George Marshall Ames George Marshall Ames, city engineer of Grand Rapids, Mich., was born in Elgin, Ill., July 18, 1858, and is a son of Bela and Martha M. (Boits) Ames, natives of New York, who early in life located in Illinois, but in 1861 moved to Cass county, Mich., where they still reside being engaged in the pursuit of agriculture. George M. Ames attended public school until sixteen years of age, then passed a year in the Northern Indiana Normal institute at Valparaiso, Porter county, Ind., after which he taught school two winters in southern Michigan. He then entered the university of Michigan at Ann Arbor, in 1881, and studied civil engineering; was a special student four years, and in 1885 came to Grand Rapids and assisted in the survey of Grand river for the purpose of establishing dock lines, and this work occupied his time from August until December. The remainder of the winter he passed on his father’s farm in Cass county, and in the spring of 1886 went to Kansas, where for three months he was employed in surveying for the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad company. About that time he was offered the position of assistant city engineer in Grand Rapids, upon the retirement of R.C. Greiner, and of this office he took possession June 20, 1886, and held it until October, 1896, when he was appointed acting city engineer, filled the position until the spring of 1898, and was the confirmed as city engineer, his present office. November 22, 1887, Mr. Ames was united in marriage, at Des Moines, Iowa, with Miss Eva L. Early, who was born near Denver, Iowa, March 17, 1868, a daughter of Capt. William and Catherine Wilson (Stuart) Early. When this lady was a child she was taken to Texas by her parents, who afterward located in Kansas, and it was in that state that Mr. Ames met her when he was employed in railroad surveying. Mr. and Mrs. Ames are attendants at the Universalist church, and in politics Mr. Ames is an independent republican. He is an associate member of the American society of Civil Engineers, a member of the Michigan Engineers’ association, the Western Engineers’ society, and of the American society for Municipal Improvements.