Charles Ward / Abigail Pike

INDEX

[158] Abigail Ward was the daughter of William Pike, died 1687, who was the son
of Jeremiah Pike of Reading. Charles & Abigail settled at Sturbridge, MA.
Charles Ward enlisted in the expedition against Cape Breton, was at the
taking of Louisbourg and died there in service in 1745. After being widowed,
Abigail remarried on September 14, 1748 to Joseph Bellows and they moved to
Holden, MA.

[159] The mother of William Ward (#372) was Abigail Pike born May 26, 1724
William Ward married on December 11, 1763 to Lucy Church, born
February 14, 1748 died January 6, 1846, the daughter of Noah Church of
Marlboro, MA. William and Lucy lived first at Westboro, MA. until
February, 1766 when they moved to New Marlboro, MA. and thence in
November, 1775, to Poultney, VT., of which town he was one of the
first settlers, and one of that sturdy band, that resisted, step by
step and day by day, the progress of Burgoyne's army, and participated
in its capture. (The following quoted from Andrew Ward"s History of
the Ward Family, 1845 edition)
In the meantime, his wife, with her helpless children, unprotected
and exposed to the ravages of the British soldiery and their savage
allies, then within a few miles of her dwelling, fled to Bennington,
(VT), forty miles through a wilderness, on foot, with her children
carrying the youngest in her arms and without a man to protect them,
or guide, except blazed trees, to direct her way. They reached there
(Bennington) in safety and quickly followed the battle at Bennington
and the surrender of Burgoyne.
The family returned to Poultney (VT), where he continued to reside
until his death, August 3, 1819. His widow, Lucy, died at Poultney,
January 6, 1846 at the age of 98 years. The following is an extract
from an obituary notice of him published in a Vermont newspaper, a few
days after his death:-
"Died, at his residence in Poultney, on 3rd instance (August 3,
1819) the Hon. William Ward, Aged 76. He was one of the first
settlers of the town, and during the Revolutionary war took an active
and zealous part in his country's defence. He was a member of the
Convention which framed the Constitution of the State. He was six
years one of the Judges of the County Court for the County of Rutland,
and twenty-two years Judge of Probate, for the district of Fairhaven.
He served forty years as a Justice of the Peace, and represented
the town in the State Legislature eighteen. He made a public
profession of religion more than fifty years, and served as a Deacon
of the church nearly forty years."

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