Its been a while since I've posted my WARD brick wall. If anyone has a connection, please contact me. Charles WARD born 15 May 1805 in Allegany County, New York (I think). (Have found no record of him there. Do not know his parents. I do know there was a James Ward living in the town of Nunda, Allegany County, New York during the early years (1810) of this county and while he had a number of children, it appears that he had no son named Charles. I also know there was a Zebadiah Ward that lived in this same area of Allegany County, NY during that same period of time but have never been able to find any other names in his family there. First record found so far of my Charles WARD is in Adams County, Illinois on 17 August 1836 where he married: Martha BURKE born 11 March 1816 in Russel County, Virginia daughter of John BURKE and Rebecca VERMILLION. The records found to date indicate that my Charles was born in Allegany County, New York in 1805 and showed up in Adams County, Illinois in 1836, where he married and had a relatively large family. But, according to an old family "hand-me-down" story just recently found, Charles migrated to Illinois sometime during that 1805 and 1836 time frame, by riding a mule from West Virginia to Golden, Illinois. Golden is in fact, in Adams County, Illinois but this is the first time I've ever found anything that suggest Charles might have been in West Virginia at an earlier age. In all my years of research on my great grandfather, Charles WARD I have always been operating under the idea that he was born in Allegany County, New York. Recently, I began reviewing all the New York counties all around Allegany County and I thought it sure would seem possible that my Charles was born in one of these other counties. I had only one source that indicated he was born and it sure seems possible that one source could have been wrong because it was hand written on the back of a Deed of Trust for some property purchased by Charles' son many years later. The handwritten info included dates and places of birth and death for Charles, his wife, and Charles' son and his wife (my grand parents). My guess is that it was written many years later by my grandmother in and effort to record data about her husband's family. In this investigation of mine into the surrounding counties of Allegany County, NY, I discovered that there is a town about 10 miles from the western border of Allegany County in Cattaraugus County. Sure seems possible that maybe sometime in the early 1900's, when my grandmother and grandfather were documenting the family records, that they remembered the name Allegany and knew that is was in New York but upon looking at a map back in those old days, only saw Allegany County, New York, when maybe Charles was really born in the town of Allegany, Cattaraugus County, NY. Does anyone have any record showing a Charles Ward or a child of some family of WARDs that's about the right age, in the counties all around Allegany County, New York or even of West Virginia during that time frame? Would sure appreciate hearing from you, if so or if you have any suggestions.