Complete Lineage of the Ware Name to the Present Generation (through descending males)
courtesy of Judy Ware
© Judy C. Ware

UPDATED 2022

DUE TO RECENT DNA TESTING SOME NEW INFORMATION HAS COME TO LIGHT WHICH WILL CHANGE SOME OF THE DATA IN THIS DOCUMENT.  THE NEW, UPDATED POSTING WILL BE FINISHED SHORTLY.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.  PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE NEW INFORMATION IS ADDED,  THE FOLLOWING TEXT CONTAINS SOME ERRORS – MAINLY FROM THE ANCESTORS OF JAMES WARE I -BACK THROUGH HIS FATHER AND FURTHER 

"By Favor of God"
Family Motto (or creed)
[ref. 135]

The origin of the surname "Ware" has been open to some question. Some sources document the name as being of English (Saxon) origin while others theorize it had Norman antecedents, being brought to England with the Norman invasion in 1066. However, the vast preponderance of evidence supports the Norman origin. The one thing we know with certainty is that the family name is linked with land ownership and (in many cases) nobility during the eleventh century.

"The family name of Ware started out as "de la Warre" & is believed to be descended from the Norman race; more accurately - - of Viking origin."
(Wanda Ware DeGidio, Ware Family History) [ref. 379]

The Vikings (also called Northmen or Norsemen) were warriors and sea travelers who began to attack the coasts of Europe with great violence around A.D. 790. They were of Nordic ancestry and were known for their adventurous lifestyles and love of war and fighting. According to the World Book Encyclopedia, they were skillful, daring seamen who "carried raiding parties to Ireland, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The Vikings killed, stole, and burned wherever they landed." [ref. 392]

It was not just plunder that these fierce warriors sought; they were also looking for land and homes. In the 800s Vikings began a conquest of the French coast and river valleys, and by approximately A.D. 910, they had colonized the French territory later known as Normandy.

William (the Duke of Normandy) was a proud and ruthless ruler. He created a powerful army and expected to follow his cousin, King Edward the Confessor, as King of England. When Edward died in 1066, however, the Anglo-Saxon Great Council elected Harold as King. "William at once declared his right to the throne. He secured the support of the Pope, gathered an army of about 60,000 excellent fighting men, and landed his force near Hastings, on the coast of Sussex. This was the historic Battle of Hastings, which established the Norman rule of England." [ref. 392]

William was crowned King of England on Christmas Day, 1066, and he spent the next several years subduing the Saxons and securing his reign. Land and titles were divided among the loyal followers, and in 1086 William ordered a census to be taken of the English people and their possessions. This first official record of the property owners living in England is recorded in two large volumes referred to as the Doomsday (or Domesday) Book. "It is known that information published in Doomsday Book was considered final and authoritative. Exact copies of the original Doomsday Book were published in 1861 and 1865." [ref. 393] According to DeGidio, "since the de la Warre name was not among the known commanders listed in the Battell Abbey Rolls, the family was, most likely, included with the estimated 12,000 Standard bearers, Men at Arms, Yeomen, Freemen and other ranks, who were granted smaller parcels of England." [ref. 379]

"Norman influence spread widely throughout the British Isles, and one of their contributions to the culture was the wider use of surnames - many of whom were reflective of estate titles. The surnames adopted by the nobility were mainly of this type, being used with the particles de, de la, or del (meaning 'of' or 'of the')." [ref. 379] Consequently, if you said your name was Roger de la Warre - you were, in essence, saying that you were Roger of the house of Warre. "This surname of 'de la Warre' emerged as a notable English family name where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity seated as Lords of the Manor and estates in that shire." (DeGidio)

Quoting John Burke in A Geneological and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, DiGedio also states that "the family of Ware claims descent from Roger de la Ware, Lord of Isefield, & Baron of Parliament in the reign of Edward I. The founder was Jordan de la Warre of Wick, Gloucestershire, England, whose descendants enjoyed extensive grants of land in the southern, middle and western counties of England, for bravery in various wars, particularly on the fields of Crecy and Poitiers." Burke continues, "many of that family under the name de Warr, de Warre, and le Warre were (in succeeding reigns) summoned to parliament as Lords thereof; which may be seen in numberless instances in the abridgment of the Tower Records collected by Sir Robert Cotton, and published by Mr. Prynne."

The following genealogical information traces the Ware line from 1125 to the present (2004) for our particular ancestors. There are charts available to match each entry, so hopefully those who are interested in a different branch of this same tree will be able to find their own personal link. On each chart there will be a "***" mark beside the name of the descendant our family follows. The small letter "c" that sometimes precedes a certain date stands for the word "circa" which means "on or about."

According to John Burke, the following is the lineage for the early de la Warres of England - starting with JORDAN de la WARRE.

