Oliver John Ward (1823 - 1862)

Born 13 Jul 1823 in Jackson County, Georgia

Ancestors

Husband of Martha Marana (Ellington) Ward — married [date unknown] in Attala County, MS

Descendants

Died 22 Jul 1862 at age 39 in Attala County, Mississippi

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Biography

Although it has always been speculated that Oliver John Ward and Martha Ellington married at Rocky Point, Attala County, Mississippi there has also always been some question as Attala County, MS wasn't open to settlement until 1838.

He enlisted but never served in the Civil War.^[1]

He and family members are shown on the 1860 Census for Attala County, Area in Township 15 Range 6, Attala.^[2]

Oliver John had a large estate for a farmer.

He had invested and bought stock in the railroad which brought in a yearly income of $800 to his family. This is show in probate records from Attala County Chancery Court, which I have attached here.

This is a surprising and exciting discovery to me as were the accounts from local people he had sold land to. Amongst those, you will find Dr. S. W. Land and John M Ward. His estate records are interesting as is the fact that Samuel, his brother was appointed the guardian for his infant sons Columbus and Robert and died before they reached maturity.

Their guardianship they went to a Mr. Butts. I believe he was a lawyer by trade. It is interesting that Matilda Jane and Spencer Ball Guess were his executors to Samuel Green Ward by would not be Tutors for the minor children. I have been unable to find the final accounting of Oliver John's estate in the Mississippi Archives but I continue to search.

Even after the Civil War railroads continued to thrive so that when the minor children came of age they should have been paid their portion of their fathers' estate.

I located on census records a Matilda J, but she would have been much too young to have married him when we think she did. I suspect she is married to someone else and then marries Samuel Green Ward. If she did marry him at that time she would have been 12.

Sources

1. ↑ "Mississippi, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFLX-9FV : accessed 30 March 2015), O J Ward, 1862; from "Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Mississippi," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing military unit First (King's) Infantry (State Troops), NARA microfilm publication M269 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1960), roll 105.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1860," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M6G4-P4D : accessed 22 March 2015), Oliver J Ward, Township 15 Range 6, Attala, Mississippi, United States; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," Fold3.com; citing p. 172, household ID 1197, NARA microfilm publication M653, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.; FHL microfilm 803,577.

• "Mississippi, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFLX-9FV : accessed 30 March 2015), O J Ward, 1862; from "Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Mississippi," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing military unit First (King's) Infantry (State Troops), NARA microfilm publication M269 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1960), roll 105.

• "United States Census, 1860," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M6G4-P4D : accessed 22 March 2015), Oliver J Ward, Township 15 Range 6, Attala, Mississippi, United States; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," Fold3.com; citing p. 172, household ID 1197, NARA microfilm publication M653, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.; FHL microfilm 803,577.