Later both lines dropped the initial "E" from their names and gradually became known as "Ames".
However, they do not seem to be genealogically (or biologically) connected with the original Ames family that imigrated from Bruton.
There was an instance where Blanche Ames (Eames) married the noted Harvard botanist Oakes Ames. The two were said to be unrelated.
Blanche seems to have been a gracious and talented lady. However her father, Adelbert Ames (Eames) was appointed carpetbag governor of
Mississippi after the civil war and, to excape impeachment, fled to Minnesota. Her maternal grandfather,
appointed military governor at New Orleans, comes down to us in history as "Beast Butler".
It seems to depend on how you view the events.
Of course, every tree drops a few bad apples. But the Eames line is a heritage of hard-working and honorable
men and women who have contributed much to the making of America.
Was the name originally pronounced "Eems", as in each, eagle, or ear? Why did they choose to change?
It may be more profitable searching for them at their own sites rather than here among the Ames.
They have their own GenForum,
as well as their own mailing list.
You might like to read their email
Rootsweb also offers a list of Eames websites