List of Blog Posts by Surname
Our 3rd great-grandfather Thomas Ward was born about 1813 near Witney, Oxfordshire, the son of James Ward, a labourer. Thomas moved to Mortlake, Surrey and married Mary Ann Maria Walters in 1838. They had 11 children. 2-3 years ago, I started looking for Thomas Ward’s family of origin in Oxfordshire. This is a summary of my research so far.
Young Jimmie seems to be about the most popular player on the Irvington course, for whenever he steps up to the tee with his small bag of clubs, the crowd gathers. The little chap will step up to the ball after his father, Alf Ward, who is the professional at the course, has teed it up for him, then get ready to swing. Then he will look around with a mischievous grin and say “Watch me.”
The USS St. Mary’s was the second ship in the center column after the flagship USS Chilton. At 18:38, the ship formation was attacked without warning by about 10 Japanese suicide bombers. One hundred and forty one men died within minutes. At 18:38: the USS Chilton, directly in front of the St. Mary’s, was struck first from the starboard quarter.
Francis Walters was from Epsom, Surrey. He stood at 5 feet 4 inches tall, with pale skin and grey eyes. At age 18 he enlisted in the 2nd Battalion of the 12th Foot, serving in England and Ireland from 1812-1819. He he returned to Epsom where his oldest child Mary Ann Maria Walters, my 3rd great grandmother, was born in 1820.
Thomas and Mary’s youngest son William Ward remained unmarried and joined the British Army in 1879. He frequently found himself in trouble by creating disturbances while drunk, drawing his bayonet on the escorts that removed him, threatening and offering violence to his superior officers, assaulting police constables and escaping confinement.