GENERATIONS:

1. JORDAN de la WARRE ( c1125 - c1185) CHART
    Married: ?
    Had: Descending son John

2. SIR JOHN de la WARRE (c1155 - c1207) (named Lord de la Warre)  CHART
    Married: Joan Gresley about 1180
    Had: Descending son Jordan
John was granted Wicken Manor by Prince John, the Earl of Gloucester, as reward for his loyalty and bravery in 1185. This was in fulfillment of a promise made by King Richard. After the de la Warres assumed ownership of Wicken Manor, it became known as Wickwar Manor. In 1207, after Prince John became King of England, Sir John received ratification of the grant for the title of Lordship of Bristolton, Gloucestershire. In April 1205, John was given command of a flotilla of seven British ships as shown by the British navy report. He was a member of the Honor of Gloucestershire. His son, Jordan, became the next Lord de la Warre.

3. LORD JORDAN de la WARRE (c1185-c1231) CHART
    Married: Isabel Peverel
    Had: Descending son John
Jordan de la Warre became the next Lord of Bristolton. He would have been about 30 years of age during the signing of the Magna Charta in 1215. Documents show that he was paid two hundred pounds for livery of his lands.

4. SIR JOHN de la WARRE (1225-1277)  CHART
    Married: Olympia de Folkington
    Had: Daughter Matilda and descending son Roger
John was knighted by King Henry III and was considered "a strong and courageous knight." [ref.379] During the reign of Edward I, John was given the title of Sheriff of Herefordshire and was granted considerable lands in southern midland and western counties of England for this service. (Click on Coat of Arms to see larger picture)

5. ROGER de la WARRE (1255- June 20, 1320) CHART
    Married: Clarice de Tregoze (born in 1260 & died about 1301)
    Had: Roger, at least 2 daughters, and descending son John
Roger was the 1st Baron de la Warre, Lord of Isefield. He was of Wickwar, Gloucestershire, Bristington, and Somerset. Roger was summoned to Parliament in 1294, and was appointed Governor of Burgh Castle in 1298. **According to Walter Harris who had access to the private records of Sir James Ware II, "the family of Ware claims a descent from Roger de la Warre, Lord of Isefield, and a baron of parliament in the reign of King Edward I. The founder of the house being Jordan de la Warre in the county of Gloucester."

6. SIR JOHN de la WARRE (1277- 1347) CHART
    Married: Joan de Grelle on Nov. 19, 1294
    Had: Catherine, John, and descending son Robert
When John was 23 years of age, "he succeeded eventually to Harold Ewyas castle and lordship, with a right to quarter the Tregoze arms (his mother's family name), as borne by his ancestors." John was the 2nd Baron de la Warre, and he was born in Brislington Somersetshire, England. In 1296, under Edward I, Sir John was in the expedition made into Flanders; and the next year in the expedition in Scotland. ["In 1301, John inherited (on the death of his mother) a moiety of the property of his grandfather, Baron John de Tregoze - to which barony he was then co-heir."] Between 1301 and 1307, he was constantly engaged in the wars in Scotland during the last years of the reign of King Edward I. In 1306 he was made Knight of the Bath; and between August 1307 and February 1342 he was summoned to Parliament. In 1340, under Edward III, he was involved in the great sea fight off Sluys. In 1342, he was in the expedition to France, assisting in the siege of Nantes.

According to DeGidio, "I am of the opinion that the lineage to Christopher Ware is descended through Robert, son of Sir John de la Warre and Joan de Grelle, possibly acquiring his estate through his grandfather, Lord of Isefield, while the eldest son, John, acquired the title of Lord de la Warre."

7. ROBERT la WARRE (c1300 - c1350) CHART
    Married: Daughter & heir of Kentesbeere, Devonshire
    Had: Descending son Matthew
Robert's wife's home is 3 miles east by north of Collumpton; a village sheltered by lofty hills.

8. MATTHEW WARRE (c1325-1375) CHART
    Married: Alice Denbauld
    Had: Descending son John
"Matthew earned the title of Serviens ad Legem (Sergeant at law) which indicates that he chose to practice law; an honorable and distinguished English profession - possibly attending Oxford University. This title would have been given under appointment by the Crown; a life office bestowed because of professional attainments and worth of character."   (DeGedio)

9. JOHN WARRE (c1350 - c1400) CHART
    Married: Eleanor Meriet
    Had: Descending son Richard
Eleanor was the daughter of John de Meriet and Eleanor Beauchamp of Hatch, Somersetshire, England. Her father had many dealings with King Edward I.

