W
Family of Lafayette Ward
 		 W

Ward-Coates House
                                                    



 

 

Colonel Lafayette Ward

Colonel L. Ward, the original owner of the lands upon which this city is located [Francitas], is one of the very prominent and very big men of Texas. He was born southwest of town where Henry C. Coates now lives. Though he counts his acres and his cattle by the many thousand, he earned them by the sweat of his brow. He is a self made man. His home is within a short distance of his birth place, overlooking Carancahua bay, one of the most picturesque places for a home in all this great state. The magnificent house of three stories, modern in every way, broad galleries, the great big yards, all, make this one of the show places of the gulf coast country. Colonel Ward raises fine cattle and hogs and does a general farming business. He never loses an opportunity to improve the standard of his stock. He is mighty interested in Francitas and takes great pride in its growth. Colonel Ward’s family consists of his wife and their two sons, A. P. Ward vice-president of the First State Bank of Francitas and L. Ward, Jr., who has been attending school in San Antonio. Some of these days the people of Francitas, if they can get Mr. Ward’s consent, intend to assist in sending him to Austin to represent this section. He would grace the legislative halls.

Francitas Bee, November 23, 1911
 
Texas Pioneer To Be Buried Sunday

The funeral of Lafayette Ward, Texas pioneer, who died Friday at his home, 117 East French Place, will be held Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock, it was announced today. Mr. Ward was born in Jackson County, Texas, in 1854, and was educated in Salado, in Bell County. At an early age he made trips across the plains through the Indian country and began making purchases of land for the purpose of raising cattle. He was at one time owner of as much as 75,000 acres of land and was one of the first Texas cattlemen to introduce Hereford cattle, replacing the old longhorns. He moved to San Antonio in 1913, became a director in the Great Southern Life Insurance Company and president of the Granada Mill and Elevator Company.

He is survived by his widow, who was Miss Lottie B. Compton of Galveston; by his sons, A. P. and Lafayette Ward Jr.; a grandson, A. P. Ward Jr., all of San Antonio; a brother, L. E. Ward of Edna, and a sister, Mrs. Charles S. Stopp [Stapp] of Kimble County.

Active pallbearers will be: Raymond C. Woodard, H. F. Shaper, H. E. Stone, C. G. Wood, Charles Roos, George Clifton, Charlie Burns, Victor Keller, and on the list of honorary pallbearers are: D. J. Woodward, George H. West, Fred Burns, Cyrus R. Lucas, Al McFadden of Victoria, Texas, Ike T. Pryor, Capt. Charles Schreiner of Kerrville, Texas, Judge J. O. Terrell, Marshall W. Terrell, W. D. Light, J. M. Dobie, A. S. Gage, John Kokernot, Herbert Kokernot, W. C. Manlove, J. B. Lewright, Sam C. Bell, W. D. Malone, Winchester Kelso, William F. Schwind of Francitas, Texas, Alfred J. Bolling of La Ward, Texas, Abel Pierce of Blessing, Texas, E. B. Spiller of Fort Worth, Texas, James Farmer of Fort Worth, Texas, George H. Saunders, Joe Kinkald, W. W. Collier, A. L. C. McGruder, A. C. Westhoff, of Edna, Texas, E. L. Farris of Edna, Texas, W. W. McCroty, E. L. Chuschell of Edna, Texas, Horace Wilson of Port Lavaca, T. J. Baxter of La Ward, Texas, C. A. McFeron of La Ward, Texas, George D. Campbell, Dick Saunders of La Ward, Texas, Ed C. Launter? of Falfurrias, Texas, John Bennett, Thomas Franklin, Will Horff, Rev, Arthur Moore, S. H. C. Rorgin?, D. K. Furnish, George C. Vaughn, R. L. Ball, Dick Ansley, J. E. Jarrett, E. L. Hillyer, Herman White of Edna, Texas, C. P. Reed, Claude Carter, E. J. Altgelt, Judge W. C. Douglas, J. H. Kirkpatrick, N. Strauss of Ganado, Texas, Tyfield Mauritz of Ganado, Texas, Fred Mauritz of Ganado, Texas, L. A. Carlton of Houston, Texas, Martin O'Connor of Victoria, Texas, M. B. Hutchins, L. A. Schreiner of Kerrville, Texas, J. H. Savage, R. H. Nollin, ? H. Brickle of Edna, Texas, Albert Egg of Edna, Texas, Judge S. G. Sample of Edna, Texas, T. Moore of Edna, Texas, L. J. Hart, D. S. Combs, Frank Winerich, T. A. Coleman, Green Davidson, W. H. Jennings, W. R. King, Fisher Adkins, Lana Taylor, Dr. Frederick Terrell, Nevil Fleming, Robert Kleberg, Charles Schreiner Jr., J. R. Blocker, E. B.? Flowers, Bob Sutton, George Ray of Pettus, Texas, Wheeler Pettus, Hood McGehee, John Molesworth, Albert Kronkoskey, Hal Mangum, Allen B. Ayres, Judge W. S. Fly, Nat Washer, Fred Cook, W. A. Mangum of Uvalde, Texas, Judge Jim Davis, J. Kalamity Bonner, A. W. Billingsley, Raymond Koller.

