James B WARD Obediah WARD William T WARD Tucora Ann WARD Charles Eugene WARD Julia Elizabeth WARD Woodrow N WARD Mini tree diagram
Bethia Obediah FULLER

Bethia Obediah FULLER2,1,3,4,5,6,7

1st May 18312,1,3,4,5,6 - 23rd Feb 19062,1

Life History

1st May 1831

Born in South Carolina.2,1,3,4,5,6

9th Apr 1848

Married James B WARD in Meriwether County, Georgia.7

about 1849

Birth of son Obediah WARD in Meriwether County, Georgia.5

about 1851

Birth of son William T WARD in Carroll County, Georgia.5,8

1853

Birth of daughter Tucora Ann WARD in Carroll County, Georgia.5,8

2nd Jun 1855

Birth of son Charles Eugene WARD in Carroll County, Georgia.1,3,9,5,8

17th Sep 1857

Birth of daughter Julia Elizabeth WARD in Carroll County, Georgia.10,1,11,12,13,14,4,5

about Feb 1860

Birth of son Woodrow N WARD in Carroll County, Georgia.5,8

11th Sep 1861

Death of James B WARD in Charlottesville, Virginia.15,1

23rd Feb 1906

Died in Dalton, Cass, Texas.2,1

after 23rd Feb 1906

Buried in Dalton Cemetery, Dalton, Cass County, Texas.1

Notes

  • Bethia was the wife of James B Ward.  James was reported in the 1950 census for Meriwether County, Georgia with a wife named Martha and a 1-year-old son named Obadiah, according to the enumerator.  In all later records, James' wife and widow is reproted as Bethia.  Her grave monument has her name as Mrs B O Ward.

    The nmae on her marriage record in 1848 appears to be spelled Berthire.

    Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978
    James Ward
    Spouse Berthire Fuller
    Marriage 9 Apr 1848 Meriwether, Georgia
    Ceremony performed by Aron Sibly, JP
    Meriwether County Marriage Book, page 62

    1850 Federal Census, Meriwether County, Georgia, 29 October, p 172, Hse/Fam #1204
    James Ward 26 M Farmer $0 Real Estate Value Declared b Georgia [b abt 1824]
    Martha Ward 20 F b South Carolina [b abt 1830]
    Obadiah Ward 1 M b Georgia [b abt 1849]

    Is this Martha the same person as the wife later reported as Bethiah, and reported in genealogies as Bethia Obediah?  All genealogies I have seen have only one wife, Bethia.  Martha is reported as born in South Carolina, the same state of birth consistently reported for Bethia Fuller.  Was she actually named named Martha Bethia?  A genealogy for the Miller family reports Bethia as Bethia Obediah Fuller.

    Bethria Obediah Fuller
    Birth 1 MAY 1831 in South Carolina
    Death 23 Feb 1906 in Cass Co, TX
    Spouse Jim (J B) Ward
    Birth May 1, 1831 [abt 1825] in Georgia
    Death September 11, 1861 in Heard County, Georgia, Confederate Army
    --  Miller, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/13733560/person/457076126

    I note that the Miller genealogy reports the exact same birth date for James and Bethia.  That is not very likely.  I see that the date is Bethia's birth date.  In contrast, in  the 1860 census, James is reported to be age 35, which would make birth in about 1825.  This matches his record in the 1850 census, where he was reported as 26 years old.  The place of death is also an error on Jim.  The name Heard County appears to be from a Confederate death record reporting Heard County as the residence of a different J Ward who died on 30 July 1861.  This further discredits the info on this Miller genealogy.

    The report of Bethia's middle name as Obediah is also fishy.  This is a man's name and is the name of her first son.  No record has been found substantiating the name Obediah for Bethia.  No genealogy presents a family or publisc birth record.  However, her memorial on Find a Grave also has her name as Bethia Obediah Fuller Ward.  No source for this name is reported in the memorial.  And the grave monument does have the name as B O Ward.

    So who is this Martha?  Maybe just an enumerator lapse?  Maybe a third given name?

    1860 Federal Census, Carroll County, Georgia, 28 June, PO (?) Hill, District 11, page 2, Hse/Fam #11
    James B Ward 35 M Farmer $200 Real Estate $0 Personal Rptd born Georgia Cannot read or write [b abt 1825]
    Bethiah Ward 28 F born S C [b abt 1832]
    Obediah Ward 11 M born Georgia [b abt 1849]
    Wm Ward 9 M born Georgia [b abt 1851]
    T Ward 8 F born Georgia [b abt 1856]
    Charley Ward 5 M born Georgia [b abt 1857]
    Juliar [Julia] Ward 3 F born Georgia [b abt 1857]
    W N Ward 3mos M born Georgia [b abt Feb 1860]

    Jim died of measles in Charlottesville, Virginia, in September 1861, while serving in the Confederate States of America Army.  Before the 1870 census, Bethia moved with her children to Cass County, Texas (called Davis County in 1870), is on the border with Louisiana, a little south of Texarkana.  They must have moved with other families.

    1870 Federal Census, Davis (Cass) County, Texas, 17 August, Justice Precinct 3, PO Cussetta, page 38, Hse/Fam #307
    Ward, Bethia Head 40 F W Keeping House  $300 Real Estate $100 Personal  born South Carolina
    Ward, William 19 M W born Georgia Cannot Write
    Ward, Tokorah 19 F W born Georgia
    Ward, Charlie 15 M W born Georgia Attended School During the Year
    Ward, Julia 12 F W born Georgia Cannot Read or Write
    Ward, Woodrow 10 M W born Georgia Attended School During the Year

    Cass County was named Davis for only a short time.  The 1880 census for the county is reported under the name of Cass once again.  Bethia is reported that year in the home of her son Charles.

    1880 Federal Census, Cass County, Texas, 14 June, Precinct 3, District 12, page 16, Hse/Fam #142
    Ward, Charles W M 25 Head Farming GA GA SC [abt 1855]
    - page 17 -
    Ward, Maggie W F 24 Wife GA GA GA [b abt 1856]
    Ward, Bethia W F 47 mother Widow SC SC SC [b abt 1833]

    Bethia Obediah Fuller Ward
    Birth May 1, 1831 South Carolina
    Death Feb 23, 1906 Dalton, Cass County, Texas
    Spouse James B Ward (1831 - 1861)
    Children:
    William Terrel Ward (1850 - 1920)
    Tucora Ann Ward Creekmore (1853 - 1930)
    Charles Eugene Ward (1855 - 1935)
    Julia Elizabeth Ward Jenkins (1857 - 1936)
    Burial Dalton Cemetery, Dalton, Cass County, Texas
    Created by Wayne Ward Jul 28, 2012
    --  Find a Grave Memorial #94359435, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=94359435

Sources

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