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Person Info

• Name: William WARD
• Sex: M
• Birth: Abt 1603 in Yorkshire, England ^b
• Death: 10 Aug 1687 in Marlborough, Massachusetts ^d


Parents:

Family:
Marriage:

• Eleanor (WARD) on Abt 1625 at England .^m1
  
• Eleanor (WARD) Death: Abt 1633

Children:

1. John WARD Birth: Abt 1626 in England Death: 8 Jul 1708 in Newton, Massachusetts
2. Joanna WARD Birth: Abt 1628 in England Death: 8 Dec 1718 in Marlborough, Massachusetts
3. Obadiah WARD Birth: Abt 1632 in England Death: 5 Jan 1718 in Marlborough, Massachusetts

Marriage:

• Elizabeth WELLS on Abt 1634 at England .^m2
  
• Elizabeth WELLS Birth: Abt 1614 Death: 9 Dec 1700

Children:

1. Richard WARD Birth: Abt 1635 in England Death: 31 Mar 1666 in Sudbury River, Sudbury, Massachusetts
2. Deborah WARD Birth: Abt 1637 in England Death: 9 Aug 1697 in Marlborough, Massachusetts
3. Hannah WARD Birth: Abt 1639 in Sudbury, Massachusetts Death: 3 Nov 1717 in Marlborough, Massachusetts
4. William WARD Birth: 22 Jan 1640
5. Samuel WARD Birth: 24 Sep 1641 in Sudbury, Massachusetts Death: 15 Nov 1729 in Marlborough, Massachusetts
6. Elizabeth WARD Birth: 14 Apr 1643 in Sudbury, Massachusetts Death: 26 Apr 1710 in Marlborough, Massachusetts
7. Increase WARD Birth: 22 Jan 1645 in Sudbury, Massachusetts Death: 25 Aug 1690 in Marlborough, Massachusetts
8. Hopestill WARD Birth: 24 Feb 1646 in Sudbury, Massachusetts Death: 23 Dec 1718 in Marlborough, Massachusetts
9. William WARD Birth: 22 Feb 1649 in Sudbury, Massachusetts Death: 25 Nov 1697 in Marlborough, Massachusetts
10. Eleazer WARD Birth: Abt 1650 in Sudbury, Massachusetts Death: 21 Apr 1676
11. Bethiah WARD Birth: Abt 1658 in Sudbury, Massachusetts Death: 8 Dec 1721 in Marlborough, Massachusetts

Bibliography

Sources for birth and parent Information

date:

1603 [Ref: Hart PresidentWives p95]

abt 1603 [Ref: Martyn WARD p3],

place:

England [Ref: Hart PresidentWives p95, Martyn WARD p3]

Sources with Inaccurate birth and parent Information

place:

of Canterbury, co Kent [Ref: Banks Topo p77]

Sources for death Information

date:

[Ref: Hart PresidentWives p95, Pope PioneersMA p478, Sav-age WARD William]

abt 1686 [Ref: WardAH WARD pVIII],

place:

[Ref: Hart PresidentWives p95, WardAH WARD pVIII]

Sources with Information about marriage to Eleanor (WARD)

date:

before 1626 [Ref: Torrey NE<1700 p779]

first marriage of William WARD [Ref: Martyn WARD p65],

place:

[Ref: Torrey NE<1700 p779],

names:

William WARD & Eleanor? ___ [Ref: Torrey NE<1700 p779]

William WARD & first wife [Ref: Martyn WARD p65, WardAH WARD p8],

child:

[Ref: Martyn WARD p65, WardAH WARD p8]

Sources with Inaccurate marriage information

children:

perhaps Richard WARD (#2496); perhaps Deborah WARD (#5144) [Ref: Martyn WARD p65]

Sources with Information about marriage to Elizabeth WELLS

date:

before 1641 [Ref: Torrey NE<1700 p779]

before birth of Richard abt 1635 [Ref: WardAH WARD p8]

second marriage of William [Ref: Sav-age WARD William],

place:

[Ref: Martyn WARD p65, Sav-age WARD William],

names:

William WARD & Elizabeth STOREY? [Ref: Torrey NE<1700 p779]

William WARD & Elizabeth ___ [Ref: Hart PresidentWives p95, Martyn WARD p65, Pope PioneersMA p478, Sav-age WARD William, SudburyMA vitals p147, SudburyMA vitals p148]

William WARD & second wife [Ref: WardAH WARD p8],

child:

[Ref: Hart PresidentWives p95, Martyn WARD p65, Pope PioneersMA p478, Rice Association 9/25/2000, Sav-age WARD William, SudburyMA vitals p147, SudburyMA vitals p148, WardAH WARD p8]

