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Long shot. The Wards ex working


Nightwatch

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Hello.

Someone I have known for forty plus years has just mentioned that her past family were working boat people.

 

I assume on her mothers side they were the Ward family. They had fifteen children and left the waterways and took over a pub, possibly in the Oxford area. June has mentioned Gibbons Farm also. Her family when I first met her were Carpenders Park (Watford) area based.

 

Now,this is all I have and the info has come from someone who now lives miles away in Lancashire.

 

Any info would be fantastic, it's a long shot. I'll try and get some dates and siblings info.

 

Thank you. Feel free to move this to a more appropriate section.

Edited by Nightwatch
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There were lots of Wards on the canal, so you would need to give some specifics to isolate a particular set of Wards.

 

Towards the end of carrying, for example, brothers Ted Ward an Ken Ward, (each married to Wain girls who were sisters), were steerers with Willow Wren - in fact Ken and Vera ward operated our boat Flamingo circa 1969. From memory a third brother was Dennis, (or I think he was a brother).

 

Father to these Ward brothers was I believe George, who also had a brother another Ted Ward.

So at least 5, I think, who worked for Willow Wren.

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There were lots of Wards on the canal, so you would need to give some specifics to isolate a particular set of Wards.

 

Towards the end of carrying, for example, brothers Ted Ward an Ken Ward, (each married to Wain girls who were sisters), were steerers with Willow Wren - in fact Ken and Vera ward operated our boat Flamingo circa 1969. From memory a third brother was Dennis, (or I think he was a brother).

 

Father to these Ward brothers was I believe George, who also had a brother another Ted Ward.

 

So at least 5, I think, who worked for Willow Wren.

 

The younger brother to Ken and Ted was called Les, George was their father, and his brother, Ted, was always known as 'Uncle' Ted Ward by everybody in the 1960's, not just Ken, Ted and Les.

Mrs (Rose) Bray was a Ward before her first marriage, to Ernie's (Kendall) father, and Rose Whitlock was the daughter of a Michael Ward who was one of the Number ones supplying the paper mills until they were all undercut by GUCCCo. in the late 1930's.

  • Greenie 1
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The younger brother to Ken and Ted was called Les, George was their father, and his brother, Ted, was always known as 'Uncle' Ted Ward by everybody in the 1960's, not just Ken, Ted and Les.

 

In that case, Tony, do you know who Dennis Ward is/was? A descendant of the Ward family assures me that on the final load of grain to Wellingborough he was travelling along with Ken and Vera Ward, and the way it was written he had to be another brother?

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The Ward canal boat family has to be about the hardest one to do a family tree for as they are in almost all

the canal family tree's .

One line of the Ward's had about 11 children who all attended the Boatman's boarding school .

That I know I have 18 connections in my Family tree to the ward's

some of my connections are

Ken Ward's 1st wife was Vera Wain

Earnest Carter married Sarah Ann Ward

Martha Stokes married Charles Ward

John Allen Harrison 2nd wife was Loisa Ward

Thomas Beechey married Violet Ward

Martha Carter Married Joseph Ward

Harriett Harrison married George Ward

George Humphries married Martha Carter

& not forgetting Mark Harrison (Willow Wren ) whos 2nd wife was Dolly Ward

so you see the Wards are a big family .

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George & Violet Ward had 15 children one of the daughters Linda wrote an article some time back about her parents & that she lived

near to the place where her parents

delivered wheat to Wellingbrough I am almost sure she had a brother Dennis .

Linda passed on last year but her daughter has kept her facebook page with lots of her photos & info going.

Alan Linda Treadwell did you not have some contact with her ?

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George & Violet Ward had 15 children one of the daughters Linda wrote an article some time back about her parents & that she lived

near to the place where her parents

delivered wheat to Wellingbrough I am almost sure she had a brother Dennis .

Linda passed on last year but her daughter has kept her facebook page with lots of her photos & info going.

Alan Linda Treadwell did you not have some contact with her ?