10. RICHARD WARRE (c1370-1425) CHART
      Married: Joan Atwood
      Had: Descending son Richard
"Richard was from Hestercombe, Somerset, England - which is situated on the southern slopes of the Quantock Hills with extensive views over the Vale of Taunton to the Blackdown Hills beyond. It was first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 854. From 1391 until 1872 the land was continuously owned by one family, the Warres." [ref.#379]

11. RICHARD WARRE (c1398-c1450) CHART
      Married: Joan Combe
      Had: Descending son Robert
Richard was of Hestercombe, Somerset, England. There is some evidence that he might have had a second son named Richard, but Robert is the son from which we are descended.

12. ROBERT WARRE (c1415 - c1475) CHART
      Married: Thomasine Chipley
      Had: Descending son John
It is possible that Robert's wife spelled her name "Thomazin." She was the daughter & heir of Thomas Chipley.

13. JOHN WARRE (c1450 - c1500) CHART
      Married: Alice Gascoigne
      Had: Richard and descending son John
John was of Chipley, Somerset, England. Alice was the daughter of William Gascoigne. After Alice died, John remarried a woman by the name of Joan Mawbanke.

14. JOHN WARE (c1475 - c1525) CHART
      Married: unknown
      Had: Descending son John
John was of Chipley, Somerset, and Greenwich, Kent, England - [as shown in the 1634 Essex Visitation carried out by the Heralds] [ref. 379]

15. JOHN WARE (c1510 - c1560) CHART
      Married: Miss Whittington
      Had: John & descending son Christopher
John was of Greenwich, Kent, England. He married the daughter & co-heir of Whittington of com. Stafford. The Armorial Bearings of John are described as "Two gold lions passant azure a bordure gules charged with eight escallops gold. The crest: A dragon's head couped gold, pierced through the neck with a stake proper." The description of John's Armorial Bearings are identical to those of his descendants John Ware & Mary Owen Ware.

16. CHRISTOPHER WARE (1538 - 1610) CHART
      Married: Miss Russell
      Had: James and descending son John
Christopher was probably born in Kent, England and he died in Yorkshire, England. According to Walter Harris, who had access to an old family diary & manuscripts, "Christopher Ware descended from Roger de la Warre, Lord of Isefield, and he was an early convert to the Protestant religion in the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1558)." The Ware family had been Roman Catholic for generations. "According to heresy laws, it was a religious and civil offense amounting to treason to believe in a different religion from the Sovereign, and church attendance was mandatory." Christopher's father (John) and mother were married under the rule of King Henry VIII (who started out as Catholic but became Protestant in order to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled; making it lawful for him to marry Anne Boleyn). This began the Protestant Reformation. Christopher was born in 1538 - nine years before the death of King Henry VIII; thus under Protestant rule. After King Henry's death, the throne went to his son, Edward VI who was also fiercely Protestant. Christopher Ware was 15 years old and his father was 43 when young King Edward died of tuberculosis in 1553. The throne then went to Mary (daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon). SHE was fiercely Catholic, and in the attempt to change England back to the Roman Catholic faith, she established the nickname of "Bloody Mary" because of the hundreds of Protestants who were burned at the stake for refusing to practice her religion. Upon Mary's death three years later, the throne went to her half-sister Elizabeth (daughter of Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn) who was a staunch Protestant. Consequently, John Ware and his wife and his children (i.e. Christopher Ware) were now attending Protestant services again.

*** There have been some discrepancies at this point in the line, for one source (many years ago) seemed to believe that our lineage continued down through a son named Robert. He admitted to being unsure of some of his findings. As Wanda DeGidio stated (and I concur), "You will note the absence of any reference to a son Robert Ware who might be identified with an American emigrant of that time. This absence would seem to indicate that W.M. Wilder was incorrect in his assertion that Sir James (brother of Sir John) had a son named Robert. This fact is further born out by the funeral certificate of Dame Mary Ware, the widow of Sir James Ware who died 3 December 1632. This certificate again lists her children and this listing is identical with the details given at the funeral of her husband earlier in the same year." Later funeral certificates of other family members validate this same premise of there being no Robert Ware that came to America at this particular time. All subsequent and additional records corroborate the information herein included.

There was also the assumption that our particular line descended from Sir James, but the records bear out the fact that OUR line proceeds through Sir John - information validated in large part by the well acknowledged and unquestioned existence of an ancestor by the unusual name of Valentine Ware. (Even W. Wilders' charts bear affirmation to this fact.) Further proof comes from the fact that our particular line in America comes straight through a Peter Ware Sr. - son of John. James had no children named Peter. Family letters, documents, & records leave no doubt as to our descending line through Peter Sr. - I have listed many of these at the end of this paper. "From a handwritten pedigree chart among the Crookshank papers in the British Genealogical Library in London, it shows that Christopher Ware had TWO sons. The eldest son, John, settled in County Cork, Ireland and married Mary Owen." It was Sir James I (Christopher's 2nd son), however, who held the title of Auditor-General of Ireland & passed that title on to his son, Sir James II.

