GENERATION 13

Biography

ANDREW WARD was born about 1597, in Homersfield, Suffolk, England. He arrived in New England aboard the Arabella in 1633. He was made a freeman of Massachusetts Colony May 14, 1634. He was also a member of the Watertown, MA, church that same year. He was granted a ten acre home lot in Watertown in 1633, which he apparently sold to his Sherman in-laws when he removed to Connecticut.

At the time ANDREW settled in the Watertown area, the settlement was becoming ever increasingly crowded with new immigrants from England. Exploration had taken place of areas along the Connecticut River that showed promise for fertile farming and peaceful trading with the indians of the area. John Oldham, of Watertown, had pinpointed an area within several miles of Hartford. On Sep. 4, 1634, ANDREW and others from Watertown, applied to the General Court for permission to remove to Connecticut.

On May 6, 1635, the Court finally gave its consent to a migration,

"There is liberty granted to the inhabitants of Watertown to remove themselves to any place of their choice, provided they continue still under this government."

On May 29, 1635, just twenty-three days after receiving permission, eight men, including ANDREW, were dismissed from the Watertown Church, "to form a new Church Covenant in the River of Connecticut", and left for the Connecticut River Valley, where they settled in an area the Indians called Pyquag, just south of modern-day Hartford. They named the place, Watertown, after the town they had just left. The name was later changed to Wethersfield.

At about the same time, the Massachusetts Bay authorities, concerned about maintaining control over any sattelite colonies, decided to appoint a commission -- of which ANDREW was a member -- to govern the new colonists until a regular government could be established.

ANDREW initially acquired twenty acres of land as an original proprietor, but eventually added a great deal to that lot. In 1640, his land holdings were:

His homestead was on the east side of High Street near the meeting house, between Rev. Henry Smith's lot to the north, and John Reynold's lot to the south. His fifty-four acres in the West Field was between that of John Deming and Edmund Sherman.

ANDREW assumed a preeminent social position in Wethersfield. He was one of the five members first constituting the General Court, the Colonial legislature. In April and September, 1636, he was elected Magistrate. In March 1637, when the Court was divided into upper and lower houses, ANDREW was made a member of the Upper House and participated in the decision to declare war against the Pequot Indians. He served in both houses until 1640.

Once life in the Colony began to establish a regular rythym, ANDREW began to get restless. As one author noted, "He seems to have an intuitive love of town building. He was a great organizer, wise in counsel, energetic in advancing schemes for development, and possessing a personal magnetism for carrying out the plans developed with his fertile brain."

Thus it comes as no surprise that ANDREW was asked to help establish a new colony in a place called Rippowams by the Indians. This area is now known as Stamford, Fairfield, CT. He was one of the first to purchase land there, buying fourteen acres. He held a number of political positions in Stamford through 1647.

Around 1647, ANDREW moved to Fairfield, Fairfield, CT, about fifteen miles east of Stamford, where for the fourth and last time he was responsible for the development of a new town. He purchased the house lot of Simon Hoyt, west of Hyde Pond. There he lived out the remainder of his life.

He died about 1659. There is a monument to ANDREW in the old cemetery in Fairfield on Beach Lane, which was erected in 1907 by the members of the Andrew Ward Association.

The parentage of Andrew Ward is unknown. The earliest accounts named his father as Richard Ward, born in Homersfield, Suffolk, England and buried at Gorleston, Norfolk, England, in 1598. He is said to have died at a very old age. This does not seem to be a likely theory since Andrew Ward was born about 1597. Some have speculated that Richard was the grandfather of Andrew. A theory by Donald Lines Jacobus is that Andrew is the son of a Ralph Ward of Stratford St. Mary, Suffolk. Stratford St. Mary is only a few miles from Dedham, Essex, birthplace of Hester Sherman. Ralph Ward is mentioned in the 1616 will of David Rawson of London. David Rawson is the son of Edward Rawson and Bridget Ward. Bridget had brothers John and Ralph. Andrew Ward (minor) is called the son of Ralph. This makes Andrew the nephew of John Ward. The son of John Ward, Dr. John Ward of Ipswich, MA, immigrated to New England. His 1652 will names as an heir, "Cousin Ward of Wethersfied." There is coincidence, but no positive proof. George K. Ward, compiler of "Andrew Warde and his Descendants 1597-1610," postulates that Andrew is the son of Andrew Ward, and grandson of Richard Ward. His theory is outlined in this biography.