An Ancestral History of William N. Ward born 1945

 

This site is named for Fouques De La Vardes who is believed to be the name of the earliest Norman ancestor of our surname Ward in England. He was born in Normandy, France about 975 AD. His descendants settled in England from France. Sons and grandsons of Fouques supported Duke William during the Norman Invasion of 1066.

 

Genetics has shown that many lines of Wards immigrated to America in the 17th century. The family of Wards I descend from, likely Scotch-Irish from Ireland, came to America settling in Virginia and/or North Carolina. This family is currently unknown beyond my 3x great grand parents, William Ward, born about 1755, probably in North Carolina and his wife, Memory Larimore, born about 1762, in Queen Anne Parish, Maryland. I know this because my DNA testing and matches show consistentcy to William and Memory but not before. My DNA also tells me I am not related to the 18th century Wards of Onslow, North Carolina. The Ward line I descend from must originate elsewhere. My most recent common genetic ancestor is a man known only as R-BY122665, born about 700-1300CE, probably in Ireland. 

 

When England established the colony at Jamestown, Virginia, Wards were among the first to arrive. Our family name has been associated with the growth of England and Ireland and the establishment and success of the early American experiment.​ My currently known ancestors were prominent in Rockingham, North Carolina before moving to Green County, Kentucky.

​

A new update to A Genealogical History of William N. Ward  is being retitled. Results of my DNA tests and recent research have resulted in a significant update to this history.

 

For those focused on the ancestry of Seth Ward of early Jamestown Colony, I have included unpublished articles about the early generations of Wards in Jamestown Colony, (2017) by Dr. Dana Ward, Ph.D, Professor Emeritus, Political Studies at Pitzer College. Also included are 2024 articles by Richard Warren Davis on the Wards of Cambridgeshire in the 15th and 16th centuries and the 17th century, Jamestown era. Many thanks to Dr. Dana Ward and Richard Davis, among others, for the their added clarity and contributions. You may view the files on the File Share page.