Notes for OBADIAH WARD:
From "The William Ward Genealogy," 1925, p. 67:
He had land assigned to him in Sudbury, Mass., on his coming of age in 1653. His removal to Marlborough is told in Chapter VIII. Seethe reference to him in the chapter "Founding a Second Township". He was one of the three contractors for the erection in 1661 of the frame of the minister's house. He was a delegate to the Council for Safety of the People and Conservation of the Peace, May 9 and 22, and June 5, 1689 and also a representative at the General Court 1690-1691 during the critical period intervening between the forcible deposition of Governor Andros and the convening of the General Court under the new charter.
Emigrated from London with his father and stepmother to Sudbury, MA when he was about six years old. When he reached maturity he was awarded land but soon moved to Marlborough, MA where he was awarded a "house lot" of sixteen acres. He was a representative from Marlborough during 1689, He remarried at age 74 to Joanna Mixer of Watertown who survived him when he died 5 Jan. 1718 at age 86. Obadiah and Mary (his first wife) were the parents of the following children, all born in Marlborough [1] Alice Ward born 14 Nov. 1668 [2] William Ward born 7 Jan. 1670 married a Judith [3] Obadiah Ward born 18 Sep. 1672 married an Elizabeth. He died 14 Mar. 1752 [4] Bethia Ward born Jan. 1674 died the following year [5] Mary Ward born and died 4 May 1676 [6] Jane Ward born 3 Mar. 1677 [7] Edmund Ward born 21 Jan. 1679 [8] Sarah Ward born 29 Jan. 1681 married Samuel Bartlett [9] Richard Ward born 26 Apr. 1683 [10] Elizabeth Ward born 4 Dec. 1685 died unmarried on 21 Jan. 1730 [11] Hannah Ward born 3 Jan. 1688 died 23 Feb. 1740 [12] Eleazer Ward born 2 Nov. 1689 and [13] Prudence Ward born in 1691.
Obadiah, who seems to have been the lawyer of the family, brought a test case against Thomas Rice on behalf of the town. In court at Cambridge (April 6, 1664) the case was settled by the town without drawing its claim for repossession and paying its own expenses, but the defendant paying all arrears in rates and engaging "for the future to yeeld ye Assistance of his person & Estate for ye carrying an end of the affaires of the place both Civill & Ecclesiasticall as Religion and duty binds." The case seems to have been of interest to the community, and the men of Marlborough flocked to Cambridge to hear it argued. "The Inhabitants of the sd place being generally present," the court took advantage of their presence to advise them all to pay their arrears; that so doing and giving their "Assistance for the future they may continue in theire possessions & Allotments, non-observance of any Towne Orders or Agreements notwithstanding. Also ye Court solemnely advises That they all Joyntly concurre in such waies as might lead to the furtherance of peace among themselves, freely forgiveing one another all matters & occasions of former grievances & forbearing to make any repetition thereof, to the upbraiding of any or interrupting of theire future peace that so the God of peace may bee theire portion & his blessing upon the sd place, them & theires in all wherein they stand in need of his favourable presence to bee with them."
Children of OBADIAH WARD and MARY are:
i. ALICE8 WARD, b. 14 Nov 1668 .
ii. WILLIAM WARD, b. 07 Jan 1670.
iii. OBADIAH WARD, b. 18 Sep 1672.
iv. BETHIAH WARD, b. Jan 1674; d. Jun 1674.
v. MARY WARD, b. 04 May 1676; d. 04 May 1676.
vi. JANE WARD, b. 03 Mar 1677.
vii. EDMUND WARD, b. 21 Jan 1679.
viii. SARAH WARD, b. 29 Jan 1681.
ix. RICHARD WARD, b. 26 Apr 1683.
x. ELIZABETH WARD, b. 04 Dec 1685; d. 21 Jan 1780
xi. HANNAH WARD, b. 03 Jan 1688.
xii. ELEAZER WARD, b. 02 Nov 1689.
xiii. PRUDENCE WARD, b. 1691.