17. SIR JOHN WARE (1565 - 1625) CHART
      Married: Mary Owen
      Had: John (1589), William (1591), Walter (1593), Mary (1595), Sarah (1597), Russell (1599), Elizabeth (1603), James (1605), and descending son Peter (1608)
"The English have been in Ireland, both as peaceful settlers and conquerors, since the 12th century, but it wasn't until the rule of King Henry VIII that English interference took a major role." [ref.379] The King decided to send Protestants to "plant" or colonize Ireland in order to subdue and rule the country. Additionally, non-conforming Protestants often went to Ireland in order to worship as they chose with minimal interference from the Anglican Church of England. "According to the History of Bandon, in 1585 a group of well-to-do men from Somersetshire County, England were granted acreage on the condition they bring over settlers to work the land. The name "Ware" was among the first group, as they had been early converts to the Protestant religion. This is most likely the date John Ware arrived in Ireland, followed later by his younger brother James." From a handwritten pedigree chart among the Crookshank papers in the British Genealogical Library in London, it shows Christopher Ware had two sons. The eldest son, John, settled in County Cork, Ireland and married Mary Owen. Their descendants were known as the Wares of Woodfort; Woodford Manor being located in the Parish of Kilshanick, Barony of Duhallow and County of Cork." John's wife, Mary Owen, was from one of the most powerful and ancient families of South Pembrokeshire, Wales - known as the Owen family of Orielton. Her mother (Isabella Griffith) was the daughter of Sir William Griffith of Penrhyn; a branch of the Tudor family. [ref. 379, 390]

18. PETER WARE SR. (1608 - 1650) CHART
      Married: Mary Hickes (1599 - 1659)
      Had: Thomas, Nicholas, John, Elizabeth, 2 children who died young, Edward, and descending son Peter Jr.
In 1636, Peter sold his Munster leases (probably obtained through his father, John) in County Cork, Ireland and left for England and then Virginia.
[** Interesting point - "In 1641, just 5 years after Peter and his family left Ireland, the Irish were intent on the murder of the whole Protestant population and up to 10,000 English Protestant plantation holders were massacred."] [ref. 379] Between 1646 and 1648, Peter Ware is mentioned as an attorney appraising estates in York Co., Hampton Parish. In 1651, Gloucester County was formed from York County and divided into 4 parishes: Abington, Kingston, Petsworth, and Ware. The King decreed that all newly settled land be divided into districts headed by a rector. The Wares were Vestrymen in Abington and Ware Parish before the formation of the county. [ref.388] There still exists today the Ware Episcopal Church which was originally built in 1690. Regular services are still held there. [ref. 70] "Documents show that Peter Ware Sr. owned and lived on 300 acres at Queen's Creek, York Co. Hampton Parish in the Virginia colony by September 4, 1646." [ref. 4] Peter Ware Sr. was obviously well educated; based on the fact that he served as an attorney in 1647 for Robert Lewis. He & Mary lived in an area that is near Ware Creek.

19. PETER WARE JR. (1632 - bet.1675 & May 23,1693) CHART
      Married: Jane Valentine
      Had: Descending son Valentine
After selling land that his father left him in Queen's Creek in 1675, Peter purchased land next to his brother in New Kent County, Virginia. "A deed is on record in York County showing that Peter Ware Jr. sold land given him by his father (Peter Ware Sr.) on May 26, 1675 to Nathaniel Bacon; 1st cousin to the Nathaniel Bacon of Revolutionary War fame." [ref. 4, 333]

20. VALENTINE WARE SR. (1670 - c. 1731) CHART
      Married: Mary Leigh
      Had: Valentine Jr., John, Nicholas, Robert, and descending son Edward
There are at least 3 major sources that state that Valentine Ware was heir to his father, Peter Ware Jr. & mother Jane Valentine. After Valentine's death, his wife Mary & her sons-in-law obtained two patents in King and Queen County; one for 600 acres and the other for 260 acres. His son, Valentine Jr., married Mary Dudley in King & Queen Co., Virginia. [ref. 4,173,333,391] ** Interesting note: Valentine's father-in-law was Col. William Leigh who had been a chairman for the House of Burgesses, Militia Commander-in-Chief, member of the Virginia Council, and first Judge of the Admiralty Court in Virginia. William Leigh's granddaughter, Elizabeth, (by his son John) married Zachary Taylor and was the grandmother of President Zachary Taylor. [ref. 4]

