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Chapter 5
Son ~ Thompson Ware
Caty Todd Ware was barely 16 years old when she had her
first child with James.
Thompson Ware
was born on April 5, 1769, in Caroline County, Virginia; just prior to his
parents moving to Frederick County. (Ref. 2, 6, 35E, 35G, 621, 975, 1070)
Ironically, Thompson was born in the very year that Daniel Boone began exploring
the Kentucky wilderness.
Destiny must have played a role in where this
Virginia-born child would eventually call “home.”
Thompson spent his youngest
years in Winchester, where his father had a medical practice.
His entire childhood was undoubtedly defined by the events going on around him
in the world.
He was only seven when the Declaration of Independence was
signed and he turned 12 before the Revolutionary War was finally over.
He most likely spent many evenings listening to stories about battles being
fought not far from his home. By his teenage years, he was also being captivated
by tales of a fascinating wilderness called Kentucky.
In 1789, when
Thompson was 20 years old, he traveled with his father and
younger brother, James, to Kentucky.
“He settled near Paris, which later became
the county seat for Bourbon County.” (Ref. 299, 845,
941)
As his nephew Josiah once said, “Thompson Ware
went to Kentucky as an Indian fighter when Cincinnati was just two or three
cabins and some stumps.”
(Ref. 299) It
was, indeed, a rugged, unsettled part of the country during those years.
Fortunately, there was a tavern in the area, a place
built to welcome newcomers to the region and offer a place to stay.
Duncan Tavern had been built in 1788.
Located in Paris, Kentucky, it was here that valuable information could be
swapped and friendships made. It offered one
of the first signs of “civilization” taking hold.
Duncan Tavern
It has been beautifully restored and can be visited today.
Photo courtesy of
Judy Ware 2009
On March 21, 1799, Thompson married a young lady by the
name of Sallie Conn.
(Ref. 1070, 2112, 2113) The daughter of
Thomas Conn and Sally Maddox, her family was originally from Maryland and then
Virginia.
Her siblings were Notley, Thomas, John, Cassandra,
Hezekiah, William and James.
(Ref. 782,795)
By 1788, Sallie’s father “owned approximately 2000 acres of land in
Centerville, Kentucky, on the immediate west side of the intersection of Russell
Cave Road and the Georgetown Pike.” (Ref. 782)
When Thompson and Sallie wed, “they received part of Thomas Conn’s huge tract of land.
This land is now part of the Viking Stud Farm for thoroughbred race horses.”
(Ref. 2024)
Thompson had already been living in the area around Paris,
Kentucky, for about 10 years before he married Sallie.
He was 30 years old and she was 18 at the time of their wedding.
As with most early pioneers, they lived in a log cabin for many years.
Assuming that he did eventually build a brick home, it wasn’t done until
sometime after 1812.
As late as November 4, 1812, his father wrote to
Thompson’s brother James, back in Virginia, that “Thompson is very slow lived in his old
cabin which I had as leave live in a barn if I could have fire.”
(Ref. 298)
In another letter written by James II during this time
period, he mentioned that “Thompson talks of building a brick house. He has paid 90
dollars and a horse toward it but has put it off until next year.
(Ref. 35B)
Although not particularly fancy, the pioneer cabins
were actually quite serviceable.
“The logs were
sometimes hewn square, but were quite often left round.
The chinks between the logs were daubed with clay, making the house, for all
its’ rough appearance, a place thoroughly impervious to the weather.
Cooking was done in the great fireplace which formed the most prominent part of
the room.”
(Ref. 1054)
Sample
A visitor to Kentucky in 1802, named
Michaux, “commented
on the neatness of the frontier cabin and always preferred to spend the night at
a private home rather than a public house. Pioneer homes
were amazingly clean, considering the conditions of the times.”
(Ref. 1086)
Map showing Russell Cave Road
Thompson
and Sallie provided many grandchildren for James and Caty, although Caty didn’t
live long enough to enjoy seeing most of them. Only the first
two children were born before Grandma Caty passed away in 1802.
