Ward-Spittler-Metz-Lyon Family Heritage Center: Ward Family Narrative

Heman WARD¹ (1789-1854) 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 Thomas¹ WARD born in Carlton-Curlieu, Leicestershire, England in 1445, who married Felice FRISBY in 1469. Their son John¹ WARD born in 1473 married Alicia Allen DE MARKFIELD in 1501 and had a son named Johannes¹ WARD who was born 1506. See photos of church in Carlton-Curlieu which dates to 11-12th centuries.

The history of Carlton-Curlieu, Leicestershire also includes a Theobald WARD (?-1392; probably the uncle of Thomas¹ above) who married Anne/Amy de Burgh, daughter of William and Margaret de Burgh and who once owned the manor houses of both Carlton-Curlieu and Braunston, Rutland. Theobald's parents (and therefore Thomas' grandparents) are said to be Simon (?-1381) and Anne Haustede WARD. Also see The Manors of Burton Overy (note 12, pg. 49) and A History of the County of Rutland and land dealings in Rutland of Theobald WARD and William and Margaret de Burgh at CP 25/1/192/7, number 3 and number 27.

Johannes¹ married Elizabeth ASHBY (1508-?) daughter of Robert ASHBY from Quenby, England, related to the family who built Quenby Hall. They had a son named Thomas² (1528-1598) who married Alicia E. BARTON (1532-?) of Braunston, Rutland, England in 1558. Thomas²and Alicia 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 Elizabeth PHILLIPUS¹ (1603-1632) in 1624 in Clerkenwell, London and had 3 children - John² Turner (1626-1708), Joanna (1628-1718), Obadiah (1632-1718). He married his second wife Elizabeth STORY HALL² (1613-1700) in 1634 and children Richard (1635-1666), Deborah (1637-1697) and HANNAH (1638-1717) were born in England. In 1639 the family sailed for the New World. William¹ & Elizabeth² had 7 more children, all born in Massachusetts.

Early Ward Family Tree #1 Archives of Sudbury, MA Early Ward Family Tree #2
Map of Sudbury, MA (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.

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

A Genealogical Dictionary of The First Settlers of New England, Before 1692

The William Ward genealogy : Descendants of William Ward of Sudbury, Mass., 1639-1925

In 1650 William's son John² Turner WARD (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. John² 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. John and Hanah are buried in Old East Parish Burying Ground.

John² and Hannah had a son named William² (1664-1752) who married Abigail SPRING (1667-1742) the daughter of Lt. John & Hannah BARSHAM SPRING 12 Dec 1689 in Watertown, 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

Here's another informative website about the WARD family.

William² & Abigail SPRING WARD lived in Newton, MA and had a son named John³ (1690-1747) who married Deborah White in 1712 and was a school teacher in Grafton,MA; they 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 Brown (1801-?); 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.

Very little information can be found on Susanna DOOLITTLE, but it is probable that she is a member of the DOOLITTLE family which moved to Shaftsbury from Beekman's Patent in NY. See Early Baptists in Dutchess Co. NY re: Baptists in Shaftsbury, VT.

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.