The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-15
Venerable Simon Ward.

son 81, and both died and are buried
there; John dying in 1878 and my father
in 1882.
Venerable Simon Ward.
Simon moved to the company farm on
Capouse avenue, Green Ridge, about
1865 or sc, 6,where he lived till last March,
reaching the great age of nine-three
years. He saw the wonderful progress
of the city, growing as it did from a
little settlement in the dense wilder
ness to city third in the State, with
great mills and furnaces and mines and
the well deserved title of ''the Electric
City"
My grandfather seldom spoke of the
old days, but my grand-uncle Simon did.
He use to relate that his maternal
grandmother, Sarah Kindt. told him of
how neighbor called her sarah
Sarahr' and when she responded he
said, "Cornwallis is captured and soon
Martin will be home" Only one life
between we of the present generation
and CORVALLIS surrender, in 17Sl. The
Wards seem to answer to Leather
Stockings description of the panther
A long lived critter and dies hard"
Uncle Simon knew where the grave of
the old Indian chief Capouse was. and
his description. 1t is ON the east side of
the LaCkaWanna on slope looking to-
ward the location of the Indian town
of Capouse which was ON Trips flats.
He derived his information from the
Carey who owned the company farm
where Uncle Simon lived for nearly
thirty years and where he died) before
ii became the property of the company
The Careys We're among the very earl
lest settlers in the valley and this farm
was theirs for many years. They had
a family burying ground ON the place,
which was cut through and destroyed
in July, 1899. in making street. Barn
abas and Elias Carey settled in the val
| ley in 177l: whether this was the place
| originally settled by them or not L can
not say; but according To the informa-
ton my granduncle received from the
| CareyS the Indians danced their wal
| dances around the grave of the dead
chief as was their custom when they
contemplated Il rising. The wide circle
around the grave is plainly to be seen
| In HOLSTERS history he states that in
1895 a lot of Indian graves were discoV-
| cred on the Won StOrch farm on the
west bank of the Lackawanna, anC
| says that one Of the graves was erron.
| eously supposed to be that of Capous,
| owing to it's having been prepared with
especial attention and as ii contained
great quantities of implements. The
historian does not relate where The
chief was buried, if he knew. The
| knowledge is probably possessed by
few. and it is well; the grave woult
doubtless be desecrated by Vandals. As
it is, it is only a question Of time Wher
it will be entirely obliterated (as it has
already partly been) 1t should bt
marked and protected. Monuments
have been erected TO Indians. notably
Red Jacket; why should not Scranton
have one TO Capouse?
Family Bible of Ancient pate.
Among the relics uncle Simon pos
sessed were a family Bible of the dateo
| 1905 and a flax hackle entirely hanC
made, even to the nails. 1t has th,
date 100 hammered on it in the iron. /
was made by Tony Hartsell, a rclativ,
of the family in those days.
The old fashion of seven sons and on
daughter which seemed to obtain in GU
family a century ago Is apparently
somewhat reversed; it is merely al
daughters now. John had but the on,
son. Conrad, and Conrad raised iiv,
daughters and two sons. The Oldes
daughter. Mary, spoken of before, is tn
wife OF 5. K. Moon; one of her daugh
ters, Anna Moon. is one Of the traine,
nurses at LackaWanna Hospitals; one o
her sons is Attorney G. W. Moon, of tn
Anthracite Coal Company, of Wilkes
Barre.
The other children of Conrad War,
are Catherine, widow of Henry Rex. o
New York City Anna, wife Of Georg
Hoffman, of the Lackawanna Iron (
Steel company store-the company ha
never been without a representative o
from one to three members of the fam
lily in its employ since they started a
Scranton, Grant & Co., in 1910; Ella
Wife of G. Harman, a manufacturer o
Norristown, Pa, and myself. John, tn
oldest son. died in 1876 at the age o
thirty years; the youngest to die eXcep
infants that We have record of. II
left one child. daughter now the wifi
of William Sykes. contractor of Gree
Ridge.
Charles, the second son to live is mar
ried but childless: with him dies in
name of our branch.
Uncles Simon's son Frank died abou
1863 leaving two children, Walter, VIII
died in 1883, leaving one son, Raymond
still a child, and Eta, who married
Mr. Cooper, of Green Ridge.
Descendants of the Wards.
Reuben Ward died in 1867, leaving tw
sons and a daughter: Joseph. of Wash
ington, ID. c., William, of Scranton, an
Mrs. James McWilliams.
William, who served through the er
tire war, as did Henry, went to Kala
mazoo, Michigan, and died there some
time in the 7O's, being killed by a ia
from a horse. He left one daughte
Arabell, married and living in Texas.
Henry alone remains. He has thre
daughters: Emma. wife of Henry Va
Bergan, OF the Lackawanna Iron
Steel Co. store; AIDA, wife of Henr
Wilcox, and Frances, wife of L. L
Cook. Martha Ward Gleason.
New York, Nov IA, 1894
|
STRENGTH OF MATERIALS.