 

Yes Jeanette - I was in contact with Linda Treadwell, (nee Ward) before her death, and still see stuff from Lynnette, who I believe is her daughter, (but I need to check!).

If there were 15 children, I believe one of them is Dennis, who would be Lynnette's uncle. It was she who suggested Dennis Ward was part of the crew on the very last drop of grain at Wellingborough.

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Alan

next week I sadly have 2 family funerals to attend, one from the Carter Clan in Coventry & I will ask my aunty if she remembers as her mother was one of the 13 children

belonging to Sarah Ward & Ernest Carter.

The second funeral in Surrey is a double one my great aunt & her husband

There will be a lot of boating connections attending .

There is always lots of old photos & boating tales @ the after get together's

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  • 1 month later...

jeannette

My Grandad was Edward ward married to Lucy ward and I do have Harrison's in my family too,I don't know if it was it you we was speaking to at Evelins and martins funeral last month about bringing your mum up to Brentford ??????? If been on the web last few weeks trying to find more about my family and looking for photos we don't have many

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Hello Jason

Yes sadly i was at Evelins & Martins funeral Evelin was my uncle Alf Humphries sister . so you could have spoke to me but I think it could have been Ann & Teddy Harrison who where also there with their partners & teddys sons where also there. I lost my Mum last year

so It cant fetch her up to Brentford & I live a few miles away from Brentford on the cargo side near to terminal 4 so not far from you .

Do you know about the Jackson / Collins family reunion in Daventry this year ? lots of Collins family photos on the re union site

don't know if you have made enough postes for a message but will try to send you one with some contact details

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Jeannette

As far as I know the Collins side of me was not on the boats,Evelins mum was my grandads sister yea I was there with my mum Kath,Anne and Teddy are her cousins, after the funeral it got me thinking of my nan and grandad and Evelins mum and dad or as I knew them Uncle Tom and aunt Ellen who used to stay with us for long weekends and spoil me at top locks and where I still live today , been going on line and sending emails to web sites to find out more and to find photos, I'm new to this page only joined today

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Teddy & Ann's father Mark was my Grandads youngest brother. so if you are from marks wife Dolly ward side then I can put you

in contact with some of Dollys relations .

Evelin's dad was Tommy Humphries who did the lime juice run. Ellen was his second wife his first wife was Harriett

Harrison my Grandads sister & uncle alfs mum. Have photo's & wedding certs as well.

Don't know if you are old enough to have been around in the 60's but Tommy Humphries did the pillings on the thicket there with Tommy Osborn who also live on the flight Tommy Osborne was my Nannys family . I lived on the flight many years ago in the cottage that was burnt down a few years back .

so are you in the top cottage opp what is left of the asylem or in the cottage at Norwood top lock .

one more posting & I think I can send you a message

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I live at lock 90 so it's top lock cottage (Norwood) I've been there all my life all 36years mum also lived at 92 and 98 when grandad became a lock keeper for British water ways,growing up I remember Tommy Osborne a very nice man he was always s around our house think we have some photos, I remember teddy Harrison and his kids coming to mine when I was around 6yrs old

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my G G Grandparents where tie up across from you in the 1911 census whilst my G grandparents where in Brentford in Manny Smith wharf . have sent you a message to read it go to the top right side of this page on the left side of your name click on to the envelope you should be able to get the message

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  • 7 months later...

Have just realised the extent and complexity of the Ward canal boating family! I am researching for a book on a murder in Nuneaton in 1832 and am trying to trace as many of the descendants of the murdered person (Mary Green) as possible. The canal connection starts with Edward Ward b. 1848 and tracing the tree has just grown like topsy. Any chance of contacts and information that might help me map out the tree. Have got down to Johnnie Ward born & died 1919 at the moment, with perhaps 20-30 individuals. Steve Moore - response here or to mooretribe4@gmail.com. What a great site by the way!

 

 

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In that case, Tony, do you know who Dennis Ward is/was? A descendant of the Ward family assures me that on the final load of grain to Wellingborough he was travelling along with Ken and Vera Ward, and the way it was written he had to be another brother?