In a letter dated December 25,
1825, to his niece in Virginia, Thompson wrote, “we have had twelve
children – eleven living and eight of them daughters.
Our youngest is a son; one year old. Our families are
all in Kentucky, except yours [referring to
James], where
we can at least see one another once or twice a year.
And your Aunt Polly Webb lives within a mile, where we can see each other every
week.”
(Ref. 35E)
The newlyweds did not wait long to start their family.
Sallie was pregnant within a few short weeks of their marriage.
Their first daughter was born on December 21, 1799, and they named her
Catherine Todd Ware, in honor of Thompson’s mother.
Grandma Caty must have been thrilled to have a namesake.
The little girl soon acquired the nickname of Kitty. When she was 31
years old, Kitty married Grant Allen on October 24, 1830.
(Ref.
967, 1074)
He had previously been married to Kitty’s younger sister, but tragically, Polly
died very suddenly after the birth of their first child.
Mr. Allen was left with a newborn baby to care for. As her Aunt Lucy
wrote in a letter dated in 1830, “Kitty
takes care of the baby as if it were her own.”
(Ref. 597)
Grant and Kitty eventually moved to Randolph County,
Missouri.
Kitty died of consumption on July 26, 1863; just shy of 64
years of age. (Ref. 691, 1070)
Sallie delivered a son on June 17, 1801, and they named him
Thomas. He married
Harriet Miller on April 29, 1823, at the age of 22. Thomas “began as a merchant in 1824 . . . and
continued for 10 years.”
(Ref. 2114)
On July 17, 1862,
“Thomas Ware was killed in a fight at Cynthiana against the attack of John H.
Morgan’s men and in defense of his government.”
(Ref. 1070) According
to the personal war record of Brigadier General Richard Montgomery Gano, a
cousin of Thomas, the following incident describes the manner in which he died.
“Thomas was a man of considerable influence, but [he was] a
Union man.
He was taking no part in the war, but when they ordered
every man in town to take up arms and defend the city, Ware took his gun and
went down to the railroad depot, went upstairs where some other Federal soldiers
were stationed to fire through the windows when the Confederates came through
that part of town.
Several Confederate soldiers hid behind some cars
close to the depot and were fired at by the men in the second story window of
the depot.
The Confederates fired up at the men in the windows and a
ball hit Thomas Ware, fracturing his jaw and going up through his brain and out
the top of his head, which killed him. Ware was carried
up to his home and laid out in the parlor. Gano went up to
his residence and saw his wife and four daughters. He told them how
much he regretted that his cousin had been killed.” (Ref. 2276)
Thomas was 61 years old when he died.
Excerpt from family bible
Two years after the birth of Thomas, Grandpa James got the
chance to welcome another granddaughter. Her name was
Cassandra;
born January 23, 1803.
Cassandra was married on November 8, 1837, to Samuel
Woodson. (Ref.
597,967, 1070)
She was 34 years old at the time; a rather advanced age to be
getting married for the times in which she lived. “For the most part,
couples married young.
Life expectancy was short and adulthood came at an
earlier age than today.
A boy was considered a man at the age of 16.
Any girl not married by the age of twenty was considered an old maid.”
(Ref. 2116)
Even a personal letter from her Aunt Lucy, written around
1830, made a point of stating “Kitty and
Cassandra are still single.”
(Ref. 597)
Kitty would marry before the year was out, however – several years before
Cassandra.
Ten years before she wed Samuel, Cassandra “joined the Church of Christ, Union Meeting House in Fayette County, Kentucky on July 7, 1827.” (Ref. 2115) Later records show her name changed to “Woodson” after her marriage. Cassandra died on June 20, 1851, at the age of 48. (Ref. 1070, 2112)
Old Union Christian Church
On March 18,
1806, another daughter was added to the Ware household.
They named her Sarah, but she was
soon known by the nickname, Sally. On May 29, 1827,
Sally married Robert Spotswood Russell. In a letter
written shortly after her marriage, her Aunt Lucy described an incredibly
difficult time Sally went though after the birth of her first baby.
