Transcription of December 1825 Letter From
Thompson Ware To His Niece,
Sally Ware Stribling (Sister of Josiah Ware)
Background
research & transcription done by Judy C. Ware
©
Judy C. Ware April 2009
Original
letter owned by Cornelia Ware Anker 1945
From: Bourbon
County, Kentucky
December 25, 1825
Dear Sally,
Your brother Josiah starts from my house to Virginia
in a few days. I feel a kindred spirit towards
you as the daughter of my brother (James III). We
were raised and educated together until our father took us to Kentucky and there left us. We got separated; he located at Louisville and I in
the neighborhood of Lexington when my age was 20 and his about 18 months younger. We would sometimes accidentally see one another in
the course of a year or two for several years until he entered into marriage to your
mother in Virginia and it took him from Kentucky – where he settled not far from
where he was raised and while living, we used to correspond and hear from each
other’s family. But we have been
neglectful and absent from each other for a number of years and Josiah William Ware is the
first and only one of the family that I ever saw. And,
in seeing him, I see your father more so than any painter could represent. It has given me great pleasure to see Josiah at my
house and if all my family could only see Sigismunda at my house – what rejoicing! But I fear that is not to be; the distance is too
great and to come in to Virginia is not impossible but very improbable as I am getting to
be an old man.
Sally,
we have had twelve children – eleven living and eight of them daughters. Our youngest is a son; one year old. Josiah can tell you the particulars of my family. Our families are all in Kentucky (except yours)
where we can at least see one another once or twice a year.
Your Aunt Polly Webb lives within a mile, where we can see each other every
week.
Your
cousin, Betsy Sharp, lost her husband the 1st Sunday in November last by a
midnight assassin. He was stabbed in the
abdomen in his own house at 1 or 2 o’clock and expired without speaking a word in a
few minutes in the midst of his family. The
night before the Legislature was to meet (he was a member,) a man was taken up on
suspicion and sent for further trial. Poor
Betsy was quite deranged for several days. She
has since recovered and has come to her right mind. She
has three children – a daughter and two sons. Mr.
Sharp has left her a sufficient competency for her support.
He had a very severe spell of sickness last summer which caused him to make
a will, and he left Betsy everything except two farms, as I am informed.
Your
Aunt Polly Webb and Aunt Kitty Scott are both widows and I suppose will never marry again. I must conclude by giving my wife and family’s
best love to you and little Sigismunda. I
shall be glad to hear from you at all times.
I
am yours respectfully T. (Thompson) Ware
There is such a wealth of family
information “under the surface” of the above letter, that I feel the best way to
do justice to all the details is to recopy the entire letter below and add the clarifying
facts along the way. It is my hope in doing it
this way that my original transcription can be read fluidly without being disjointed, and
yet all the background data can now be flushed in for further research and edification. All researched details will be typed in blue.
Judy
From:
Bourbon County, Kentucky
December 25, 1825
The area in red represents the Lexington/Fayette counties
The area in green represents Frankfort
County
Bourbon County is part of the
Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan area today. The
county seat is in Paris, Kentucky and all of this is just fifteen miles from Lexington. This is the area where all the Virginia Wares (with the exception of James Ware III) relocated to
in 1791. Versailles is
a city in Woodford County, Kentucky,
but it is a suburb of Lexington & also
part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan
area.
In a letter from Josiah
Ware in 1876, he wrote to Rutherford B. Hayes that “Thompson had already settled near
Paris, Kentucky.
James II and Caty homesteaded in Fayette
County around Lexington on land “that
James II subsequently lived and died on.” It
was written later that “Charles lived near Versailles,
George in the homestead, Lucy Webb the adjoining farm, Polly Webb near Paris, and Catherine Scott in Frankfort.”
Dear Sally, (Sarah Elizabeth Taliaferro Ware
Stribling)- sister of Josiah
** At the time of this letter, Sally was
28 years old and her Uncle Thompson was 56. Sally
had married Sigismund Stribling about five years prior to the letter and had given birth
to a daughter named Sigismunda. James Ware III
(Sally’s father and also Thompson’s brother) had already passed away in 1821.
Your brother Josiah starts from my house to Virginia
in a few days. I feel a kindred spirit towards
you as the daughter of my brother (James III). We
were raised and educated together until our father took us to Kentucky and there left us. We got separated; he located at Louisville and I in
the neighborhood of Lexington when my age was 20 and his about 18 months younger.
In the Fall of 1784, James II (father of
both James and Thompson) decided to visit Kentucky and remained there all that winter. Facts from The
Biography of James Ware II state that “James
returned to Virginia after the winter, but in 1789 he traveled back to Kentucky; this time
bringing his two oldest sons, Thompson and James III, with him. It was decided that the sons would stay in the area
and establish roots so that the entire family could later make the move.” In a different letter from Josiah Ware (many years
later) he wrote th at “Thompson Ware went to Kentucky as an Indian
fighter when Cincinnati was just two or three cabins and some stumps.”
We would sometimes accidentally see
one another in the course of a year or two for several years until he entered into
marriage to your mother in Virginia and it took him from Kentucky – where he settled
not far from where he was raised and while living, we used to correspond and hear from
each other’s family.