 

 

From Epilogue by Robert J Wilson:

 

 

Edited by Ray T
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From Epilogue by Robert J Wilson:

 

attachicon.gifEpilogue.jpg

 

......And George Wain (pictured top right) was the father of (amongst many others) Vera Wain (who married Ken Ward), Ann Wain, (who married Ted Ward, Ken's older brother), and Alice Wain (who married Les Lapworth). Alice Lapworth is of course regularly seen on both the Narrow Boat Trust and Friends of Raymond boats.

 

And to cross reference to another thread, there's a Hambridge in there too, (note the traditional b0ater's head gear!)

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Have just realised the extent and complexity of the Ward canal boating family! I am researching for a book on a murder in Nuneaton in 1832 and am trying to trace as many of the descendants of the murdered person (Mary Green) as possible. The canal connection starts with Edward Ward b. 1848 and tracing the tree has just grown like topsy. Any chance of contacts and information that might help me map out the tree. Have got down to Johnnie Ward born & died 1919 at the moment, with perhaps 20-30 individuals. Steve Moore - response here or to mooretribe4@gmail.com. What a great site by the way!

 

 

I If you are referring to the murder of pregnant unmarried Polly Button her real name being mary Green her married lover John Danks confessed & went to the Gallows . although it is said his ghost still walks the area

where the murder happened.

Mary Green or Polly Button as she was Known was believed to come from a Weavers family.

some time ago I was told there was a canal connection.

After research over the years I have found no direct connection with my Connected Green boat people. but then there where several green working boat family's

John Danks was a farm labour / carpenter according to the court report .

I am interested to know how you have connected Mary Green to a Boating family,I know she had 5 other children who on her death went to the workhouse & from there on I can find no record of them. I have seen in the Museum a report on the Polly Button stone

Edited by jeannette smith harrison
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Hi Jeanette. Thanks for your post. I have confirmed the family line to Mary Green through her eldest child (Elizabeth) who married a Thomas Ward in 1833. The Ward family on the canals followed from their son Edward (b. 1848). I'm really after any guidance, information etc about any descendants - either to verify what I have found (19 individuals from Edward downwards) or to offer new information or to direct me to sources. I'm using Ancestry.com if that helps - or my email is mooretribe4@gmail.com if that's easier.

 

As I mentioned, I'm researching for a book on the murder of Mary Green (aka Polly Button) in 1832 and have drafted a good proportion in the last couple of years (currently getting on for 30,000 words). I have traced getting on for 1000 descendants in total to date - both of Mary Green herself and of the 5 men who fathered her children, including John Danks. I believe my book will be the definitive account of the murder, its background/circumstances and will include a section on what happened to the children. My tracing of the descendants is related to this last section.

 

Look forward to hearing from you...or anyone else who can help me untangle the Ward canal boating family!!

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hello Steve

Untangling the Ward family tree is something that the family them self also have trouble with.

If you have linked Edward to a Boswell then that family is almost as big as the Wards .

Boswell is part of one of my link's with the Greens as is Carters part of the Ward,Green link.

As soon as I read your posting I turned out my research from about 10 years ago .

back then it was all done via visiting cemetery's & records offices ect & when I drew a blank on the Children after her death

it was put onto the back burner. Polly already had a child by Danks & the report said that an argument over Polly having to tell the parish who where paying for all her children that Danks was the father of one child & the unborn one lead to her death.

I would be interested to know the outcome of the other children .

Several of the Ward family as well as the Boswell are members of this forum.

Jeannette

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  • 7 months later...

Hello. 

Violet and George did have a son called Dennis and he is my grandad.

he has worked on the canals dredging for land and water for 22 years and we currently live in Coventry.

he was one of the children who went to school in Birmingham and also lived there for 9 years.

he later on worked with his brother on the canal also with the willow wren canal carrying company and spent 26 years on heavy goods.

 

please contact me if you have anymore questions ☺️

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