Heman WARD¹ (1789-?) is descended from the early American colonist William WARD¹ (1603-1687) who came to America in 1639 and was a founder of both Sudbury and Marlboro, MA. This line can be traced all the way back to Johannes¹ WARD who was born about 1506 in Curlew, England who married Elizabeth ASHBY (1508-?) from Quenby, England.

Johannes¹ & Elizabeth had a son named Thomas (1528-?) who married Alicia E. BARTON (1532-?) of Braunston, England in 1558. They had a son named Johannes² Edward (1560-?) who married Maria HATTON of London in 1599. The above-mentioned William¹ was the son of Johannes² Edward and Maria HATTON WARD, and was born in Warrington, England in 1603 and is the great-grandfather of Artemas WARD the first Commander-in-Chief of the American Revolution.

William¹ married his first wife (name unknown) in 1625 and had 5 children - John¹ (1626-1708), Joanna (1628-1718), Obadiah (1632-1718), Richard (1635-1666) and Deborah (1637-1697) all born in England. He married his second wife Elizabeth PHILLIPUS (1614-1700) in 1639 the same year he sailed for the New World. William¹ & Elizabeth had 9 children, all born in Sudbury, MA. 

Early Ward Family Tree #1     Map of area around Sudbury, MA     Early Ward Family Tree #2
(includes Marlborough, Newton, etc.)

As mentioned, William WARD¹  was instrumental in the organization of both Sudbury and Marlborough, MA.  He became a freeman in 1643, represented Sudbury in the General Court in 1644 and was Chairman of the Selectmen in 1660 when Marlborough was founded.  He and Elizabeth are buried in Springhill Cemetery in Marlborough where a stone memorial was erected in 1924 in their honor.

Memorial to William Ward and wife Elizabeth in Marlborough, MA

  Historical info re: the Ward Family of Marlborough, MA       The William Ward Story

In 1650 William's son John Turner WARD¹ (1626-1708) married Hannah JACKSON (1631-1704) the daughter of Edward & Frances JACKSON, of Newton, MA.  The couple settled in Newton on a 45-acre lot deeded to John by his father-in-law and subsequently had 12 children.  John¹ was on the 1st Board of Selectman for Newton when it became a separate township in 1679, was 1st Representative to the General Court and Deacon of the 1st Church.  His home was built and used as a garrison prior to and during King Phillips' War.

John¹ and Hannah had a son named William² (1664-1752) who married Abigail SPRING (1667-1742) the daughter of Lt. John & Hannah BARSHAM SPRING in 1689 in Newton, MA.  Hannah BARSHAM was the daughter of William (1603-1684) and Annabel Bland BARSHAM (1615-1683).  William BARSHAM was born in Norfolk, England, came to America on the Winthrop Fleet in 1630 and settled in Watertown, MA which at that time had about 100 residents.  Abigail SPRING's line can be traced all the way back to Sir Hugh Le DESPENCER who died in the Battle of Evesham in 1265 and back even further to William Talvas Montgomery DESPENSER (1100-?) who is an ancestor of both Diana SPENCER, Princess of Wales and Sir Winston CHURCHILL.  It also includes such names as Agard, Appleton, Bassett, Crane, Beauchamp, Deincourt, DONNINGTON, Durward, Fray, Kitson, Lovaine, Tiptoft, Waldegrave, Wentworth, etc.

Go to the following for more info:  
Descendants of William Talvas Montgomery Despencer

William² & Abigail SPRING WARD had a son named John² (1690-1747) who married Deborah_______ in 1712 and had the following children: Josiah (1713-1750), John Jr. (1720-1805), Mary (1718-?), Samuel (1727-?), Daniel (1732-1812),  and William³ (1716-1778), the latter of whom married Mary SMITH/COLE (1721-1779) in 1742.  They had 6 children, Jerusha (1748-?), Phineas (1757-?), Mary (1743-?), Lucy (1751-?), Caleb (1753-1841) and William⁴ (1746-1795), the latter born in Springfield, MA before the family moved to Ashford, CT where both William³ and Mary died and are buried.  William⁴ served in the Revolutionary War from 1775-1780 and moved to Shaftsbury, VT in 1780 where he became a magistrate. 

William⁴ married Susanna DOOLITTLE (1753-1819) of Dover, NY and they had 6 children born in Shaftsbury before moving to Manlius, NY in 1793 - Susanna (1778-1831) who married Alvan MARSH (1773-1832), the 1st lawyer in Manlius; William⁵ (1791-1861) who married Luthera COBB (1784-1859) and moved to Syracuse; Lucy (1792-1857) who married William TAYLOR (1792-1865) a physician in Manlius and a member of the US Congress; Erastus (1785-1848) who married Orpha _____; and Heman¹ (1789-1854) who married Rebecca NASH (see WARD-LYON-NASH Family Narrative).  A daughter Laura was born in Manlius in 1795, the year her father William died.  

According to historical records for Onondaga County, NY, William WARD⁴ settled on Lot #97 in Manlius (southeast of Syracuse), was appointed a Justice of the Peace and erected the first grist mill in town.  There are many land sales recorded in the county by the above Ward family members from 1820 to 1849 and many members of the Ward family are buried in Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery there.  See History of Manlius.