While James was
in Kentucky, he “wrote in Mr. Johnson’s office until he became
fully familiar with the business. He later commenced
merchandizing in Louisville and continued in this business until 1795; laying the
groundwork for the beginning of his fortune.”
James did, indeed, become quite successful; his son Josiah later
writing that he “owned a great part of the town.” His health, however, was
not good.
In the same letter from Josiah, he wrote that “suffering from chills and fever undermined his health,
so my father sold out his business and returned to Virginia where he farmed.” On
November 10, 1796, James III married Elizabeth Alexander, the daughter of Col.
Morgan Alexander, an officer in the Revolutionary War.
Her mother was Sarah Snickers Alexander
and she was the daughter of Elizabeth Taliaferro and Edward Snickers; a very
wealthy planter and landowner in Frederick County. In
1803, William Snickers (Elizabeth’s uncle) sold 401 acres of his inheritance
(beautiful riverfront land by the Shenandoah)) to his niece and her husband James. It was here that they built their home –
appropriately named Riverside. Elizabeth was the mother of both Josiah and Sally. There was another son named Charles, but he died at
the age of 23. Elizabeth, herself, died in
1806, and James remarried in 1808.
But we have been neglectful and absent from each other for a number
of years (by the time of this letter, James was dead)
and Josiah William Ware is the first and only one of the family that I ever saw. And, in seeing him, I see your father more so than
any painter could represent. It has given me
great pleasure to see Josiah at my house and if all my family could only see Sigismunda at
my house – what rejoicing!
(Sally had married Dr. Sigismund Stribling and Sigismunda was their only
daughter.) But I fear that is not to be; the distance is too great and to come in
to Virginia is not impossible but very improbable as I am getting to be an old man. (He was 56.)
Sally, we have had twelve children –
eleven living and eight of them daughters. Our
youngest is a son; one year old. Josiah can
tell you the particulars of my family.
Thompson had married Sallie Conn, and the
children he is referring to are:
(1) Thompson Ware Jr. (2) Hadassa (3)
Polly (4) Kitty (5) Cassandra (6) Lucy C. (7) Sarah (8) Davidella (9) James Thompson (10)
Eliza (11) Frances (12) Charles William. The
child he mentioned that had died was Hadassa – leaving his 8 daughters as Polly,
Kitty, Cassandra, Lucy, Sally, Davidella, Eliza, and Frances.
Polly would die unexpectedly 3 years
after this letter from childbirth complications. In
a letter Lucy Webb wrote to Sally around 1829, she wrote:
“I suppose
you heard his (Thompson’s) daughter Polly
Allen died very suddenly. Her child (baby Thompson ) was about 3 or 4 weeks old. She had been quite sick for two weeks, but Mary (her aunt) thought had gotten well. She (Polly) got up in the morning, put on her clothes, walked
to the fire, fell sick, was carried to the bed, and died in a few minutes. She left a son – Kitty (her sister) takes care of it as if it was her
own.”
Daughter Kitty would later marry the husband of her late sister and go on to have
several children of her own.
Daughter Lucy
would marry Henry Bedford in Oct. 1829. He was
the 2nd cousin, once removed, of Henry Clay, the Statesman.
Daughter Sarah
(Sally) would marry (at age 16) Robert Spotswood Russell just 2 years after this letter on
May 29, 1827.
Daughter
Davidella would marry Asa Kentucky Lewis Bedford on May 8, 1834. He, also, was a 2nd cousin, once
removed, of Henry Clay, the Statesman. At the
time of this letter, however, she was only 13 years old.
Thompson’s
son, James Thompson was only eleven years old in 1825, but he would grow up and later go
on to serve as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1855-1857.
Eliza was 10
years old and Frances was 8 years old at the time of this letter. We know that Frances would later marry John Hill in
1847.
The youngest
son that Thompson mentions was Charles William who was born in 1824. We know he was a sickly child. In the same letter Lucy wrote Sally around 1829,
she mentioned:
“Charles
William I suppose never will walk a smart child. He
was taken sick and continued so for a year. His
head enlarged (opened) when he was sick at about two years old. He never walked since; his head very large now. Whether he took too much calomel or what, I
don’t know.”
Our families are all in Kentucky (except yours) where we can at least
see one another once or twice a year. Your
Aunt Polly Webb lives within a mile, where we can see each other every week.
Thompson’s sister, Polly Ware Webb,
had married Charles Webb - the brother of Isaac Webb who was married to their sister Lucy.
Your
cousin, Betsy Sharp, (daughter of Thompson’s other sister
Kitty Scott and her husband Dr. John Mitchell Scott) lost her husband the 1st
Sunday in November last by a midnight assassin.
Betsy (also called Eliza) was married to
Soloman Sharp. In the book
entitled Virginia Genealogies, by Hayden, he wrote:
“. . . one of the children was Elizabeth who married Col. Soloman P.
Sharp who was a member of the U.S. Congress from 1813-1817.
John C. Calhoun said ‘He (Soloman
Sharp) was the ablest man of his age that had ever crossed the mountains.’”
