Notes
Ref#98:
WARD
John Ward, called the "dishturner" and more frequently "turner," was the
founder ancestor of the Wards of Watsesson Plain. He came to Newark in
1666 with the Branford Group. His uncle Lawrence, the first of the
settlers to be mentioned as deacon, also came at that time, but died
childless four years later. Elizabeth, widow of Lawrence, owned land here
in 1675. John, the turner, in 1675 had confirmed to him by the East
Jersey Proprietors, forty-four acres beyond Second River, bounded on the
north by property owned by his aunt, Elizabeth. Upon this land, now the
center of Bloomfield, the descendants of John in time settled. Who was
the first to clear the woods and build a house cannot be stated.
Nathaniel, the son of John, owned property here in 1697. About 1795
Washington Avenue was called "Samuel Ward's lane." The characteristic
names of the Wards have been John, Josiah, Nathaniel, Lawrence, Jacob,
Caleb, Matthias and Samuel, all coming from the early settlers. The Ward
line from John the "turner" appears to be as follows: John (1) will,
1684; Josiah (2) will, 1713; Lawrence, born 1710, died April 4, 1783; and
the sons named in his will, made in 1776, were Samuel, Jacob, Jonathan,
Stephen and Cornelius.
Ref#168:
John Ward, Dish Turner, one of the original settlers of Newark; sometimes
designated as John Ward, junior to distinguish him from Sergeant John
Ward.
pg. xxxii
Esebell Baldwyn declares that whereas Lawrence Ward, late of Newark, my
brother, deceased intestate, etc., leaving a widow, my sister Elizabeth
Ward, upon the estate of my deceased brother, I appoint my son John
Catlin and ** John Ward **, turner, my kinsman, both of Newark, attorneys
to take unto them jointly all my whole power and interest in and to the
said estate, etc. September 4, 1671.
pg. xxxv
The will of Joseph Riggs, "of Newark in the Government of New England,"
dated January 1, 1688-9, has this certificate of proof:
"Appeared before vs, William Camp, John Browne, & Joseph Browne this 27
of November : 1689 : and took oath that this is the Last will and
testament of Joseph Riggs of Newark Latly deceased
"** John Ward ** Justice
"Thomas Johnson Justice."
This will was subsequently probated, in solemn form, May 16, 1711, and is
filed at Trenton. John Johnson and Samuell Camp were witnesses, besides
the three named above.
Ref#184:
{No Lawrence Ward, so this may be suspect}
One Ward family in early Connecticut was that of Joyce Ward of
Wethersfield, and her children. Joyce was the second wife of Richard Ward
of Stretton, Rutlandshire, England. When he died, 19 April 1635, he left
a will which named several children. His widow emigrated to Connecticut,
along with at least two of her children. She died in Wethersfield about
the end of 1640.
RICHARD WARD, of Stretton, Rutlandshire; buried 19 July 1835; married (1)
[------]; (2) JOYCE TRAFFORD, born in Rutlandshire (?), died about the
end of 1640 in Wethersfield, CT.
Child by first wife, surname Ward:
i. Thomas, alive in 1635 and legatee in father's will
Children by second wife, surname Ward:
ii. MARY, born about 1607, married JOHN FLETCHER (see below)
iii. EDWARD, buried at Stretton, June 1664; married ISABELL [------]
and had children: Mary, 1637-83; John, 1639-79; Samuel, b. 1640; Rebecca,
buried 12 July 1664
iv. ANTHONY, probably stayed in England
v. WILLIAM, probably stayed in England
vi. ROBERT, apprenticed to a trade in England
vii. JOHN, born about 1625, died about 1 November 1694 (see below)
viii. RICHARD, buried at Stretton, 31 November 1631
ix. RICHARD, buried at Stretton, 1633
MARY WARD, born about 1607, married JOHN FLETCHER; he was born about
1598. They emigrated to Connecticut in 1661, living first at Branford and
later at Milford. Their chilren were born at Stretton. He died about
1662; about 1664, she remarried, to JOHN CLARK, of Great Munden,
Hertfordshire, and Milford. John Clark died in 1674.
Child, born at Stretton, surname Fletcher:
i. MARY, baptized 10 May 1633
ii. SARAH, born 1641; married JOHN STANLEY
iii. MARY (?), born 1642; married [------] STEVENS
iv. HANNAH, born 1643; married JOHN CHITTENDEN of Guilford
v. REBECCA (?), born 1644; married the second ANDREW WARNER
vi. ELIZABETH, born 1645; married ELNATHAN BOTSFORD; had daughter
Elizabeth Botsford
vii. SAMUEL, born 1649; died young
viii. ABIGAIL, born 1652; unmarried
LT. JOHN WARD, born in England about 1625, died 1 November 1694; married
(1) SARAH [------]; (2) Mrs. HANNAH [CRANE] HUNTINGTON. They emigrated to
Branford about 1648 and lived there many years; in 1666 they moved to
Newark, NJ, as one of the founding families.
Children of John and Sarah, born at Branford, surname Ward:
i. JOHN, born 1650
ii. SARAH
iii. PHEBE, born 1655
iv. NATHANIEL, born 1656
v. ABIGAIL, born 1658
vi. JOSIAH, born 1661, died 1713; of Norwich
John's later descendants in New Jersey include Moses Ward, a successful
manufacturer of candles, and Moses' son Marcus Lawrence Ward (1812-1884),
who was to become a congressman and Governor of New Jersey.
Sources:
1) For overall background, use Joseph Atkinson, "The History of Newark,
New Jersey", published 1878 in Newark. This includes an illustration
"Col. Josiah Ward saving his wheat on Sunday".
2) Mabel Woods Hinrichs "The Ward Line of Rhoda Ann Ward McWhorter", a
privately printed typescript at the Library of Congress, summarizes
things neatly.
3) The wills of Joyce Ward and her father Richard, or Stretton, are in
Hinrichs, but appeared earlier in NYG&BR, v 49. Hinrichs did a lot of
work in the Newark records and at the Historical Society there, so I am
counting on her accuracy.
4) Savage (in his NE Gen. Dict) postulates the relationships between
Josiah, Lawrence, and John.
Ref#253:
George Ward (-7 Apr 1653) was a ship carpenter who immigrated by 1639 to
New Haven, Connecticut, where he signed a town covenant. He moved to
Branford, Connecticut in 1646, where he later died. Known children:
John, Josiah, and Mary m Clark. Josiah married
John Ward turner (c1635-Jan 1684) married Sarah Hills (-1691). They had
nine children: John, Samuel, Hannah, Josiah, Abigail m. John Gardner,
Nathaniel, Caleb, Mary m. Thomas Davis, and Sarah m. ?Tichenor.
The Big GEDCOM / Revision 2.0 - created on
Wed Jul 23 22:22:47 1997
/ Copyright ©1996-1997 Descendants of Edward Ball of New Jersey Interest Group.
If you have a connection, correction or question, please email: The Big gEDcom@bigfoot.com /
GED2HTML v2.5b (4/12/96)