Henry Chiles Ward Son of William and Elizabeth Ward September 22, 2010

Image by Patrick Henson via Flickr

• Henry Chiles Ward, born December 16, 1838  Died December 4, 1910.
Henry was the only son to survive to a relatively old age.  His tombstone has that he was a private in the 13th Va. Light Artillery (Danville Ringgold Artillery) formed in late 1863.  The officers were Captain Timothy H. Stamps, Crispen Dickenson and Clack Stone.   Records have him enlisting on July 2, 1861 at Jamestown Island, Virginia with Company B 14th infantry. Then transferring to Company B  13th Light Artillery Regiment on October 25, 1864.
Engagements while serving in Company B 14th infantry,  The Bedford Rifle Grays
Seven Pines May 31-June 1, 1862
Seven Days Battle June 25-July 1, 1862
Malvern Hill July 1, 1862
2nd Bull Run August 28-30, 1862
South Mountains September 14, 1862
Antietam September 17, 1862
Shepherdstown Ford September 20, 1862
Fredericksburg December 13, 1862
Suffolk Campaign April-May, 1863
Edenton Road April 24, 1863
Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863
Chester Station May 10, 1864
Drewry’s Bluff May 16, 1864
North Anna May 23-26, 1864
Cold Harbor June 1-3, 1864
Petersburg Siege June 1864-April, 1865
In October of 1864, he transferred to Company B 13th Light Artillery.
They were also at Petersburg.
Appomattox April 9, 1865

The 14th Regiment was also under Pickett.  He survived that day on July 3 and went on to the siege of Petersburg and the Surrender of Appomattox.

Sometime after the Civil War, he was involved in an altercation with a William Tardy.  In this altercation, Henry killed William Tardy.  I have been told that Elizabeth had to sell off quite a bit of the family land to keep him out of jail.    This may be written up in some Lynchburg papers and the story can probably be found in the Jones Memorial Library in Lynchburg, Virginia.  So it seems that he may have had a slightly checkered past.
Henry Ward was the only son to have children.  The only name that I know for certain is William Tazewell Ward born 1893
In the 1900 census he has quite a few people living with him, but no spouse or children.  He did not marry Sarah or Susan Henrietta Adams until just before his death.  In the 1910 census he now has a wife listed living with him and a son William Tazewell Ward.
In the 1900 census, the people living with him were designated hired.  I suppose hired hands.  It was John H. C. Adams age 17, Susan E. Adams 16, Seth M. Adams 12 and Baby Adams 9 and William 8.
Tips for the Genealogist:
If you are in Ancestry.com and you are looking in the census records, don’t just look for your person.  It is amazing what information you can glean from looking at everyone that is living in that district.  For instance, in the 1910 census, I found where a John H. Ward 27 and Robert Ward age 19 were living just a little ways from Henry Ward.  They were probably his sons and they had a batchelor pad of their own near their mother and father.
If you are careful, you can trace family back to at least 1860.  Also, the census between 1860 and the present provides so much information about a family.  Where he/she was born, age, race, job, literacy, wife, children.  If they are property owners or for instance, a blacksmith, teacher.   In some of the census reports before 1860, there is a detailed list of what kind of crops they grow.
So if you have a little extra money, log on to ancestry.com.
Website References

53^rd regiment Company G

http://www.victorianvilla.com/sims-mitchell/local/war/cw/roster/53/g/01/

53^rd regiment Company H

http://www.53rdvacompanyh.org/news.html

List of Virginia companies and the counties and their companies

http://newrivernotes.com/cw_va/vaco-op.htm#pitt

Regimental history links

http://history-sites.com/~kjones/CSva-wv.html

This has stories from veterans of the civil war. 

http://www.mosocco.com/va.html

Ordinance and Officers of the Danville Artillery

http://www.danvilleartillery.org/historical.htm

civil ward and sailors’s system

http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/

National Parks Civil War Site

http://cwar.nps.gov/civilwar/

53^rd Virginia Infantry Site

http://www.mycivilwar.com/regiments/csa-va/va_inf_53_reg.htm

Some References:
Extra Comments:
Book:  Richmond, William and Timothy Terrell  Compiled by Celeste Jane Terrell Barnhill
The Mitchell Co.  Greenfield, Indiana
page 185
Children of Elizabeth and William Ward
"Henry Chiles Ward, born December 16, 1838, he killed William Tardy in a dispute, never married.

United States Federal Census  (all in Pittsylvania County)
1850 census Henry Ward as a young boy living with his mother Elizabeth Ward and his brothers Robert and William.
1860 census Henry Ward as a young man living with his mother Elizabeth Ward and his brother Robert.
1870 census Henry Ward living alone in household No. 3720 in the census.  Next neighbor is his mother Elizabeth Ward living alone in household 3721.
1880 census Henry Ward living alone in household 110.  Susan Adams living in household 111 with her son Joseph and daughter Texanna.
1890 not found.
1900 Henry Ward head of house hold with several people.  No relationship recorded except hired.
1910 Henry Ward head of household with Susie, wife and William son.