John Lairdb (18__ - 18__)
Mary Hale (Haila) (1821 - 1893)

John2 Lairdb(or Larea or Layardc) (_____________1) was born _______________ probably at Philadelphia, the son of ______ ______ and ______ ______ (___________) Laird. His birth is recorded in ______________ County birth records.

He died _____________________, age __ of ___________ at _________, _____ County, _____________. The funeral was held ____________________ at ___________ Church, _________, and he is buried in __________ Cemetery at _______. His death is recorded in __________________ County death records.

He married Mary Hale 6 August 1846a at ________________ Roman Catholic Church, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Reverend _________________ presided. Witnesses were ______________ and _____________. The marriage is recorded in the marriage register of the church. See also Philadelphia County marriage records, v ___, no. ____.

She was born 19 January 1821,a at, probably Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joseph and Ruth (Robinson) Hale. Her birth is recorded in Philadelphia County birth records.

She died 31 March 1893a, age 72 of _____________ at _____________, ______________ County, __________. The funeral was held _____________________ at _________________ Church, __________, and she is buried in ___________ Cemetery at ____________. Her death is recorded in _____ County death records.

The Lairds had at least one child:

Ann Rebecca Laird = Henry Nuse

SOURCES:
a. Maude E. Littlefield, 435 North New Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, great-great granddaughter of Ruth (Robinson) Hale, mother of Mary Hale, possesses a bible with the following inscription on the frontispiece:

“Ruth Hail March 11, 1834
To her daughter Martha Ayears
Presented to her daughter Ella Wynn
Presented to Blanche Wynn Littlefield
Presented to her daughter Maude Littlefield"

The bible contains the names of those persons and dates for which it is cited as a reference.

In this bible, the name “Hale” is consistently spelled “H-a-i-l”. The name “Laird” (or “Layard”) is consistently spelled “L-a-r-e”.

b. Ann Rebecca Laird is buried next to her husband, Henry Nuse, in the Nuse plot in the churchyard of Hibernia Methodist Church. Her gravestone is inscribed:

Ann R. Laird
1847 - 1892

The spelling on this gravestone differs from the spelling in the bible referred to above.

c. “Laird” is spelled as “L-a-y-a-r-d” in a letter from Florence Whiteman (great-granddaughter of Ruth (Robinson) Hale) whose mother, Rebecca Ann Ayres, was a first cousin of Ann Rebecca Laird, to Mr. and Mrs. William G. Andes. The letter is dated Sunday December 9, 1951, at Coatesville, Pennsylvania.

SOURCES:
a. Maude E. Littlefield, 435 North New Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, great-granddaughter of Martha Hale, possesses a bible with the following inscription on the frontispiece:

"Ruth Hail March 11, 1834
To her daughter Martha Ayears
Presented to her daughter Ella Wynn
Presented to Blanche Wynn Littlefield
Presented to her daughter Maude Littlefield"

The bible contains the names of those persons and dates for which it is cited as a reference.

In this bible, the name “Hale” is consistently spelled “H-a-i-l”. The name “Ayers” is spelled sometimes as “Ayres” and at other times “Ayers”.

b. Hibernia Methodist Church is located on a county road in West Brandywine Township, approximately two miles north of Wagontown.

I visited the cemetery located in the churchyard, June 9, 1963. There are four small gravestones in the Ayres Plot, inscribed:

Joseph Hale Ruth R. Hale Martha H. Ayres Jacob Ayres
1776 - 1841 1785 - 1867 1821 - 1897 1794 - 1881

The markers are of the same size, design, and stone, and the characters were apparently cut by the same stonecutter. Since they do not appear weathered, they are obviously not the original markers. Mrs. William B. Russell recalls that her grandmother, Mrs. William B. Russell recalls that her grandmother, Mrs. William Yost, told her she replaced the original gravestones.

c. Newspaper clipping dated __ August 1925, from the Lancaster (Pa.) ________.

d. From information in a letter from Florence Whiteman, granddaughter of Martha Hale, to Mr. and Mrs. William G. Andes. The letter is dated Sunday, December 9, 1951, at Coatesville, Pennsylvania.

e. 1860 Census of Pennsylvania, Vol. 35, Pg. 5(161).
Mary's birth, marriage and death are recorded in her mother's Bible:
"Mary an(d) Marther Hail Was Born January 19th in the year of our Lord 1821."
"This Is To Certify That John Lare of Philadelphia and in the State of Pennsylvia and Mary Hale of the Same Place Was Maried on the Sixth (might read Eighth - the ink was poorly blotted) day of Augest 1846."
"Mary Lare Died March 31 1893."

John and Mary Hale Laird had at least one child, Ann Rebecca, whose birth is recorded in the Bible: "Ann Rebeca lare Was Born May the 7 In the year of your lord 1847." She married Henry Nuse and is buried beside him in the Hibernia Methodist churchyard. A large stone marked “NUSE” contains these inscriptions:

Henry Ann R. Laird Sara Ann Marshall H.
1825 - 1908 1847 - 1892 1852 - 1894 1877 - 1961