Chapter 4
Son ~ Nicholas Ware

     The second son for James and Agnes was born three years after the birth of John, on August 12, 1739.  He was named Nicholas Ware and he was also born in Gloucester County, Virginia.  At the time of his birth, both parents were 25 years old.    Nicholas did military service, as did his father and older brother, and attained the rank of Colonel.

     At the age of 23, Nicholas married Martha “Peggie” Hodges in 1762.  They also gave James and Agnes many grandchildren; some born in Virginia and some in South Carolina. (Ref. DAR)

     The first child for Nicholas and Peggie was a son named James; undoubtedly named for his grandfather.  He was born in 1763, but sadly only lived two years.  He died in 1765.  It would be another two years before a baby blessed their home again.  

     This must have been very hard on young Peggie, for most women of that time period would have had several children by five years of marriage.  Her sister-in-law, Ann, already had six children in her home.   Happiness arrived, however, in the form of a baby daughter in 1767.  They gave her the name of Nancy, and she was healthy enough to not only survive infancy, but eventually live to the ripe old age of 89.  

     Peggie need never have worried about being childless, however, because there is the possibility, if records are correct, she may have delivered a healthy set of twins.  Several documents state that William & Frances Ware were both born on November 1, 1768.  Both children survived the harsh winter, and although Frances only lived 14 years, William lived until he was 88.  Papers from the DAR state that “William Ware, born 1768 – 1856, was born in Abbeville District, South Carolina and is buried in Pontotoc County, Mississippi where his tombstone can still be found.” (Ref. 1041)  Further genealogy records for other members of the Ware family show a definite genetic propensity for twins.

     William and Frances were quickly followed by the birth of a brother, named Thomas, in 1770.  According to the work of Eleanor Davis McSwain, “Nicholas and Martha (Peggy) Ware had a number of children who continued to live near Ware Shoals.  One son, Thomas Ware married a young lady named Nancy.” (Ref. 1041) Thomas also lived to be quite old; dying on February 28, 1853 at the age of 83. (Ref. 818)  The quiet that may have engulfed their home after the death of Peggie & Nicholas’s first son was now replaced with the pitter patter of many little feet, and they weren’t finished yet!

     It was a few years before Peggie had another baby, but around 1776, she and Nicholas saw the birth, not only of a new nation, but another new granddaughter for James and Agnes.  The baby girl was named Elizabeth, and they called her Betsey.  Betsey married Benjamin Pendleton Gaines and upon his death, she married John Henry Madison.

     In Nicholas’s will, which was recorded at Abbeville, it names these children:  “Frances, William, Thomas, James, and Betsey . . .” (Ref.835)   The copy at hand showed other names, but they are illegible.    Therefore, if other available family records are correct, it is possible that Peggie delivered yet another set of twins in 1780.  Nathaniel and Edmund were to be their last children and both sons lived to maturity.  (Ref.835, 915)  Nathaniel died in 1856 and Edmund died on March 13, 1833.    

     Nicholas made the decision to move from the place of his birth to South Carolina.  There was great opportunity for people to establish new careers and develop land ownership there. He and his young family moved from Virginia “and settled in an area around Abbeville, South Carolina.” (Ref. 379)  Actually, the specific name of the place was Ware Shoals; coming from “the name of the owner of the nearby gristmill, Nicholas Ware. His name was combined with the river’s shoals to create the name of Ware’s Shoals; later shortened to Ware Shoals.” (Ref. 819) 

Ware Shoals

There is currently a park at Ware Shoals named Irvin Pitts Park.
The historical marker mentions Nicholas Ware as the namesake of the area. (Ref.819)

There were other branches of the Ware family in South Carolina at the time as well, so “Nicholas was called ‘Nicholas of Abbeville’ in order to identify him from his cousin Nicholas Ware who lived in nearby Edgefield, South Carolina.” (Ref. 379) It was this other Nicholas who later became the Senator from Georgia.      According to John Abney Chapman’s, History of Edgefield County: From the Earliest Settlement to 1897, “the Wares were large landholders in the Edgefield section.” (Ref. 379)          It was in Abbeville, however, that the son and daughter-in-law of James and Agnes put down their roots.  Although the 1954 map, found below, is far more current than the times in which Nicholas lived, it does show how close Ware Shoals is to the Saluda River and the proximity of Abbeville, South Carolina to the state of Georgia.      According to Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) records, Nicholas continued to serve in a military capacity in his new home of South Carolina. (Ref. 629)    DAR  copy        The larger map below shows the county of Abbeville and on the smaller map, the dot shows the location of Ware Shoals in the Abbeville area.           The years in Ware Shoals were active ones for Nicholas and Peggie.  They were “charter members of the Turkey Creek Baptist Church in the Abbeville area.” (Ref. 872B)   This church was “organized on January 29, 1785, with some of its families transferring over from Broad Run Baptist Church.” (Ref. 896)       On March 26, 1787, Nicholas predeceased his father at the age of forty-eight.  He was buried in the Turkey Creek Cemetery. (Ref 875)  James outlived him by almost ten years. Outside view of Turkey Creek Baptist (2009) CHILDREN OF:   NICHOLAS WARE   &  MARTHA (PEGGY) HODGES                         B. August 12, 1739                       B. 1738                         D. March 26, 1787                        D. 1787 Nicholas was the 2nd son of James Ware & Agnes Todd Ware.  He married Martha (Peggy) Hodges in 1762. (1)  James Ware   born 1763         died 1765 (2) Nancy Ware    born 1767         died 1856 (3) William Ware  born November 1, 1768     died January 12,1856 (4) Frances Ware  born November 1, 1768     died 1782 (5) Thomas Ware  born 1770     died February 28, 1853 Married Nancy ___ (6) Elizabeth Ware   born 1776   died  1860 Married John Henry Madison on Aug. 11, 1794 and Benjamin Pendleton Gaines on Jan 17, 1806 (7) Nathaniel Ware  born Aug. 16, 1780      died 1856 (8) Edmund Ware   born 1780     died March 13, 1833