Childbirth was no easy thing in the early 1800’s, and the death rates for mother
and child were often high.
Lucy wrote:
“Your Uncle
Thompson Ware’s daughter, Sally, has been as ill as ever any person was, to
recover.
She had a son and in three weeks, was taken ill with
child-bed-fever.
When her life was despaired of by her physician, Dr.
Innes, (and every person that beheld her) they sent for Dr. Scott.
They kept him three days there. Your Aunt Webb
went from her last week.
She was there two weeks and at the time Dr. Scott
was there.
She told me she was satisfied that she
[Sally] would not have lived until morning. When the doctor
came, she said it really appeared like raising the dead.
Sally was taken with strong convulsion fits in an hour after he got here – which
lasted nearly two days; one after another. But before he
came away, she began to mend slowly and has been mending ever since.
She can now walk about the yard but not entirely come to her reason.”
(Ref. 597)
Sally did, indeed, recover. Her death did
not come until 1884 at the age of 78.
Two years
after the birth of Sally on May 29, 1808, Thompson’s wife gave birth to yet
another baby girl.
They named her
Mary Ware, but just
like Thompson’s sister, Mary Todd Webb, she quickly assumed the nickname of
“Polly.”
At the age of 20, she married Grant Allen in December 1827.
Sadly, Polly also had a difficult time with pregnancy; her experience ultimately
resulting in her death on November 23, 1828. Her Aunt Lucy
wrote about this news as well:
“I suppose you heard
his [Thompson’s] daughter, Polly Allen, died very suddenly.
Her child was about 3 or 4 weeks old. She had been
quite sick for two weeks, but Mary thought had gotten nearly well.
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.”
(Ref. 597)
The baby Polly delivered was the infant that her sister, Kitty,
subsequently raised.
Childbed fever, also known as septic poisoning, was
most likely the result of unsanitary conditions at the time of delivery.
It
also occurred when the mother was sometimes unable to expel
the entire placenta.
The afterbirth would soon become septic, resulting
in death.
This illness would claim the lives of many
young mothers before medical science became advanced enough to understand its’
cause and cure.
Thompson
and Sallie were beginning to hear a lot of girlish laughter around their home. A
fifth daughter was born in 1810; this one named
Lucy Caroline Ware. On September 8,
1827, at the age of 17, Lucy also joined the family church.
(Ref. 2118) She
married Henry Clay Bedford two years later, on September 13, 1829. (Ref. 950, 1070) He was a
second cousin (once removed) of Henry Clay, the statesman. As her Aunt Lucy
wrote:
“Lucy
Ware, another of your Uncle Thompson Ware’s daughters, has married Mr.
Bedford.
He married two of Mr. Blanton’s daughters – both of them
died in childbed; I have no doubt of want of skill in their physicians.
He then married Miss Hutchcraft; she had two children and died when the youngest
was 6 months old.
He then married Lucy Ware. I
should have disliked being any man’s fourth wife, but he is a very clever man,
not more than 26 years old, made an excellent husband and is quite independent. I
hope she will do well.”
(Ref. 782, 967,968)
{The Blanton girls that Henry Clay Bedford married
were Kitty Blanton and Lucy Blanton. His third wife
was Mary Hutchison.} Courtesy of Debbie
McArdle
Lucy and Henry obviously moved away sometime after their marriage because church
records show her receiving a letter from church officials on August 2, 1856, for
the purpose of relocating.
(Ref. 2118)
Henry Clay Bedford died in 1858.
When the year 1811 rolled around, it proved to be fraught
with change for Thompson and his wife. Sallie’s father,
Thomas Conn, passed away in March of that year. A Kentucky will book states that “Thompson Ware
purchased one large bay mare and one carpet at Thomas Conn’s estate sale.
He was also one of the administrators of his will.”
(Ref. 2112) Thomas Conn had
owned large holdings at the time of his death, so settling his estate was
probably no small task.
