John Ward (1606 - 1693)

Born 5 Nov 1606 in Haverhill, Essex, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 27 Dec 1693 at age 87 in Haverhill, Essex, Province of Massachusetts Bay

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John Ward migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

TAKE CARE this profile represents John Ward, son of Nathaniel Ward.^[1]

• In 1640 and early 1650 there was another John Ward in Ipswich, not known to be related to John Ward, the subject of this profile.
• This profile was previously conflated with a John Ward from Donegal, Ireland... he was not the same man as represented in this profile.

Biography

John Ward was born on November 5, 1606 probably at Haverhill, Suffolk, England; son of Nathaniel Ward and his wife Elizabeth who had migrated to New England with John's siblings in 1639.^[1]His siblings were Susannah who married Giles Firmin, Jr. in New England by 1639; and James Ward who graduated from Harvard College in 1645.^[2]

He was educated in England^[3]and according to page 187 in Dean's book "A Memoir of the Rev. Nathaniel Ward" he entering Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1622 with a degree of A. B. in 1626 and A. M. in 1630.^[4]

He was rector of Hadleigh, co. Essex, being instituted on November 16, 1633, continuing there until 1639 when he resigned.^[4]

John married Alice _____ (surname unknown) by 1639 and^[1]they migrated to New England that same year.^[3]For a short time he assisted his uncle, Ezekiel Rogers in Rowley then he was with his father at Ipswich and by February he was in Newbury. He was called by the people of Agamenticus where he next lived and ministered. Next he was at Haverhill where he became their pastor when the church was formed in 1645.^[4]Haverhill was originally known as Pentuckett, the Native word for "place of the winding river."^[5]

John's father, Nathaniel Ward and brother James Ward sailed for England in late December 1646 or early 1647.^[1]His sister and her husband, Giles Firmin went back to England in 1654.^[6]

Unlike his father and siblings, John and Alice remained in New England since Alice was absolutely against their return to Old England.^[1]

He continued as the minister at Haverhill until he was struck with paralysis and died at the age of eighty-seven, December 27, 1693.^[3] Cotton Mather said of him:

"He was a person of a quick apprehension, a clear understanding, a strong memory, a facetious conversation; he was an exact grammarian, an expert physician, and which was the top of all, a thorough Divine; but which rarely happens, these endowments of his mind were accompanied with a most healthy, hardy and agile constitution of body, which enabled him to make nothing of walking on foot a journey as long as thirty miles together."

Research Notes

• This is his biography as published in the Cambridge Alumni book ^[7]:

Admitted pensioner at EMMANUEL, Aug. 30, 1622.

Son of Nathaniel (1596), clerk.

Born at Haverhill, Essex, Nov. 5, 1606.

Matriculated: 1622; B.A.; 1626-7; M.A.

1630. Rector of Hadleigh, Essex, 1633-9.

Went to New England, 1639;

Pastor at Haverhill, Mass., 1641-93.

Married Alice, daughter of Nicholas Edmunds, of Alkham, Kent, May 24, 1636.

Died Dec. 27, 1693.

• His epitaph at Haverhill, Massachusetts ^[8] says:

The Reverend John Ward, son of the Reverend Nathaniel Ward of Ipswich, the first and for 55 years the honoured and faithful Teacher and Minister of Haverhill, died 27 December 1693 in the 88th years of his age"

• Mirick in The History of Haverhill, Massachusetts (1832) gave the surname of John Ward's wife as "Edmunds," but did not give evidence.^[1]

John was probably born at Haverhill co. Suffolk, England. Cotton Matther believed he was born 5 November 1606, but his age on his marriage record implies ca 1610. He passed away in 1680.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Great Migration 1634-1635, T-Y. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VII, T-Y, by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011. sketch of Nathaniel Ward. p. 231.subscribers$
2. ↑ Early New England Families, 1641-1700. (Original Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2013. (By Alicia Crane Williams, Lead Genealogist.) Sketch of John Ward, Rev. (m.1636) p. 1-4.[1]subscribers
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Sprague, William Buell. Annals of the American Pulpit (Robert Carter & Brothers, New York, 1857) Vol. 1, Page 40
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} A Memoir of the Rev. Nathaniel Ward, A.M. by John Dean. (Pg. 126, 184 ff). [2]
5. ↑ Haverhill, Massachusettslink
6. ↑ The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2018.) A. Hammatt. "Physicians of Ipswich" Vo. 4, p. 11.subscription
7. ↑ Cambridge University Alumni, 1261-1900, ancestry.com, (Felt, 378; J. G. Bartlett.)
8. ↑ "Monumental Inscription", Find A Grave: Memorial #68262094

• Early Families of New England. (Original Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2013. (By Alicia Crane Williams, Lead Genealogist.) Rev. John Ward