An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company, Spokane, WA. 1905, page 401. JOSEPH W. WARD is to be numbered with the oldest pioneers of the Wasco country, and he is descended from a family of pioneers. He is at present handling a thriving business in Dufur, where he does undertaking and deals in building material. He is also interested in sawmilling, and owns seven hundred and sixty acres of choice wheat land besides two hundred and forty acres of timber land. He has a choice cottage residence in Dufur and a large one story business block, where he has his headquarters. Mr. Ward is a successful business man, as well as a substantial citizen and valuable member of society. He was born in Noble county, Ohio, on February 25, 1852, the son of William L. and Hannah (Potts) Ward. The father was born in Ohio, his parents was also natives of that state, and his grandparents were born in Ireland. The mother descends from an old and prominent Pennsylvania Dutch family. Pottsville, of that state, was named from Mr. Pott, who came from Germany and was a blacksmith for General Washington at Valley Forge, in Revolutionary days. The first coal in Pennsylvania was discovered on the old Pott homestead. Mrs. Ward was born in Ohio. Our subject was brought by his parents across the plains with ox teams in 1859. Settlement was made near where Dufur now stands, on Fifteenmile creek. Later they rented a farm on Eightmile, then they went to The Dalles. After that they spent some time in Vancouver, Washington, and later dwelt for seven years in the Hood River valley. The old homestead there is now owned by Mr. Button. Our subject attended the schools which his father helped to establish, assisting also to erect the buildings, both on Eightmile and Hood Rivers. Then the father took land ten miles out from The Dalles and there died, December 28, 1897. He was born on March 26, 1826. The mother now lives in The Dalles. In 1870, our subject started for himself and assisted to construct the telegraph line from Umatilla to Walla Walla, the first one in this part of the country. In 1873, he was one of six who took up land out from Dufur on the ridge. The stockmen laughed at them, but they soon demonstrated that the land would produce the best of wheat and the result is that Mr. Ward has continued in the enterprise, until he is today one of the well-to-do men of the county. In September, 1899, he took up his present business in Dufur and since then has resided here. At The Dalles, on March 2!, 1887, Mr. Ward married Mrs. Josephine E. Endersby, who was born in Iowa, on March 30, 1862, the daughter of Hamlin Starkey, a native of Pennsylvania and descended from an old and prominent American family. He died in Iowa, in 1898. He had married Sophia Fee, a native of Pennsylvania and descended from French Huguenots. She died in Oklahoma, in 1901. Mr. Ward has four brothers, Frederick H., John C., Samuel P., and Victor T., and two sisters, Mrs. Alice Kelly and Mrs. Margaret J. Neal, deceased. Mrs. Ward has four brothers and one sister, John L., William B., Grant F., George W., and Mrs. Anna Truitt. Mr. Ward is a member of the I.O.O.F. and the A.O.U.W., while his wife belongs to the United Artisans and the Women of Woodcraft. To Mr. and Mrs. Ward, four children have been born, Joseph W., Edward L., John S., and Violet M. By her former marriage Mrs. Ward has one child, Mary, the wife of James Robbins, who lives in Iowa. ******************* Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.