Fayette County records state that “on September
23, 1818, there were land
settlements of 2,196 acres on Elkhorn & Licking Creeks pertaining to Thompson
Ware & his wife Sally Ware (maiden name Conn) John Conn, William Conn, James
Conn, Hezekiah Conn, David Flournoy & his wife Cassandra (maiden name Conn),
Benjamin Hallock & his wife Mary (maiden name Conn), Notley Conn, and Olivia
Conn.” (Ref.
1033, 1072)
It fell to Thompson, as one of the administrators, to insure that this Conn
inheritance was properly distributed and protected.
There were also challenges on the political front. American relations with the British were becoming very strained again. The impressments of seamen from American ships, compelling them into the British navy by force and without notice, was the main source of the problem, but there was also great dissention about the Northwest Territories and the border with Canada.
Britain’s military support
of the American Indians, who were attacking settlers moving into that region,
only made matters worse.
War would eventually be declared in 1812, but in the
meantime, Sallie found herself pregnant once again.
Just one short
year after giving birth to Lucy, Sallie delivered another baby girl.
Born February 18, 1812, this child was given the unusual name of
Davidella.
At the age of 17, on January 11, 1829, Davidella also became a member of Old
Union Christian Church.
After her marriage, however, she “took letter” apparently to transfer
to another church on February 8, 1851. (Ref. 2112, 2118)
It was on May 8,
1834, when Davidella Ware became the wife of Asa Kentucky Lewis Bedford.
(Ref. 950, 1070) Asa was described
as “a man of courage and convictions, with an amiable and strong force of a character; highly
esteemed by his neighbors.”
(Ref. 966, 2119)
The couple provided many grandchildren for Thompson and
Sallie:
Mary Frances, Thompson, James Henry, Asa K. Lewis, Charles
Coleman, Sallie, and Louisa, called Lucy.
(Ref. 782)
Davidella operated a boarding
house in Jefferson County, Kentucky, and she died June 22, 1877, at the age of
65.
(Ref. 630, 782, 2118, 2120)
On June 18, 1812, while the Ware family was still rejoicing over the
addition of little Davidella, President James Madison signed a declaration of
war against Great Britain.
The Congress that had met previously in November of
1811 included a group known as the War Hawks, and among their strongest leaders
was Henry Clay of Kentucky.
A skilled
orator, he drew tremendous crowds whenever he spoke, and they would often erupt
into enthusiastic applause.
“His mother,
who married Henry Watkins after her first husband passed away, kept the first
tavern that was established in Versailles; quite a celebrated hostelry at the
time and
the rendezvous for great lawyers, pedagogues, and statesmen of the day.
Around the crackling logs in the great fireplace in its’ spacious hallway such
men as John Crittenden gathered in the candlelight to discuss the news of the
nation.”
(Ref. 1024)
Watkins Tavern Thompson, most assuredly, must have heard Henry Clay speak on several occasions, especially since three of his children would marry cousins of the famous man.
Thompson had served as a captain in the 13th Regiment of the state militia from
1804 to 1805.
(Ref. 2121) The War of 1812 found him serving with the 71st Regiment and
attaining the rank of colonel.
(Ref. 968)
He
was 43 years old at the time. With a newborn baby and
six other small
children, all under the age of 13, Sallie must have spent many a restless night.
Worried or
not, the couple obviously found some time to spend together during the two-year
war, because Sallie was pregnant again in 1814. Already living
with six sisters, Thomas Ware must have thought his Christmas gift had come
early when this baby was a boy.
James Thompson Ware
was born on December 23, 1814.
(Ref. 1070, 2118) He married Patsy Bedford on
November 26,
1844, in Bourbon
County.
Patsy was the sister of both Henry Clay Bedford and Asa
Kentucky Lewis Bedford.
The three Bedford siblings were all second
cousins, once removed, of Henry Clay.
(Ref. 1070, 1099)
The 1850
Federal Census of Bourbon County stated that
“James T. and wife, Patsy, are living with
James’ mother and father, Sallie Conn and (Colonel) Thompson Ware.”
