, Fauquier County, Virginia; and Harvey McWain, born 14 December 1858, married Mary Jane Evers (born 23 February 1855 and died 1 November 1927) on 24 December 1882, lived on his father's homestead in Augusta County, Virginia, had three children (Ida Josephine, Oather Alexander and Luther Edward), and died 19 April 1934. George died 24 February 1866 and is buried in St. Michaels Church Cemetery, Rockingham County, Virginia. John Wise AREY was born 11 February 1846, the son of George Arey and Mary Ann Wise. He married Lucretia Clay Wheeler on 18 November 1868 (she was born 8 September 1844 and died 2 November 1895). Their children were: Ellanora Zane, born 14 September 1869, married Charles Edward Wine (born 4 April 1872 and died 24 November 1938) on 25 December 1893, had five children (Ruth Pauline, Aubry Glenn, Ethel Rebecca, Merideth Frances and Mary Virginia), and died in March 1940; Louisa Victoria, born 30 November 1870, married Marcus Lee Cupp (born 15 December 1873 and died 28 December 1945) on 21 October 1897, had five children (Alfred Lester, Marguerite Lucretia, Judson Ralph, Lee Arey and Kathleen Wheeler), died 23 January 1958 and is buried in Salem Church Cemetery, Augusta County, Virginia; George William, born 10 January 1873, married Bertie Bell Moyerhoeffer (born 21 September 1876 and died 25 October 1947), had three children (Charles Golden, Ruby Clay and William Tyree), and died 26 December 1960; Arthur Harrison, born 20 August 1874, married Cora Virginia Huffman (born 21 May 1875 and died 22 February 1946), had six children (Clarence Marion, Mary Clay, Warren Washington, Bernard Huffman, Hiram Cecil and Ralph Edwin), died 6 May 1935 and is buried in St. Michaels Church Cemetery, Rockingham County, Virginia; Samuel Wise, born 24 April 1876, married Emma Adeline Bower (born 8 February 1877 and died 26 January 1969), had two children, and died in 1946; John Harvey, born 12 March 1878, married Iva Inez Jessamine Crosby (born 18 December 1881 and died 30 September 1966), had four children (Alfred Brown, Dorothy Iota, Charles Rufus and Mary Inez Jessamine) and died 7 June 1957; and Irving Hubert, born 22 November 1879, married Blanche Howe Widmeyer (born 8 May 1880 and died 18 February 1965) on 21 September 1904, had two children (Hawthorne and Belle-Howe), died 25 June 1949 and is buried in Chapel Hill Gardens-West Cemetery, Elmhurst, Illinois. He died 21 March 1904 and is buried in St. Michaels Church Cemetery, Rockingham County, Virginia. Samuel Wise AREY was born 24 April 1876, the son of John Wise Arey and Lucretia Clay Wheeler. He married Emma Adeline Bower (she was born 8 February 1877 and died 26 January 1969). They lived in Keota, Oklahoma until about 1900, then moved to Rouleau, Saskatchewan, Canada where they farmed until 1919 when they moved to Long Beach, California. Their children, both born at Rouleau, were: Hazel Amelia, born 19 March 1907, married William Benjamin Schmidt (died 7 December 1955) in October 1939, had three children (William Arlington, Donald Duane and Kenneth Ray) and died in 1979; and Everett Wise, born 22 April 1912, married Onalee Frances Repp on 17 December 1937, had two children, died on ? and is buried at ? Cemetery, Long Beach, California. He died on 26 June 1946. Everett Wise AREY was born 22 April 1912 in Rouleau, Saskatchewan, Canada, the son of Samuel Wise Arey and Emma Adeline Bower. He married Onalee Frances Repp on 17 December 1937. Their children were: Geraldine Ann, born 23 December 1941 (stillborn); and Marilyn Onalee, born 1 December 1942, married Dennis Shawn McQuown (born 15 April 1940) on 4 March 1966, and has two children. He died on ? and is buried at ? Cemetery, Long Beach, California. Marilyn Onalee AREY was born 1 December 1942 at Long Beach, California, the daughter of Everett Wise Arey and Onalee Frances Repp. She married Dennis Shawn McQuown at ? on 4 March 1966.