FRED MONROE WARD
Fred Monroe Ward, b September 20, 1890 in Morgan County, Alabama, d
January 3, 1968 in Marlin, Falls County, Texas and buried in Kosse Cemetery,
Limestone County, Texas - was the eldest of nine children of Samuel Hosea Ward,
b in Wilson County, Tennessee, and his wife, Nancy Warden (Nabors) Ward. The
father moved to Alabama between 1870-1880, thence to Limestone County, Texas
about 1900 - settling in the Fairview Community.
On November 6, 1912 at the of her parents, William Stephen and
Martha Alice (Erskine) Glover, Fred Monroe Ward was married to Iva Deoma Glover,
d May 25, 1981 and buried in Kosse Cemetery. Martha Alice (Erskine) Glover was a
daughter of John Wilford Erskine and his first wife, Nancy (Griffith) Erskine;
and her grandparents were Hugh and Jane (Richards) Erskine and Leonard Lenore
and Sarah (Owen) Griffith - all natives of South Carolina, who settled in the
Stranger Community of Falls County, Texas.
Fred Monroe Ward was a farmer during his early life, living at Fairview
until 1930, when he moved to McClanahan. He was a trucker during the depression,
1929-1934; then bought out James E. Coleman's Feed and Seed Store in Marlin. He
started dressing poultry for Thanksgiving and Christmas; and in 1954, bought the
old Borden Milk plant, converting it to The Marlin Poultry Processing Plant.
This was the first and largest plant to be in the area, processing approximately
five million pounds of poultry yearly. After many years, he sold the plant to
Tex-Best, Inc., which changed to Nor-Best, Inc., and then to Swift. The business
has now ceased operation. Mr. and Mrs. Ward lived in Marlin the remainder of
their lives. They were the parents of ten children, with eight living to
adulthood:
Ray Monroe Ward, b September 28, 1913 at Fair- view - married December
28, 1934 to Ruby Lucille Webster-a daughter of Clifford W. Webster, b December
28, 1890, d April 1984, and his wife, Floy L. (Kindred) Webster, b May 14, 1895,
d August 25, 1965 - a daughter of J. R. and Mollie (Johnson) Kindred. Ray is a
retired U.S. Postal Mail Carrier, and lives in Marlin. He is a member of the
First Methodist Church, and is President of the Stranger Cemetery Association.
Coy Deoma Ward, b October 23,1915 - lives in Los Angeles, California.
Nancy Kathryn Ward, b December 3, 1917 - married first on November 9,
1939 to William Hunk; married second on July 7, 1973 to George L. Ivy, Sr., and
lives in Temple, Texas.
Mildred Estelle Ward, b October 24, 1919 - married on April 4, 1941 to
Melvin Lee Collier, and had Michael Collier. They live in Marlin.
Leatrice Nell Ward, b November 18, 1925 - married August 26,1945 to John
Baldwin Henley, Jr., and lives in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Billie Burl Ward - a Twin, born and died January 28, 1928.
Alice Murl Ward- a Twin, born and died January 28, 1928.
Freddie Sue Ward, b March 17, 1930 - married first on May 6, 1949 to
Wiley Allgood; married second on March 24, 1979 to Edmond Shelton, and lives in
Waco, Texas.
June Ward, b June 21, 1932 - married May 25, 1962 to Hubert Wayne Rueter,
and lives in China Springs, Texas.
Paul Glen Ward, b August 15, 1938 - married Au- gust 1, 1965 to Carol
Anita Davison, and lives in Houston, Texas.
The Fred Monroe Ward family has roots in Falls County, Texas that go back
to 1853 when Iva Deoma (Glover) Ward's great grandparents, Hugh and Jane
(Richards) Erskine, brought their large family from Anderson County, South
Carolina, to Blue Ridge (now Stranger).
Copyright Permission granted to Theresa Carhart for printing the biographies of
these Falls County Families to this Web page.
"Families of Falls County", Compiled and Edited by the Falls County Historical
Commission, page 471 column 1 and 2.
Member of Falls County Historical Commission.