The land they were residing on “was
originally part of Thomas Conn’s tract that Sallie Ware had inherited from her
father.”
(Ref. 2122)
At the time of this census, James was 35,
Patsy was 25, and they had three very small children of their own; a son named
Thompson (probably named for Grandpa), a daughter named Sallie (probably named
for Grandma), and another infant daughter named Lucy.
(Ref. 2123) It was also in 1850 that “James
T. Ware joined the Church of Christ at Old Union by confession of faith and
baptism.”
(Ref. 2112, 2118, 2124) Patsy had already been a member of the church before she married
James, having “joined by confession on
July 10, 1842.”
(Ref. 2124) The young couple had another baby, named Mary (born July 7, 1852) but, sadly, the little girl only lived about three weeks.
Two more children would eventually follow, though; Henry Bedford Ware in 1853
and James Thomas Ware in 1858.
James Thomas Ware – son of Patsy and James Thompson Ware, grandson of Sallie and
Thompson Ware, and great grandson of James & Caty Todd Ware
James Thomas Ware went to Kansas City and worked there
as a bookkeeper for a smelter company. “In 1900, he was nominated for county assessor on the Democratic ticket
which was defeated by an unfortunate split in the party.
Although defeated, Mr. Ware made so many friends by his genial manners and
energetic personality as well as his graceful acceptance of defeat that he
emerged from the campaign stronger than before.”
(Ref. 870)
James T. probably got his devotion to civic service from his father
who, in 1857, is “shown as a $100.00 donor
to Kentucky University.”
(Ref. 2112)
James Thompson Ware and Patsy eventually
inherited the family home of Thompson and Sallie, which was called “Rose Hill”
at the time. (Ref. 740, 2290) James died
on September 30, 1871, and his tombstone is located in the Paris, Kentucky,
cemetery.
(Ref. 964)
Thompson and his wife were “expecting” again in 1816.
Sallie, then 35, gave birth to a healthy daughter on November 3rd,
naming her Frances Ann Ware.
(Ref. 1070)
In 1840, at the age of 24, Frances, like her siblings, joined the family church
at Old
Union Christian Church.
Seven years later, she married John Hill on December 30, 1847, at the somewhat
advanced age of 31.
Frances died on January 11,
1892, when she was 76.
The family bible states that
there was a tenth child born to Sallie and Thompson on January 3, 1819.
The baby was a boy but he remained
unnamed. It would be safe
to assume he was probably stillborn.
(Ref. 1070)
It would also explain why Thompson wrote
later that “we have had twelve
children – eleven living.” (Ref. 35E) Another child was born three years later on February 14, 1822. The couple welcomed another daughter and named her Eliza H. Ware. Grandpa James never got to see this new baby because he had passed away in 1820. At the age of 18, Eliza joined the church at the same time her sister Frances did, in 1840. She married William D. Crockett nine years later, on July 5, 1849. Eliza only lived to be 39 years old, dying in 1861.
The last child born to Sallie
and Thompson was a son who arrived on December 23, 1824.
Charles
William Ware shared the exact same birth date as his older brother,
James Thompson; just 10 years apart.
Sallie was 43 at the time of his birth, and Thompson was 55. In the letter from Thompson’s sister,
Lucy, she wrote, “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 has never walked since; his head
very large now. Whether he took too
much calomel or what, I don’t know.” (Ref. 25) Calomel was a primitive medicine used in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It was basically mercurous chloride, and was often used as a purging remedy for diseases such as typhoid. Sadly, little was known at the time about the dangers of mercury poisoning. People believed that whatever illness someone was afflicted with could be aided by “draining” out the body by bloodletting, using leeches, or inducing dramatic diarrhea. Calomel was one of the harsh laxatives used. Although very small doses may have actually produced some medical benefits in certain cases, the very large doses that were often prescribed indiscriminately produced terrible side effects and were frequently lethal. It is possible that this caused Charles’ health problems. It is also possible he may have had a condition like hydrocephalus, which is manifested as too much fluid on the brain. Whatever the diagnosis, the young boy only lived to be 10 years old, dying on October 30, 1834.