21. EDWARD WARE (1691 - 1732) was married in 1713 CHART
      Married: Elizabeth Garrett of Henrico Co.
      Had: Thomas, Valentine, Nicholas, Robert, and descending son James I
Edward was of Stratton Major Parish, King and Queen County, Virginia - grandson of Peter & Jane (Valentine) Ware. On April 28, 1692, "there were 2,015 acres of land that were patented to Edward Ware in King and Queen County, of which 735 acres were held by Edward and 480 acres by his brother Valentine Jr. in 1704." All three brothers (John, Edward, and Valentine Jr.) served as vestrymen of Stratton Major Church between 1729 and 1739. "Edward served in the French and Indian Wars from Old Albermarl in 1755" according to an affidavit of Alexander Brown, Esq. [ref. 4, 162, 173, 372, 388, 390]

***** The following information added 2022

In 2009, I endeavored to write the biography of James Ware I and his wife, Agnes Todd Ware.  In preparation for doing this, I had previously spent over 30 years transcribing and researching old documents and family letters that had been passed down to me from my husband’s parents.  Since ‘firsthand’ information from 1714 is not that common, most of the papers I had in my possession pertained more to the son of James and Agnes – James Ware II.  (It is through this son that our family line descends.)  There was enough there, however, to warrant an attempt at ‘fleshing out’ the history of James and Agnes.  I titled my first work New Nation/New Home, and in 2011, I completed a second book, Virginia Roots in Kentucky Soil, which chronicled the life of James II.  Little did I know, at the time, that the research I did for the second book would show clearly that I had just “scratched the surface” with James I.

 With genealogy websites so accessible these days and interest in this field prolific, there was suddenly a plethora of new bibles and documents that fellow researchers decided to post and share.  I realized quickly that my first feeble attempt at a history for James and Agnes was now obsolete and desperately in need of a literary facelift.  Consequently, I spent another two years revising New Nation/New Home so that I (hopefully) did better justice to the remarkable man who headed the Ware family during the years this nation was formed.  I was thrilled beyond measure at the information that became available suddenly.

As is always the case with genealogy, I know that the minute I put the last period on the last sentence of this book, it will (once again) become outdated.  New information emerges every day, and there are attics that have yet to be explored that hold treasures of information.  That is both the satisfaction and the frustration of the field in which we genealogists thrive.  Our work is never done.

With that being said, I humbly offered the new version of New Nation/New Home with the sincere hope that it would be a tool for others to use on their own personal journey of tracing their roots.  The many letters of gratitude and academic validations for my work made all the years of hard work so very worth it.

I have since published other books and my thirst for the details in genealogy have kept me fascinated.  The authentic, old documents I so painstakingly transcribed opened up so many avenues for future writing that I fear I may run out of time to do justice to them all. 

Consequently, therefore, I have poured my efforts into the time periods where I knew I had absolute proof for my work.  With that being said, I did not have much I could offer on the generations BEFORE James and Agnes.  I relied on the excellent work of other researchers (as I have previously mentioned) to provide me a ‘foundation’ from which to work - knowing that certain family names that were unique had appeared often in documents from earlier relatives.  The one link that has continued to elude me is the father of James Ware I.  There are so many differing opinions and I own no document that can prove who it was.  There are speculations from other family researchers which you can see in an article posted below.  With that being said, I feel very confident with my work from 1714 to the present day and I ask the reader to understand that this has been a labor of love, and any mistakes or omissions are the result of simply working with what I had available to me at the time.

***** End of 2022 information

22. JAMES WARE I (Nov.15, 1714 - 1796) CHART
      Married: Agnes Todd
      Had: John, Nicholas, Richard, Clara, William, Edmund, and descending son James II
James Ware I was born in Gloucester County, Virginia but he relocated to Kentucky where he died in Franklin County. He was almost 81 years old at the time. His will, in which he mentions his daughter Clara (called Clary), was proved in Franklin County.

