Sunday, December 19, 2010

Alexander Ware; Case #2


Alexander Ware #2
Always so interesting to find that you had documentation all the time that helped with the sorting out.
Alexander Ware #2 was born 11 September 1789 in Amherst, Virginia to James Powell Ware and Mary Veale.  A nephew to William Alexander Powell Ware (b.  about 1748 and married to Martha “Patty” Davis), a brother to James Ware who married his cousin Lettice Ware, also a brother to Edward who married Sarah Daniel Penn.  Alexander is the name he is always called in the family bible of Edward Ware (his brother) and Sarah Daniel Penn.
Alexander #2 is the individual who lived in the area of Line Creek, Fayette Co. Georgia.  He was a fairly large land owner and slave holder.  He was a soldier in the War of 1812 and eventually became a state brigadier-general.   He also worked with the Creek Indians and it was to his house the 2 widows of Chief William McIntosh came when their husband was killed.
“McIntosh’s remaining family, including the two wives and two sons, refuged to General Alexander Ware’s home in Fayette County.  Ware’s home and property was on the eastern side of Line Creek, near the border of Georgia and the Creek Nation, in the vicinity of present day Peachtree City. With them came 120-150 other Creek Indians who feared for their lives. General Ware and friendly whites did what they could for the refugees. Ware reported to Governor Troup, “The road is covered with refugees, and upwards of four hundred warriors of hostile party are feasting on McIntosh’s cattle and would be marching toward the settlement of whites in three days. I will prepare for an invasion of perhaps as many as four thousand warriors. Whites, who have lived among Creeks a long time and know them, are sending their families out of the Creek Nation.” Near General Ware’s home, in fear of a Creek up-rising, Fort Troup was constructed to protect the settlers and friendly Indians, but the attack ever came.”   From the web site Historical Exploration  by Edward Jordan Lanham and John Lynch,  April 2007  “Chief William McIntosh And The McIntosh Road”
 As I have researched the Alexander Ware on Line Creek, Fayette County Georgia he has always been mentioned in compiled genealogies or other books of historical information as “never married”.  Last week in preparing for this article after “googling”  Alexander Ware the following information  from “Biographical souvenir of the States of Georgia and Florida” pg 812-813  An article about Col. George M. T. Ware b. 17 Nov 1824 in Fayette county Georgia includes the following;
Gen. Alexander Ware, his father, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and later a State brigadier-general.  He had charge of the McIntosh party of the Creek Indians who ceded lands to Georgia, which created a division in the tribe known as the Hostiles and the McIntosh party.  He was also a planter and an enterprising man of means, investing when and where the outlook appeared inviting.  He was killed July 7, 1836, at about the age of forty years, in Texas, by parties who belong to the “Murrell gang,” which was a band of outlaws headed by one John A. Murrell.  They originated in Tennessee during the thirties, and operated mostly in the southern States, and notably in Tennessee, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas and Mississippi and in the great Mississippi Swamp, where they had their headquarters.  Their business was mostly stealing “niggers,” selling them and stealing them again as often as possible or prudent, and then killing them, on the theory that “dead men tell no tales.”  This band was finally broken up under the surveillance of Detective Virgial A. Stewart.”
Now this is an interesting turn of events, a son who was about 11 years old at his fathers death, especially a man of great wealth and position as this particular Alexander Ware, should be easy to find in the land and guardian records of the day.  So that is an area of research to be pursued in January 2011 h
The following is a transcription of the newspaper article of July 12, 1836 announcing the murder of General Alexander Ware and requesting contact from any heirs to claim the property, both land and slaves. 
Macon, July 7—We are informed by a Mr. Clark, a gentleman recently from Texas, that General Alexander Ware, Formerly a resident of Fayette county, in this state, was murdered in Veilon Zavalla Colony, about the last of May.  He was traveling with a man by the name of Eaton, by whom he was shot and robbed of his money,(probably 5 to 6,000 dollars.  Eaton was pursued into the United States, but it is not known whether he has been taken.  General Ware left, it is believed, about 15 negroes on his farm, near the town of San Augustine, and as he has no connections in that country, that our informant knows of, it is probable that his property could be obtained, if claimed by his relatives in the United States.  Our informant thinks that further information, might, probably be obtained respecting his property, by writing to Col. John Thomas, recently of Upson county, in this State, at San Augustine, via Fort Jessup.-Messenger
 