San Antonio Evening News, November 25, 1922
 

Courtesy of Find A Grave volunteer ESR #47601432
Courtesy of Find A Grave volunteer ESR #47601432
Mission Burial Park South, San Antonio, Texas
 


Ward Home Fire Loss $100,000

Whether or not the old Ward Ranch house that was completely destroyed by fire of undetermined origin early Monday will be replaced is not known. Lafayette Ward of San Antonio one of the owners, could not be reached for a statement and H. E. Stone, another partial owner, said from his San Antonio office no decision had been reached at his early stage.

The historic old three-story frame building, reported to have originally been erected by Shanghai Pierce, famed Texas cattle baron, was located on the Carancahua River overlooking the nearby Carancahua Bay about five and a half miles south of La Ward, or about 19 miles south of Edna, on Highway 172. It was a showplace on the highway between Houston and Port Lavaca.

The estimated loss is $100,000 and insurance amounted to around $25,000. The house, covered by aluminum siding after Hurricane Carla, was owned by the L Ranch Company, officers of which are Leslie D. Flowers, Lafayette Ward and Mr. Sterne, all of San Antonio. Mr. Ward lived in the stately old home that his father also helped embellish from 1927 to 1945, and the mansion was used almost every weekend by the families and friends of the owners. It had 14 rooms.

The building was constructed of cypress siding originally and Florida hard pine, Mr. Stone said. A kitchen section was added in later years, and it was here the fire started about 5:30 a. m. Monday. Bill Carroll, foreman of the Ward Ranch and who lived in a house nearby, went to the big house that morning to open it so the cooks could begin preparing the morning meal for the tenants, who usually ate there. He discovered the kitchen area in flames. The fire may have been set by faulty wiring.

Nearby fire departments were notified immediately, of course, but by the time the industrial Volunteer Fire Dept. at La Ward arrived the entire house was aflame. There was not enough water to fight such a conflagration. All told five fire departments sent equipment with the Ganado Fire Dept. pumping water from the river in a futile effort to stop the progress of the flames. Other departments who helped were Lolita, Olivia and Point Comfort.

Some of the walls were standing Monday afternoon, but the blaze continued to break out at times and finally it was decided to let the remainder go since nothing was left to salvage.

The old ranch house was believed to have been originally started in about 1840 by Pierce. Lumber was brought in by boat and ox carts.

The Edna Herald, Thursday, April 2 1964
 


 

 

Copyright 2018- Present by Carol Sue Gibbs
All rights reserved
Created
Apr 18, 2018		 Updated
May 2, 2019
   

HOME