Thompson and Sallie led very full lives raising their numerous children. “They attended the Union Church [Christian Church denomination] about 2 miles south of the Centerville crossroads. The original building is gone now.” (Ref. 2112) With the exception of Thomas, who was a member of the Christian Church in Cynthiana, almost all of their children became members there. Sallie had joined the church first on November 11, 1826, and Thompson soon followed on February 10, 1827. He also served as a deacon. (Ref. 2118) Below is the membership agreement that members signed upon joining the church. This information was found in the Union Church records and kindly provided by Sally Worrick of Paris, Kentucky, and Debbie McArdle of Illinois.
One of the ministers who served
at the church during these years was Reverend John Allen Gano, the husband of
Sallie’s niece (Mary Catherine Webb Conn) by her brother, William Conn. Reverend Gano performed the weddings
for five of the Ware daughters:
Cassandra, Kitty, Davidella, Eliza, and Lucy. (Ref. 967, 1070, 2112)
Old Union Christian Church and cemetery
Markers on the front of the church
Old Union Church
Ref. 939 – Map shows location of Old Union
Church and Russell Cave Pike
Thompson and Sallie’s farm, Rose Hill, was located immediately
south of her brother, William Conn’s, home, called Bellevue, on the west side of
Russell Cave Road in Centerville. All of this
land was originally part of Thomas Conn's 2,000 plus acre claim in the late
1780s. “Mr. David Flournoy,
who married Cassandra Conn, Sallie’s sister, owned lands immediately west of
Rose Hill, all portions of the same survey, on the headwaters of Townsend.
This would be just south near the Centerville crossroads of the Georgetown Pike
and Russell Cave Road.
The farm’s location is mentioned in Thompson Ware’s
will dated 1851.”
(Ref. 740,
2112)
Map showing Townsend Creek, Centerville, & Russell
Cave Road
State of Kentucky Represented by the Department of
Mines and Minerals
Thompson and Sallie were married
for 52 years before Sallie died on November 26, 1851. Thompson only lived one year longer,
dying on September 9, 1852, at the age of 84. (Ref. 968)
The following obituary was
printed in “The Western Citizen” newspaper in Paris, Kentucky, on Friday,
September 17, 1852:
1852: Died, at his residence, in this county, on
the night of the 9th inst., Col. Thompson Ware in the 84th
year of his age. Seldom are we
called to record the death of one so aged, whose life was so pure and faultless. Beloved and honored by his fellow
citizens, thro a long and exemplary life, he retained his strong hold on the
love and esteem of all who knew him.
For more than a quarter of a century he was a pious and devoted member and
officer of the Christian Church, in whose communion he died. Short, indeed, was the separation
between his and the spirit of his excellent wife, which whom he lived so happily
on earth more than half a century. A
large family of children and their offspring are left to mourn, and with these a
wide circle of friends and acquaintances, may truly say with sadness “their like
on earth for worth and goodness we shall seldom see.” “If we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, we believe, also that all who sleep in Jesus, God will bring with
Him.” According to records from Old Union Church, both “Thompson and Sallie were buried in the Ware graveyard which was located on Hwy 460, Centerville, Bourbon County, Ky.” (Ref. 2118) Another source states: “There is a graveyard on the old Ware place. Reference is made in a 1917 Bourbon County, Kentucky land deed (between Haggin et al and Headley) where two graveyards are excluded and are to remain available by family.” (Ref. 2112) As with many old family graveyards, time and progress make finding them now very difficult. Roads change names, property lines become altered, and the graves themselves become hard to recognize after the wind and weather have played havoc with them. “The Ware Cemetery, located on what is now called Viking Stud Farm on Russell Cave Road, is completely gone now, horses having used it for grazing. Upon visitation, its’ location was noted on the top of a small hill with trees. No stones have survived, but, fortunately, the information from the gravestones, as well as their location, was recorded at an earlier date.” (Ref. 2112)
As one researcher, Debbie
