George Ward

George Ward was born 10 Feb 1823 Walton-Le-Dale, Lancashire, England, son of Thomas Ward and Elizabeth Powell.  George married Ellen Dixon (alt spelling Dickson)  on 3 Jul 1842 at Preston, Lancashire England.  See history of his daughter, Catherine Ward Minson for further information about their family.  The 1861 census shows George married to Betty who we believe is Elizabeth Whiteside.  His third wife was Ellen Hulme whom he married 28 July 1872.  George Died 29 Jun 1882 at Workhouse Fulwood, Lancashire England.

 

 

Joyce Butler posted this picture of George Ward on ancestry.com. She said the picture was given to her by Lucille Anderson.

On the front it says Father of Catherine Ward Minson    My Great Grandfather   Grandma Minson’s father George Ward.

 

 

On the back it says My (Lucille’s) Great Grandfather Ward.  Mrs C Minson…..Paris. 

 

Other marriages for George Ward

 

We know George Ward married again after Catherine died.  We have had some evidence of Mary Ellen Ward, the ½ sister of Catherine Ward, daughter of George Ward.  It was from Thomas Minson who wrote about his wife’s family in his journal while he was in England.

 May 18, 1893:

 "Took train for Darwin per Mid R.R. to attend the funeral of my wife's brother, Thomas Ward, born Jan 26, 1844, at Preston, Lancashire, Eng. Died at Darwin, May 15, 1893. . . .My brother-in-law, who had been suffering from cancer of the throat for a long time …. . . Zinah Miranda Ward was prostrated with grief and became insane all night but recovered with the breaking of day.”

(Zinah was the daughter of Thomas Ward)

May 19, 1893:

"John Ward (uncle to deceased) was present, also deceased's half sister, Mary Ellen Ward. The burial took place at the New Cemetry.

George Ward married Ellen Hulme 28 July 1872

The following Information is from Dorothy Ford of Doncaster Yorkshire England, a great grand daughter of George Ward and Ellen Hulme.  They married 28 Jul 1872 after George returned to England from Utah.  Their daughter, Mary Ellen Ward married Frederick John Lucas.  Mary and Frederick had 9 children, one was killed in WWI. All are now deceased. 

Dorothy also said George Ward married  Elizabeth Whiteside in 1859. She died in 1862. 

Ancestry.com searches.

On Ancestry.com, several family trees have similar information about George Ward.  One tree lists an alternate spelling for first wife Ellen Dixon as Ellen Dickson, marriage date 1848. Only two family trees make mention of both his second and third wife.   The two trees , Butler Family Tree/Owner joyceandersonbutler146 & HoskingAlbrecht Family Tree/ Owner tlpooh  include this info:

Elizabeth Whiteside b. about 1825 in Longwell Gate, Yorkshire, England. D 1862. Marriage to George Ward, 5 Mar 1859 Saint John, Preston, Lancashire, England. Children  Sarah Anne Ward 1853- in Carlton, Yorkshire – West Riding; Selina Ward b. abt 1855 in Carlton, Yorkshire, England.   Source Ancestry Family Trees.

 I am still trying to verify these children as children of George & Elizabeth Whiteside Ward.  The 1861 census for George names a wife Betty 33, born Preston, Lancashire England. The only children with them in the 1861 census are Thomas & Catherine.

This family tree gave a slightly different spelling, Ellen Hume b. abt 1825 marriage to George Ward 1872, one daughter Mary Ellen Ward b. 1873.

Neither tree attaches source information for these marriages or children of those marriages.

Census Records for George Ward

 

1841 District 7 Preston Lancashire England

Ward, Thomas 55 Weaver Cotton

Elizabeth 45

George 15

Elizabeth 13

John 10

Ann 6

Joseph 4m

Thomas 4

Parkinson, William 30 Day Labour

Mary 20

Elizabeth 15

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30 Mar 1851 Preston, Lancashire, England  (St. Mary parish)

Ward, George  head  28 mar    b. Walton Le Dale

           Ellen 35 wife  mar   b. Preston

          Thomas 7 son      "

          Zina M. 3 dau        "

Dixon, William 65  Lodger widow labourer   b. Brigstear Helleton

             Thomas 29 lodger unmar  b. Preston

 

Question: Is this William Dixon 65 the father of Ellen Dixon Ward (George's wife)? She had a brother Thomas also born in Preston 25 Dec 1820 in Preston.

 

---------------------------------

1861 Preston, Lancashire, England (St. Mary parish)

Ward, George 38             Cotton Carder b. Moons Mill, Lancashire, England 

       Betty  33   wife         Cotton Winder      b Preston, Lancashire, England

      Thomas 17 son         Cotton Grinder      b. Preston, Lancashire, England

      Catherine 8 daughter   Scholar  b. Preston, Lancashire, England

Ward, Elizabeth 66 mother  Serv  b. Narnan, Gloucestershire, England

Dewhurst, Edward 27 boarder    Cotton Pucer          b. Preston, Lancashire, England

 

1871 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England  (Holy Trinity)

1 Livsey Gold (Road,Street No, or Name of House)

George P. Ward head Widow 48 Labourer at Cotton Mill, b.  Moon's Mill, Lancashire

 

George Ward’s son Thomas is also in the 1871 Over Darwen census.

 

1881 District 2, Trinity, Preston, Lancashire, England (St. Marys)

18 Sergeant St.

Ward, George 58 Head widow Cotton Carder  b. Walton, Lancashire

          Mary E  Dau 7 scholar b. Over Darwen, Lancashire

 

Per Wikipedia.org - Higher Walton is a village in South Ribble, Lancashire, England. It is on the old road between Blackburn and Preston where it crosses the River Darwen. The road at this point is now part of the A675. Nearby places include Walton-le-Dale, Coupe Green, and Bamber Bridge...

The village was formerly called Moon's Mill, and developed around a cotton mill in the 19th century.

 

 

It is obvious from the census records that George and his family were very involved in working in the cotton industry.  An interesting history of the cotton industry in Lancashire England was found at       http://www.ourwardfamily.com/cotton_trade.htm

 

It described the employment in the cotton industry in 1861 as 446,000 or 18.3% of the Working Population at the time. Then from 1861-1865 the American Civil war interupted the supply of raw cotton from the southern ports by the Federal navy. Mill closure and mass unemployment in Lancashire resulted.  Catherine's life story indicated her father, George Ward had been a foreman in a factory where he worked, but it was hard to save money for the trip to America.  It would make sense that the interruption in the cotton industry in the early 1860's would have added to their hardship, but also may have given them reason to leave and seek better opportunity in America.

 

 

George Ward died 20 Jun 1882 Workhouse Fulwood, Lancashire England. His daughter Mary Ellen would have been only 8.

 

A brief history of the Workhouse Fulwood is found online at http://www.fulwood.com/fulwood_history.htm

 

 

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