Bernard Ward / Rachel Strong

INDEX

[160] Bernard Ward married on April 7, 1785 at Poultney, VT, to Rachel Strong.
Bernard and Rachel Ward lived at Poultney, VT. until March, 1794, when they
moved to Underhill, VT, where Rachel died on March 8 1844 and Bernard died on
December 10, that same year. Bernard died in his 81st year but was
survived by his mother, Lucy Ward, who died 14 months later at 98!

[161] The wife of Chandler Ward (#387) was Clarissa Whipple whom he married at
Underhill, VT in 1806 where all their 6 children were born. They later moved
to Burlington, Bradford County, in Pennsylvania.

[162] Bernard Ward,(#390) born Nov 08, 1808, the son of Chandler Ward (#387),
was the brother of Alcenas Ward(#392) and the uncle of Chandler Ward (#39) who
was the father of Charlotte Eliza Ward (#31). He went to Illinois right after
the Black Hawk War and settled in what is now the Township of Ward's Grove in
Jo Daviess County near Galena, Illinois.
He was the first settler and taught the first school in his log cabin and
was the first town clerk. He was an influential citizen, owned a
considerable library for those days and became a large property owner. The
township was named for him and a large grove of trees near his home. He
never married.
According to the 1869 tax records for Jo Daviess county, Ward Grove
Township, IL, on page 8 he is listed as having the following lands: all in
Sec 17, Twp 27, R5E, pt NW 1/2 of NE 1/4 (60 acres), the E 1/2 of the NW 1/4
(80 acres). the N 1/2 of the SW 1/4 (80 acres), pt the W 1/2 of the SE 1/4
(4 acres) and the E 1/2 of the W 1/2 of the SW 1/4 (20 acres), total 244 acres.
He also owned land in Section 20, same TWP and Range to the south of his
homestead where the bulk of Ward's Grove is located. After Bernard's death
his land passed through several hands and finally passed into the hands of a
wealthy owner who gave it to the State of Illinois stipulating that it remain
forever a piece of virgin timber and a nature preserve.
The Ward's Grove after which the Township was named is now a tract of some
300 acres lying south of East Airport county road which passes south of the
Homestead. This is the name still given to Bernard's house place by local
people when speaking of it to give directions to places in the
vicinity.
Bernard Ward's original log house is still standing (August 1989) although
it has been added to and covered over with asbestos siding. It is neglected
and the lawn is a bit shaggy but it is still occupied as it has been nearly
all the time since Bernard occupied it. (In April 1994 it was still there)
There are two very large soft maple trees standing on the south side of the
house that must go back a long way into the history of the place. Although
Bernard Ward never married and therefore left no descendents, his Homestead is
of special interest to the descendents of Chandler Ward. Chandler Ward, his
father Alcenas Ward, a brother William and several brothers-in-law came from
Jo Daviess County, Illinois to Wesley, Iowa in June 1869 after a 4-week trip
by ox cart. It seems highly probable that this home of Bernard Ward, The
Homestead- was the jumping off place for the Ward party when they left for
Iowa in June 1869. Perhaps they spent their last night in Ward Grove
Township there. For this reason, Bernard Ward and the Homestead Place are
highly significant to the descendents of Chandler Ward even though Bernard is
not himself an ancestor of anyone.

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