McArdle, noted: “The old church records mention Highway 460 in Centerville as the location of the Ware graves. It is possible that was, indeed, the entrance to the cemetery at one time because the land Thomas Conn gave his daughter, Sallie Conn Ware, was right behind his own home (where William Conn expanded to create “Bellevue). The entrance to “Bellevue” is off of Highway 460 (aka the Georgetown/Paris Pike) so it makes sense that when Thomas gave the land behind his home to Sallie, he would also have provided an easement to her new home, “Rose Hill,” off Highway 460. Then, when Thompson and Sallie Conn Ware’s land, “Rose Hill”, was sold outside the family, a new entrance off of Russell Cave Road would have been created to avoid trespass on “Bellevue.” “Bellevue” is on a corner, so one could have gained entrance to “Rose Hill”, behind “Bellevue”, either off Russell Cave Road or off Highway 460.” (Debbie McArdle)
Bellevue – taken
from the road Thompson’s will was written on February 3, 1851, and filed on October 4, 1853. Portions of the original will and its’ painstaking transcription have been generously provided below by Debbie McArdle. One of the attesters to the will was John Allen Gano, the minister who had officiated at the wedding of so many of the Ware daughters. The document was proved upon the oaths of George W. Williams (the son-in-law of Thompson’s sister, Polly Webb) and William Conn (Thompson’s brother-in-law.) Thompson made sure that Sallie was well cared for after his death. His son, James Thompson Ware, would ultimately inherit the family farm, but his father made the specific request that “I wish James to live with his Mother as long as she lives and the profits of the farm will be a compensation for him as support for his Mother.” James Thompson was also named the sole executor of the will. Last Will and Testament of Thompson Ware
Copy of original will
of Thompson Ware and transcribed manuscript
THOMPSON WARE'S WILL
BOURBON COUNTY, KENTUCKY
WILL BOOK 0, PAGE 291
WRITTEN 3 FEB 1851
FILED 4 OCT 1853
In the name of God, Amen. I,
Thompson Ware, of Bourbon County and State of Kentucky, of sound mind (blessed
be Almighty God for the same) do make and publish this, my last will and
testament.
First, I wish all my just debts to be
paid, then all my children that are married received property in advance I leave
to them and their heirs forever and the negro woman I gave my daughter Mary who
married Grant Allin and died leaving a son named Thompson Ware Allin, I leave to
him all her offspring and should he die without issue to go to Kitty T. Allin,
his Fathers wife, and whereas I have sent a negro boy named Loyd to Davidella
Bedford to remain there until her two sons, Thompson & James can carry on the
farm then he return home to my estate. Then all the residue of my Estate
both real Per. & mixed I leave to my beloved affectionate wife Sally as long as
she shall remain unmarried and my widow and at her death to leave the farm to my
son James Thompson Ware, whereon I now live or so much of it lies on the west
side of the road running through it known by the name of the Cynthiana road to
Lexington with all the improvements on it. Her ballance of the tract lying
on the east side of said road to be divided equally among all my heirs Except
Thomas my oldest son he is not to have any part until he pays up the money I
have paid for him as security in either the land or any other property. I
also wish James to live with his Mother as long as she lives and the Profits of
the farm will be a compensation for him as support for his Mother. I do
nominate and appoint my son James Thompson Ware Sole Executor of this my last
will and testament revoking all other wills by me made in testimony whereof I
hereunto set my hand and seal this 3d day of February 1851.
T. Ware
Attest:
Jno. Allen Gano
Noah Spears Jr.
At the October Term of the County Court of
Bourbon County Kentucky on the 4th day of October 1852. This last will and testament of Thompson Ware deceased was this day presented in open Court and proved by the oaths of George W. Williams and William Conn who stated that they were familiar with the hand writing and signature of the said Thompson Ware deceased, and that the said will and the signature thereto is wholly in the hand writing of the said Thompson Ware deceased. Whereupon said will is ordered to record. Witness Richard J. Brom Clerk of said Court the date above. Richard J. Brom
Thompson and Sallie left quite a
legacy behind in their children.