23. JAMES WARE II (March 13, 1741 - May 7th, 1820) CHART
Married: Catherine Todd - (full name of Virginia Catherine Todd)
Had: Thompson, Mary Todd (sometimes called Polly), Lucy, Charles, Catherine, George, and descending son James III.
James II married Catherine (whose nickname was Caty) in 1764. Even family records state the obvious fact that she was only 14 years old! [ref.4] She was the daughter of Dr. James Todd of Gloucester, Virginia. James was a doctor, and (prior to 1791) he practiced medicine in Caroline County, Virginia. He was said to be "one of the finest looking men to be found anywhere." [ref.3] In 1771, he moved to Frederick County where there is a deed still in existence which conveyed to him ½ an acre of land in Winchester in 1781. In 1791, Dr. Ware traveled with his family to Kentucky (accompanied by the Webb family). "He had previously sent out an overseer with negroes to clear ground and make a settlement on the place where he subsequently lived and died. He had visited Kentucky in the fall of 1784 and remained there over the winter. People lived in "stations" at that time - probably (like a stockade) in defense from the Indians." [ref 2, 6] In 1789 he visited again; this time leaving his sons Thompson and James III there. Through the friendship of Gen. Daniel Morgan, his son James obtained an introduction to General S. Smith of Baltimore which led to working in Louisville. In another letter it is stated that "he was most successful and laid the foundation of his fortune." [ref.5] In 1791, James III decided to return to Virginia because of his health, but the rest of the entire family made their migration to Kentucky. "This long and dangerous trip was made in wagons and by horse back, with all their negroes and what possessions that could be carried. They feared the Indians, but were most fortunate in not meeting any. It is not stated just how long it took, but they arrived on June 16, 1791." [ref. 334] Consequently, by the year 1791, all the Wares [with the exception of James III, our descendant] were now living in Kentucky. Each child married there and (over the years), letters from James III & his children were exchanged with all the aunts, uncles, & cousins in Kentucky. These letters provide a wealth of information about them all. It is through James Ware II that we find the connection between our family and President Rutherford B. Hayes; as he was Lucy Ware Haye's great grandfather. Josiah William Ware was her cousin. [ref. 27, 56, 386]

24. JAMES WARE III (January 13, 1771 - September 13, 1821) CHART
      Married: (1) Elizabeth Taliaferro Alexander & (2) Harriet Taylor CHART
      Had: Sarah Elizabeth Taliaferro, Charles Alexander, and descending son Josiah William also children with his 2nd wife.

James III and Elizabeth were married on Nov. 10, 1796. James had previously traveled to Kentucky with his father in 1789 and worked there until 1791. He then returned to Virginia for health reasons & settled in Frederick Co., Virginia - later to be renamed Clarke County. He built a lovely home called "Riverside" (which was located directly across from the Shenandoah River) and he also owned a tavern and a mill in the area. When Elizabeth died in 1806, James remarried. He and his 2nd wife, Harriet Taylor, had 6 more children together, but only one daughter lived long enough to marry. They had James (who died at age 18 on board the ship "Herald" bound for Charlestown, South Carolina), Bushrod Thomas (who died at age 7), Thomas Marshall {called Marshall} who died at age 20, Harriet Mary Todd {called Mary} who died at age 12, Elizabeth Alexander who died at only 14 months, and Lucy Catherine - the child who survived. [She married Dr. William D. McGuire.] All of this information is given in detail in the antique Ware Family bible that is owned by Jim & Judy Ware as of 2004. This bible dates back to the mid 1700's. [ref.1]

25. JOSIAH WILLIAM WARE (AUG. 19, 1802 - Aug 13, 1883) CHART
      Married: (1) Frances Toy Glassell & (2) Edmonia Jaquelin Smith CHART
      Had: James (died at 8 months), John Glassell, Elizabeth Alexander, Charles Alexander, Lucy Balmain, and descending son, James Alexander.

Josiah married Frances Toy Glassell on Feb. 22, 1827. They met after she had traveled to Winchester to attend school there. {We own the small trunk she used to transport her belongings} Around the time of their marriage, Josiah built the plantation called "Springfield Farm" on land he inherited from his mother. Springfield is still in existence today; although not owned by the Wares. After Frances died on May 10, 1842, Josiah married again - this time to a distant cousin. He and Edmonia Jaquelin Smith were wed on Jan. 30, 1845 at her family home called Smithfield. They also had several children together: Jaquelin Smith Ware, Josiah Ware (died at 4 months), Sigismund Ware (died at 7 months), Sigismund Stribling Ware, Josiah William Ware, and Robert Macky Ware. Josiah was a wealthy landowner in Clarke County, Virginia and he was instrumental in changing Frederick County into Clarke County. He served as a Colonel during the Civil War, and was (at one point) imprisoned by the Yankees at Old Capitol Prison in Washington. He was known for his exceptional agricultural contributions to the country. A much more detailed history on Josiah is available through the family history I'm currently writing. [ref. 2, 44, 84, 251]

26. The Honorable JAMES ALEXANDER WARE (NOV. 26, 1832 - Aug. 19, 1896) CHART
      Married: Jane Morton Smith
      Had: Frances Glassell, Eudora Murray, and descending son Somerville
The Honorable James Ware graduated from the University of Virginia in 1851. He moved to Texas in 1855/1856 & practiced law in Corpus Christi. He and Jane Morton Smith were married on Nov. 26, 1856. When the Civil War broke out, he stayed in Corpus Christi serving as an officer in Yager's regiment - fighting for the Confederacy. He was Captain of the Mounted Rangers at the siege of Corpus Christi & at Sabine Pass. He also served in Louisiana - "repelling the invasions of General Banks." [ref. 222] After the war, he went to Mexico where he spent the next five years working as a civil engineer for the railroad. He was appointed Military Engineer in the Army of Maximilian. He later returned to Texas and his love of law; where his practice extended from San Antonio to the Rio Grande River. In 1873 he was elected District Judge; serving with distinction. He spent his last years living in the Confederate Home in Austin, Texas. [ref. 8, 40]

