James Ward

Captain James Ward (September 19, 1763 – February 27, 1846) was an early American settler, Indian fighter and legislator of Kentucky whose adventures featured heavily in the stories of the western frontier. He was a pall bearer at Daniel Boone's re-interment in 1845. Early life Ward was born on September 19, 1763, in Staunton, Virginia, the third son of Scotch-Irish immigrants James and Phoebe (Lockhart) Ward. His father, Captain James Ward, was born in County Donegal, Ireland and immigrated to the Colonies around 1730 as an infant with his father and two brothers. Ward's family lived on the edge of the frontier during his childhood. Before James was born, his father moved the family from eastern Augusta County to the area now known as Greenbrier County, West Virginia. After Braddock's Defeat in 1755 that area became too hostile so James Ward Sr. moved his family closer toward Staunton while he joined several expeditions during the French and Indian War.