Recap of Facts        
#2 Alexander Ware; Parents are James (Powell alias) Ware #1 and Mary Veal.  His known siblings are James Ware #2 and Edward Ware #3.    
He was born 11 September 1789 in Amherst, Virginia.   
His family moved to Elbert County Georgia in 1790 and settled in a part of that county that later became Madison County.   
As an adult he fought in the War of 1812 and later in several Indian conflicts.  He was elected a state Brigadier General.  
 He was an early settler in Fayette County, electing to purchase property on the very edge of the frontier with the Creek Indians. 
In early 1830’s he began to sell off his property in Georgia and moved to Texas when it was really frontier.  
 The Edward Ware III and Sarah Daniel Penn bible gives the date of his murder as 8 June 1836. He was 46 years old




6 comments:

  1. I have attempted to locate his grave site in Texas, but no luck.
    Edward Lanham

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  2. I have more information on Alexander Ware.
    Send me you email address and I will send it to you.
    E. J. Lanham
    ejldixie@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have new information on Alexander Ware.
    Edward Jordan Lanham
    Fayette Co., GA

    ReplyDelete
  4. I forgot to leave my email address in my last comment.
    Edward J. Lanham
    ejldixie@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have more info on Alexander Ware.
    Ed
    ejldixie@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am in the process of writing a short bio of Alexander Ware.
    I also discovered he may have had a child in the 1824-1826 range.
    1. In the 1830 census of Fayette Co., GA. is listed 1 white male between 5-9 years.
    2. His name G. M. T. Ware would have been named after Alexander's good friend and Gov. of GA, George M. Troup.
    3. I have a 1850 record where G. M. T. Ware sold 2 land lots in Fayette County. Both land lots were owned by Alexander Ware.
    4. The 1850 census lists G. M. T. Ware living with the Bass family in Floyd County, Georgia. Alexander's brother lived in Floyd County.
    5. In the 1880 census, it lists G. M. T. Ware stating that his father was born Virginia (Alexander Ware was born Virginia), and his mother South Carolina.
    6. I of this date, I can find no records of Alexander having a wife.

    ID: I49083
    Name: George M.T. WARE 1
    Sex: M
    Birth: 17 NOV 1824 in , Fayette, Georgia, USA 1
    Death: UNKNOWN
    Note:

    "Biographical Souvenir of the States of Georgia and Florida" pages 812-813

    COL. GEORGE M.T. WARE, judge of the county court of Wayne County, Ga., was born in Fayette County, Ga., November 17, 1824. Gen. Alexander Ware, his father, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and later a State brigadier-general. He had charge of the McIntosh party of the Creek Indians who ceded lands to Georgia, which created a division in the tribe known as the Hostiles and the McIntosh party. He was also a planter and an enterprising man of means, investing when and where the outlook appeared inviting. He was killed July 7, 1836, at about the age of forty years, in Texas, by parties who belong to the "Murrell gang," which was a band of outlaws headed by one John A. Murrell. They originated in Tennessee during the thirties, and operated mostly in the southern States, and notably in Tennessee, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas and Mississippi and in the great Mississippi Swamp, where they had their headquarters. Their business was mostly stealing "niggers," selling them and stealing them again as often as possible or prudent, and then killing them, on the theory that "dead men tell no tales." This band was finally broken up under the surveillance of Detective Virgial A. Stewart.

    Our subject began reading law in Rome, Ga., in 1850, and was admitted to the bar in 1852, at which time also he began his practice. His practice has been in southeastern Georgia ever since. He has been judge of the county court now four years. He enlisted in 1861 in an independent company of Georgia cavalry, and was in that branch of service during the entire war, and most of that service was on the coast and islands of Georgia, though some of it was in Florida, Alabama, and at Atlanta and north Georgia. He was also in the Fourth Georgia cavalry which served temporarily under Wheeler, Morgan, Avery and Ferguson, each for a time, then went flanking along after Sherman on his march through Georgia, and was among the last who crossed the pontoon bridge that spanned the river at Savannah. It was being torn up on the morning the Union troops entered that city. It was put there by the Confederates for the C.S.A. forces to cross over into South Carolina. The judge served as lieutenant most of the time. When the war closed he went to practicing law at Blackshear without a copper. He remained there until 1869, and had done well when he lost everything by fire. He left then for Brunswick and took charge of the city academy there, a position which was tendered him without solicitation. He had good success and remained there until 1874, when he left on account of the health of his wife and child, and went to Jesup, where he has been ever since. He was married in 1864, in Blackshear, to Miss Isabella, daughter of Elias and Nancy (Strickland) Stewart, both natives of Georgia.
    E. J. Lanham
    Brooks, Ga
    ejldixie@gmail.com





    ReplyDelete