27. SOMERVILLE WARE (Mar. 1, 1861 - June 10, 1921) CHART
      Married: Ora Lena Rogers
      Had: Charles Somerville, Sarah Frances, and descending son, James Nathan
Somerville was named for his maternal grandmother (Julia Somerville Smith) who was Jane Morton's mother. He married Ora Lena Rogers (who was called Lena) on Dec.19, 1901. There was an 18 year age difference between them. [ref. 355] He worked in the Murray & Ware book trade in Belton, Texas - where he was in partnership with his cousin, Andrew Murray. [ref. 79, 80] He later worked for many years as agent for the Santa Fe railroad in Killeen. He was working for the railroad in Santa Anna when he died suddenly of a heart attack.

28. JAMES NATHAN WARE ( Sept. 2, 1915 - May 11, 2000) CHART
      Married: Elizabeth Carolyn Halm
      Had: Elizabeth Carolyn (Betsy), & descending son, James Halm
James Nathan was known as Jimmy Ware. He was born in The Grove, Texas - in the very house they lived in at the farm. He attended law school at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. He and Elizabeth Halm married on October 18, 1941. During World War II, he served in the Air Corp as a bombardier navigator with the B-29's. He flew missions in the China, Burma, India area, and in other regions such as Guam, Sampan, & Taipei. After the war, he returned to Austin where he practiced law & served as Assistant District Attorney. He also worked for a time with the Guaranty Finance Company in Austin. [ref. 79, 198, 365]

REFERENCES:

The vast majority of the information on the Ware name prior to the 1700's is credited to the outstanding research by Wanda Ware DeGidio. She obviously has spent countless hours and years on her work. I have listed below some of the sources that she, herself, listed in her findings, and it is with great pleasure that I can attest that my own references (listed separately) not only validate her findings, but substantiate them. In dealing with genealogy, there are often so many theories and suppositions that can only be guessed at. It is always rewarding to find information that ties it all together.

1. Wanda Ware DeGidio - Ware Family History

2. History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster by: Edward
Baines

3. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great
Britain & Ireland by: John Burke, Vol.IV

4. Tower Records collected by: Sir Robert Cotton & published by
Mr. Prynne

5. Walter Harris - had access to private records of Sir James Ware II

6. The Topographer and Genealogist Vol. II 1853

7. Knights of Edward I, Vol.V, Soc. Series Vol. 84

8. "Chandos Herald: life of the Black Prince"

9. Burk's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry by:
Sir Bernard Burke

10. History of Bandon - Chapter XXII

11. Handwritten Pedigree Chart among the Crookshank papers in the
British Genealogical Library in London

12. A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by: Samuel Lewis 1837

13. The Whole Works of Sir James Ware Dublin, 1739-64 3 volumes London, 1705

14. O'Kief, Coshe Mang, Slieve Lougher, and the Upper Blackwater in
Ireland by: Albert E. Casey, M.D. Published & bound privately
Vol. 5

15. York Co. Abstracts, Vol. 25 Colonial Abstracts, Vol. 6

16. Williamsburg Historical Research Center Beverly Fleet, Virginia Colonial Abstract 25 "York County"

17. Virginia Record 1659-1662 Virginia State Library Archives

18. Virginia Genealogies (under Glassell Family excursus)

19. York County Deeds, Orders, Wills Book 1

20. Abstracts of King and Queen County Beverly Fleet

21. The Hoskins of Virginia & Related Families

22. Family Records of Mary Simpson - Virginia State Library Archives

23. Pedigree Chart from Elton L. Wilcott, submitted by Wanda Degidio

These are my own personal references:

The Ware Family Bible - This is kept in my home and has dates and names recorded in it that go all the way back to the 1700's. It contains long lists of births, deaths, and marriages.

Original long letter of Cornelia Ware Anker (1945) - This letter is a goldmine of first-hand intimate family facts & remembrances. Cornelia was the daughter of Sigismund Stribling Ware (son of JOSIAH William Ware). She had personally transcribed some family letters (written between 1799 and 1831) that had been passed on to her, and then added to that her own memories and recollections of family history. Many of the old letters that she transcribed contained detailed information on family ancestors.

Long print out of Ware lineage - This handwritten chart pertains mainly to Ware information prior to Josiah Ware. This paper was contributed by Mrs. Lewis B. Burton - the wife of the Bishop of Kentucky; a descendant of Jane Ware. Mrs. Burton took this information from old records & bibles that were in the possession of Mrs. Jane Ware Martin of Columbia, Georgia (a granddaughter of Nicholas Ware, of Georgia). This compilation of information has been in our family for years, so I have no idea when she did this work.