Research Notes:
emigrated from Canterbury, co Kent, to Sudbury [Ref: Banks Topo p77]

emigrated, probably in the spring of 1638, to the new Colony of Massachusetts Bay in New England, bringing with him his second wife and five children. [Ref: Martyn WARD p3]

came in 1639, with five chilren [Ref: Sav-age WARD William]

The General Court Grant for the Sudbury plantation was intended to enclose about five miles square. As laid out, the tract fell short of this dimension, but the deficiency was made good by a second grant in 1640. The native title was obtained by purchase from the Indian "Cato" (known also as "Karte" and "Goodman"). A few wigwams stood within its boundaries. Cato dwelt with his family and retainers on "Goodman's Hill"; Tantamouse, a "powwow," or medicine man, on Nobscot Hill; Nataous, or "Indian William," near Lake Cochituate. And the well-worn trails told of red men traversing the section to hunt and fish. [Ref: Martyn WARD p24]

Permission by the General Court to "go on in their plantation" was given Sep 6 1638. Many of the settlers anticipated this formal authorization, and were at work with their ox-teams early in the summer, felling trees for their cabins, making rough roadways, and clearing logs and brush from patches selected for the planting of the first "common," or community fields. [Ref: Martyn WARD p25]

1639: first mention of William Ward, and of his being in America. In that year, according to the records of Sudbury, the proprietors of that plantation made three divisions of their lands; the first in 1639, the second and third in 1640 - it appears of record, that William Ward shared in each of these divisions. [Ref: WardAH WARD pV]

Every original Sudbury settler received a share in each land division, but the size of the shares varied greatly. Ward's allotments in the first three distributions of meadow were 4.5, 11, and 7.75 acres, a total of 23.25 acres. Several of the founders received considerably more, the maximum being 75 acres. A larger number received less. Several were given similar allowances. Allotments were based on "men's estates and abilities to improve their lands." "Estate" was a term frequently used to signify a community's composite estimate of an inhabitant's resources, social position, etc. [Ref: Martyn WARD p27-28]

In the table of "third additions" or 1640, 22 of the 49 inhabitants named were given substantially more than Ward, and only 5 received appreciably less. His house lot has been given as 20 acres, much larger than average, but that tract included "a second addition which he bought of Edmond Rice" [Ref: Martyn WARD p30]

in 1642 was one of the six township representatives who signed a contract for construction of Sudbury's first Meeting-House. Ward was the only one of the six neither well-to-do nor a freeman [Ref: Martyn WARD p30]

May 10 1643: made freeman [Ref: Martyn WARD p33, Pope PioneersMA p478]
1643: freeman [Ref: Farmer WARD William, Sav-age WARD William, WardAH WARD pVI]

Freeman signified a fully qualified voter. The chief requirement was membership in a duly recognized church, and the taking of the "freeman's oath." [Ref: Martyn WARD p28]

Until 1664 only freemen could vote for governor, assistants, or deputies, or fill such offices, and only freemen could hold military rank. After 1631 only members of orthodox Congregational Churches were eligible for the freeman's oath. In 1635-47 there existed also a law to bar non-freemen from holding township positions and rendering them ineligible to vote on town matters of importance [Ref: Martyn WARD p35]

represented Sudbury in the General Court in 1644 [Ref: Farmer WARD William, Sav-age WARD William, WardAH WARD pVI]

Jun 7 1644: First legislative duty was on a committee appointed to examine a revision of the colonial laws submitted by ex-Governor Bellingham "and returne theire objections & thaughts thereof to this bowse in wrighteinge." [Ref: Martyn WARD p35]

In 1645 he was appointed a commissioner "to end small causes" in Sudbury, along with Peter Noyes and Walter Haynes. Appointment was repeated in 1646, with William Pelham and Edmund Rice as associates [Ref: Martyn WARD p33]

several years Chairman of the selectmen until 1660 [Ref: WardAH WARD pVI]

Also represented his community on the grand jury of the county court at Charlestown and Cambridge [Ref: Martyn WARD p33]

He with twelve others petitioned the General Court in 1656 for a new plantation of eight miles square, saying, "Whereas, your petitioners have lived divers years in Sudbury, and God hath been pleased to increase our children, which are now, divers of them, grown to man's estate, and wee many of us grown into years so as that wee should bee glad to see them settled before the Lord take us away from hence, as also God having given us some considerable quantity of cattle, so that wee are so straightened that wee cannot so comfortably subsist as could be desired; and some of us having taken som pains to view the country, wee have found a place which lieth Westward about eight miles from Sudbury which wee conceive might bee comfortable for our subsistence," etc. [Ref: Martyn WARD p41, WardAH WARD pVI]