He was stabbed in the abdomen in his own house at 1 or 2 o’clock
and expired without speaking a word in a few minutes in the midst of his family. The night before the Legislature was to meet (he
was a member,) a man was taken up on suspicion and sent for further trial. Poor Betsy was quite deranged for several days. She has since recovered and has come to her right
mind.
 Colonel
Solomon Sharp was 38 years old when he was assassinated.
The man who killed him was Jereboam Beauchamp of Glasgow, Kentucky. During an 1824 mud-slinging political campaign,
someone had distributed handbills falsely accusing Sharp of seducing Beauchamp’s
wife. Beauchamp swore revenge. Upon his
arrest, Beauchamp not only confessed to the crime but even gave graphic descriptions of
his actions. He was put on trial and found
guilty; with a punishment of hanging. Mrs.
Beauchamp was also arrested as an accessory to the murder.
She snuck in a vial of laudanum which was “divided between them, however, it
failed to have the desired effect.” On
the day of the execution she gave her husband a knife that she had secreted in. He stabbed himself in the chest and then she
grabbed the knife from him and stabbed herself too. Mrs.
Beauchamp died of her knife wounds but Jereboam was still taken to the gallows. He was, however, “too weak to stand while the
rope was being adjusted around his neck” but he did eventually die by hanging.
She has three children – a
daughter and two sons. Mr. Sharp has left her
a sufficient competency for her support. He
had a very severe spell of sickness last summer which caused him to make a will, and he
left Betsy everything except two farms, as I am informed.
In a letter from another relative to
Sally, it was written that “Betsy
Sharp is well and in good spirits. She’s
a pretty sensible woman and has 3 fine children. They
are Jean, John Scott, and Soloman (he was called Thomas but after the death of his fa ther, they
changed it (his name) to Soloman.”
Your Aunt
Polly Webb and Aunt Kitty Scott are both widows and I suppose will never marry again.
Polly Webb (Mary Todd “Polly”
Ware Webb) was married to Charles Webb on February 24, 1791.
Charles died in 1806 - so by the time of this letter, Polly had been widowed
for 19 years.
Kitty Scott (Catherine “Caty or
Kitty” Ware Scott) had married Dr. John Mitchell Scott.
He had died in 1812, so she had been widowed for 13 years when this letter
was written.
I must conclude by giving my wife (Sallie Conn Ware)
and family’s best love to you and little Sigismunda.
(daughter
of Sally Ware Stribling & her husband Sigismund Stribling) I shall be glad to hear from you at all
times.
I am yours respectfully
T.
(Thompson)
Ware
References:
Paris County Tourist Center, 720 High Street- Paris, Kentucky
Letter from
Josiah Ware to Gov. Rutherford B. Hayes, dated July 16, 1876
Biography of Dr.
James Ware II Researched and written
by: Judy C. Ware copyright 2006 Dayton, Ohio
Original long letter
of Cornelia Ware Anker (1945) Cornelia was the
daughter of Sigismund Stribling Ware (son of Josiah William Ware).
Letter from Charles
Ware to his niece Sarah (Sally) Elizabeth Taliaferro Ware Stribling, written in 1831.
Charles was the younger brother of James III, and both Charles and James
were children of James II and Catherine Todd Ware.
VIRGINIA GENEALOGIES: A
Genealogy of the Glassell Family of Scotland and Virginia by Rev. Horace Edwin Hayden,
M. A. Printed in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in
1891 – copyrighted 1885.
Edward Snickers, Family Man Chapter III from Clarke County Proceedings.
Proceedings of the Clarke County Historical
Association Vol. III 1948 copyright
1949 by Clarke County Historical Association.
Letter from
Lucy Webb to her niece, Sarah (Sally) E. T. Ware Stribling written
June 5 (circa 1830’s). Lucy Webb was the
sister of James Ware III. Research &
transcription of this letter done by Judy C. Ware in 2007 & posted on her website at www.bigballoonmusic.com/Ware
Children of
Thompson Ware and Sallie Conn Posted on website Researched and written by Judy Ware updated
on March 2009 Additional information
provided by Debbie McArdle.
Proceedings of
the Clarke County Historical Association Volume XXIII 1983-1984 With Clarke County – A Daughter of
Frederick by Rose M.E. MacDonald copyright 1985 by the Clarke County Historical
Association – printed by Commercial Press, Stephens City, Virginia 22655. Pages 33 & 39
Article entitled The
Nook from Proceedings of the Clarke County Historical Association Volume XXIII
1983-1984 - copyright 1985 by the Clarke County Historical Association – printed by
Commercial Press, Stephens City, Virginia
Welcome
to Franklin County, Kentucky – “Murder on Madison
Street; the Beauchamp- Sharp Tragedy” from History of Franklin County, Kentucky
by L.F. Johnson
Edward Snickers,
Yeoman - by Ingrid Jewell Jones. Published by the Clarke County Historical
Association, Berryville, Virginia
*** Placement of family photographs and visual
graphics accompanying this piece are the fine work of John Reagan who has been an
invaluable help in setting up a website for me entitled Ware Genealogy at
www.waregenealogy.com. I will forever be grateful for his expertise and
kindness. |