Wares of Virginia by: Frances C. Griffin (as collected from Virginia Genealogies by H.E. Hayden) This is a compilation of information that Frances Griffin obtained from the book "Virginia Genealogies" and mailed to me.

VIRGINIA GENEALOGIES: A genealogy of the Glassell Family of Scotland and Virginia by: Rev. Horace Edwin Hayden, M. A. (It is also a history of the Ball, Brown, Bryan, Conway, Daniel, Ewell, Holladay, Lewis, Littlepage, Moncure, Peyton, Robinson, Scott, Taylor, and Wallace families.) Printed in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1891 - copyrighted 1885.

Eulogy (obituary) written for Judge James Alexander Ware - author unknown.

Newspaper obituary (and eulogy) for Jaquelin S. Ware. He was the son of JOSIAH and brother of James Alexander Ware. The newspaper was published in Berryville.

Microfilm copy of the obituary of JOSIAH William Ware.

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

Letter from Lucy Webb to her niece, Sarah (Sally) Elizabeth Taliaferro Stribling and her nephew, JOSIAH William Ware - - written June 5 (possibly 1830's). At this
point, Berryville was still called Battletown. This letter contains MUCH valuable information of the Ware family members that settled in Kentucky.

Original handwritten lineage page - author unknown.

CHART- Ware Family History taken from page 392½ for the 1960 Edition of the Wilder & ConnectingFamilies in the Southeastern United States by: William M. Wilder.

Excerpts of WARE genealogical information from the 1960 Edition of the Wilder & Connecting Families in the Southeastern United States by: William M. Wilder.

Family Record - This was sent to Sarah Ware in 1962 (unknown sender) Sarah had obviously requested a copy of family Bible entries.

Microfilmed Genealogy chart of the Ware Family

Map of Parish Lines and Colonial Churches - Shows "Ware" Church

Birth certificate for Sarah Francis Ware - July 14, 1904

WARE - What is in your name? - article showing Ware coat-of-arms & going back to Sir James. Sanson Institute, 1969

Birth Certificate for James Halm Ware

WARE ANCESTORS by: Frank Fremont Reed, Chicago; 1987. (Copy given to me by Martha Ware in 1998) Book 8, Chapter 1

Handwritten list of burial sites for Ware family members; Lot 51 of Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery - Berryville, Virginia

Handwritten lineage chart from unknown source - showing the line from Peter Ware through Robert Macky Ware (youngest son of Josiah & Edmonia)

Obituary for Somerville Ware

Birth Certificate of James Nathan Ware

Birth Certificate of Elizabeth Carolyn Halm

WARE COAT-OF-ARMS - printed from the Historical Research Center 1991

Birth registration for Judith Ann Cumbea

Ancestral chart; mailed from the Rutherford B. Hayes Library in Fremont, Ohio.

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

Pages copied from The Vestry Book of Petsworth Parish - (1677-1793)

Detailed personal and biographical information (with charts) on the WARE lineage; given to me by the Hayes Presidential Center

Information on Morgan and Elizabeth Alexander; taken from: The 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 22655

Edward Snickers, Yeoman by: Ingrid Jewell Jones.

Clarke County Historical Association pages (loose) showing marriage dates (1790 - 1820's)

D.A.R. form for Children of the American Revolution - completed and filed for Sarah Ware

Clarke County Historical Association, Volume IX Information on James Ware - time frame of 1772

Transcription of tape I made on Berryville trip in January of 2002; information found on tombstones at Grace Episcopal Church

Clarke County Historical Association; Vol. VII

Clarke County Historical Association; BERRY'S FERRY - Early information on James Ware (circa 1772)

The World Book Encyclopedia, Volumes 4 and 17, Field Enterprises, Inc., Chicago

Proceedings of the Clarke Country Historical Association; The History of Millwood Mill, (1782-1785) Millwood, Virginia Volume XVI 1969-1970 Wonderful resource for James Ware - also his property by Chapel Road.

VIRGINIA GENEALOGIES: A genealogy of the Glassell Family of Scotland and Virginia by: Rev. Horace Edwin Hayden, M. A. (Specifically information on Valentine, Peter, and James Ware, printed in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1891 - copyrighted 1885

Old Jube: Excerpts from the biography of General Early by: Millard Kessler Bushong, Ph.D. White Mane Publishing Company, Inc.

Last Will and Testament of James Ware I Dated: September 25, 1790

Excerpts from Paso Del Aguila: A Chronicle of Frontier Days on the Texas Border by: Jesse Sumpter

I have (at present) 3,745 references, but the ones listed above are the main ones used in this piece.

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