They would continue to prosper and see growth abound in Bourbon County and
especially in the town of Paris, Kentucky.
James and Caty’s oldest son definitely left his mark on their new
homeland.
Supporting Documentation for Chapter 5
Bourbon county courthouse in Paris; completed in 1905
Bourbon County
Courthouse in Paris, Kentucky
Bourbon County Courthouse
Old Union
Christian Church
CHILDREN OF:
THOMPSON and
SALLIE CONN WARE
B.
April 5, 1769
B.
Sept. 22, 1781
D. Sept. 9, 1852
D.
Nov. 26, 1851
Thompson was the eldest son of Dr. James Ware and his wife,
Virginia (Caty) Todd Ware.
He settled in Paris, Kentucky & married Sallie Conn
on March 21, 1799.
Thompson served in the War of 1812.
(1) Catherine (Kitty) Todd Ware –
Married Grant Allen on Oct. 24, 1830; after the death of her sister Polly
(2) Thomas Ware -
Married Harriet Miller April 29, 1823
(3) Cassandra Ware –
Married Samuel Woodson on Nov. 8, 1837
(4) Sarah (Sally) Ware –
Married Robert Spotswood Russell on May 29, 1827
(5) Mary (Polly) Ware –
Married Grant Allen on Dec. 20, 1827
(6) Lucy C. Ware –
Married
Henry Clay Bedford on Sept. 13, 1829
(7) Davidella Ware –
Married Asa Kentucky Lewis Bedford on May 8, 1834
(8) James T. Ware –
Married Patsy Bedford on Nov. 26, 1844
(9) Frances Ann Ware –
Married
John Hill on Dec. 30, 1847
(10) A son – not named –
(11) Eliza H. Ware –
Married William D. Crockett on July 5, 1849
(12)
Charles William Ware –
New information provided from the Ware Family Bible of
James Thompson Ware – generously shared courtesy of Debbie McArdle
#1070
Ref.2283
CHILDREN OF THOMAS AND SARAH CONNN -
parents of 3 of the Conn children who married into
the Ware family
(1) Notley Conn born
1762
(2) Thomas Conn born
1767
(3) John Maddox Conn born Aug.
11, 1768
Died April 27, 1849
Married Nancy (Mary) Keene
(4) Hezekiah Conn born 1771
Married Isabella Richardson Buck
(5) Cassandra Conn born
1775
Married David Flournoy
(6) Sallie Conn born
1781
Married Thompson Ware (son of James Ware II)
(7) William Conn born
1784
Married Fanny Webb (niece of Thompson by his sister Polly
Todd Ware Webb)
(8) James Conn born
1786
Married Kitty Webb (niece of Thompson by his sister Lucy
Ware Webb)
CHILDREN OF: JAMES THOMPSON & PATSY BEDFORD WARE
B. Dec. 23, 18144
B. July 3, 1823
D. Sept. 30, 1871
D. June
3, 1896
James Thompson was the 2nd son of Thompson and
Sallie Ware.
He was the grandson of Dr. James Ware and his wife,
Virginia (Caty) Todd Ware.
He married Patsy Bedford on November 26, 1844
(1) Thompson Ware – born
Sept. 16, 1845
died after Nov. 1871
Married Alice Edwards Nov. 1871
(2) Sallie Ware - born
Dec. 12, 1847
died Aug. 31, 1927
Married Robert Younger Berry
June
2, 1868
(3) Lucy (most often called Lutie) Ware - born May 12,
1850
still living in 1932
Never married – shown as single on all census through 1930, living with brother
Henry.
(4) Mary Ware – born July 7, 1852
died July 29, 1852 at 3 weeks
(5) Henry Bedford Ware - born
Dec. 22, 1853
died Dec. 23, 1930
Never married – lived with sister Lucy
(6) James Thomas Ware - born
April 4, 1858 died March 22, 1921
Married Emma Macey and Cora Richmond
(Ref. 1070, 1099)
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