Visit to Memorial for William Ward
(1603-1687) in Marlborough, MA
by Susan Ward Merk

American colonist William WARD¹ (1603-1687) who came to America c. 1639 and was a founder of both Sudbury (pg. 37-38) and Marlboro, MA (pg. 43) is my 9th g-grandfather. Descendants of William¹ include Artemas WARD the first Commander-in-Chief of the American Revolution; Susan B. Anthony, a women's suffragette; Emily Dickenson, Poet; Bill Nye, scientist; artists in Wyeth Family.  Attempts to trace William's ancestry back to England have been inconclusive.

On November 19, 2017 I visited the Memorial to William Ward in Marlborough, MA with my daughter, son and daughter-in-law. It is located in Spring Hill Cemetery which was relatively easy to find. The Memorial was created in 1924 and appears in the "Ward Genealogy" written by Charles Martyn and published in 1925 by Artemus Ward, a descendant of William.

Sign for Spring Hill Cemetery Marlborough, MA

Early Map of Sudbury, MA showing site of William Ward's House see https://goo.gl/ei8iZS

Ward tablet in New England Historic Genealogy Society building, Boston, MA

My direct line back to William Ward (1603-1687): Susan Ward Merk > Robert C. Ward (1900-1959) > Charles Rivera Ward (1854-1904) > Heman Ward (1822-1884) > Heman Ward (1789-1854) > William Ward (1746-1795) > William Ward (1716-1778) > John Ward (1691-1747) > William Ward (1664-1752) > John Ward (1626-1708) > William Ward (1603-1687) click on names above for burial info
See http://seiz2day.com/sbmerk/family/trees/wardtree.html

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. The links below give more info on his life and his importance (along with his descendants) in the early settlements of Massachusetts, Vermont and central New York.

Early Ward Family Tree     Will of Deacon William Ward

Archives of Sudbury, MA (search for William Ward)   Map of Sudbury, MA (includes Marlborough)

  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
(note Wards from Marlborough and Sudbury)

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