My Ward family dilemma starts in Indiana in 1843 - where a man named Joseph Ward married a woman named Nancy Ward. Joseph was born in Ky about 1820. He says his parents were both from Kentucky. Nancy was born in Indiana about 1828. She says her father was from NC and her mother from Indiana. This couple were married in Greencastle, Ind. and lived in Putnam Cty, Ind. until about 1860 when they went to Pike Cty, Il. There were several Ward families in Pike Cty, one was descendants if Abijah Ward who lived in Harrison Cty, Va, then went to Md and then on to Ohio. His descendants went to Pike Cty Ill. about 1840. I do not have the names of the parents of Nancy and Joseph so I do not know if they were kin to begin with, or it was just a coincidence that they were both named Ward. Their son Harvey was born in Indiana, fought in the Civil War with an Ill. regiment and named his first son (my grandfather) Charlie Melzer Ward. There was a Melzer Ward in Indiana who was born in NC and lived in Montgomery Cty, Ky before 1810 and stayed until about 1830. At that time he went to Indiana and, living in several counties, died in Hendricks County in 1858. Melzer evidently had some brothers named Cyrus, Joseph and Dillingham. They were the sons of a John Ward and after 1830 they split up and moved west to different states. If any of this fits in with any of your lines, I would like to hear from you. I have explored the Essex Cty, NJ line that also went to Indiana and then to Illinois but I cannot fit my family into theirs. Willing to share what information I have. Lynn Headley