When I see family history materials out “in the wild,” it pulls on my heart strings. Why? Because I think of that person’s legacy and I want to do my part to ensure they are fully findable in the future!
So, let me tell you about an obit I found for Dr. Orion Thomas Ayer Sr. This is the first in my “Legacy Lost & Found” genealogy series I’m starting.
I discovered the obit while visiting a local record store in October 2021. In the store were several containers of family photos and documents. The store owner shared that the items are sold to them by family members.
And it was in one of those containers that I found an obituary for a Dr. Orion T. Ayer and I noticed that it was not dated. I did not even read it for I already knew I wanted it!
When I did get home and finally read the newspaper clipping, there were a LOT of details about him for he was a medical pioneer in St. Petersburg and among the first few physicians named to the Pinellas County Medical Society.
Dr. Ayer served in the US Army and was among the earliest black doctors named to the Pinellas County Medical Society. His dad, Dr. Robert Ayer, was a pioneer in Gainesville, FL. Orion has two children that also practiced medicine. They are all, alumni of Meharry!
Connecting lost artifacts back to family is a journey I enjoy. And it’s one way I help others too — teaching how to keep family history photos and documents organized and preserved so that their family history collections don’t become lost for the future.
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This is so exciting to me as someone who loves mysteries, research, history, and connecting it all through stories. I’m so inspired by what you have begun here. It also makes me hopeful that someday I’ll be reconnected with family photos and memorabilia that were sold off as part of a storage unit full of possessions one of my sisters lost when she got behind in the payments. Thank you for launching this.