All but one of the signers of this petition were members, or sons of members, of the earliest roll of Sudbury pioneers [Ref: Martyn WARD p41]

The petitionwas granted to the extend of "six miles square, or otherwise, in some convenient form equivalent thereto in the place desired." The plantation was laid out not six miles square, yet, for an "equivalent thereto", it was, to say the least of it, a very liberal measurement; embracing in territory most of what is now comprised in the towns of Marlborough, Westborough, Northborough, and Southborough. Westborough, including what is Northborough, was set off from Marlborough in 1717; Northborough from Westborough in 1766, and Southborough from Marlborough in 1660 [Ref: WardAH WARD pVI]

The size of the house-lots was determined by the "estate" standing of the settler. Three men were recognized by their estate standing as the most prominent in the new community. Each was accorded a fifty-acre house-lot. Ward was one of them. Two of his sons also participated. Obadiah, then 25 years of age, received 21 acres, and Richard, 22 years old, received 18 acres. [Ref: Martyn WARD p42]

In 1660 William Ward moved from Sudbury to Marlborough, and was chosen deacon of the church when first organized there. His lot was a fifty acre lot, situated on the South side of the road and nearly opposite the site of the first Meeting house, which was not far from where the Gates Academy now stands. His lands after divisions extended westward to what he called "Belcher's Pond" near which was erected the public house, long and wide known as the Williams Tavern [Ref: WardAH WARD pVI]

moved to Marlborough 1660, and was representative 1666, was deacon of first organized church [Ref: Farmer WARD William, Sav-age WARD William]

prominent in Marlborough affairs. continuously a selectman, and a deacon. Ward probably held other offices, but the records from 1665 to 1739 disappeared many years ago. [Ref: Martyn WARD p45]

in common with others, endured great hardships and sustained great losses by Indian hostilities; more especially in the time of King Philip's war in 1675-6 when his buildings were fired, his cattled destroyed, and one of his sons slain by the enemy [Ref: WardAH WARD pVI]

Until the death of Massasoit in 1661 the Indians were neutral. Then Alexander (Wamsutta) then Philip (Metacomet) became chief of the Wampanoags, and many Indians began to chafe anew at the civilization that had spread over their former hunting grounds. Hostilities started in 1675. The horror was from small parties of the red men stealthily traveling from point to point, burning outlying houses and killing at every opportunity, and by larger bands descending on isolated settlements and destroying them entirely. There were no non-combatants.
The town of Marlborough decided to maintain seven (or eight) garrison-houses - dwellings selected for their central or more easily defensible positions. These were equipped with arms and ammunition and surrounded with "stockades" - solid wooden walls of split logs driven deep into the ground. William Ward's, Abraham Williams's (Joanna's) and John Johnson's (Deborah's) were chosen as three of the garrison-houses.
Main battle in Marlborough occured Sunday March 26, 1676, while town was assembled in the meeting-house. All gained shelter, many in Deadon Ward's house close by. Indians did not attack the garrison-houses; they burnt the meeting-house, thirteen dwellings, eleven barns, killed many cattle, destroyed fences and orchards, then retired to their camp. William Ward was one of the heaviest losers.
Lieutenant Jacobs with some of his soldiers and a party of citizens surprised the Indian camp and killed and wounded a number of them the next night. This reprisal frightened them off for a while.
On April 18 the Indians returned, destroyed every remaining unfortified dwelling or other structure, and hovered about the township for two days hoping to surprise some defenders outside their garrison-houses. April 21 the Indians went on to Sudbury, with slight mortality but great destruction of property, immediately followed by the ambushing and practical annihilation of Captain Wadsworth's relief party.
Four months later the death of Philip marked the end of the war within Massachusetts. [Ref: Martyn WARD p50-53]

Will bears the date "the sixth of April, in the year of our Lord Christ, one thousand six hundred and eighty-six", appoints his "loving wife, Elizabeth, sole executrix" gives liberally to her, and requests his "sons, John Ward, Increase Ward, and son-in-law, Abraham Williams, to be helpful to his wife, as occasion may require", gives "to all my own children, viz. all my sons and daughters, which I have by my former wife, and all that I have surviving by my present wife." He also gave legacies to his grand children and to their mothers, children and widows of his "sons, Richard and Eleazer, deceased." [implication of wording is that Richard was son of second wife, therefore he must have married Elizabeth in England prior to emigrating] [Ref: WardAH WARD pVIII]



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William WARD



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