Frances Ward (Worsham) - The Richard and Ann Ligon Family Bible states: Richard Ward and Frances Worsham was married December 18th 1716"

The Ward Family Record that was owned by Daniel Ward, grandson of Richard and Frances Ward, indicates that FRANCES WARD was born September 14th, 1700. Her surname was not cited in the record. In about 1716 Frances married Richard Ward, son of Captain Seth Ward and Anne Hatcher Ward of Henrico County, Virginia. It was recorded that she gave birth to a son, BENJAMIN WARD, on September 18th, 1717 at age seventeen. On March 29th, 1729, Frances at age twenty-eight had a daughter named TAHPENES WARD. FRANCES was deceased by 1759 when her widower husband, RICHARD WARD married secondly Mary Johns in Lunenburg County, Virginia. Their son, Benjamin, married firstly c1738 to a woman only known to us as Missy, by whom he had one son named Daniel Ward of Franklin County, Virginia. Circa 1745 Benjamin married secondly Mary Duke, daughter of James Duke and Mary Byrd of Westover, Charles City County, Virginia, by whom he had six known children; their place of residence has not yet been fully established. Her daughter, Tahpenes Ward married Philip Webber; they lived out their lives in Cumberland County, Virginia. Frances was survived by fourteen known grandchildren who removed to different parts of the country. No references to date have been found that Frances relinquished her dower rights in any of the numerous land transactions of her husband, Richard Ward; this again indicates that she died before Richard Ward.
  Traditionally, Frances Ward is identified as having been a Worsham. A Bible passed down among the descendants of Tahpenes (Ward) Webber is said to identify Frances as a Worsham without identifying her parents by name. Frances was perhaps a daughter of Charles Worsham and his wife, Mary Bevill. As Tahpenes (Ward) Webber named a daughter, Ann Bevill Webber, this certainly seems to support this theory regarding the identity of her parents. Ideally, Ward researchers would like to have concrete proof to confirm Frances Ward's placement in the Worsham family. This is made difficult by the destruction of so many Henrico Co., VA records. The only thing we know with any degree of confidence is the given name of Frances and her birth date. Her maiden surname and her proposed parentage are based on a proponderance of the surviving evidence, which is meager at best.
  After Charles Worsham died, his wife, Mary Bevill Worsham, was involved in a court case and in her deposition she stated she had 3 sons & 2 daughters. Charles & Mary descendants in Henrico Co., VA; Prince George Co., VA., Brunswick Co., VA, Chesterfield Co., VA.
  On April 25, 2005, Researcher, Steve Jennings (mrstevejennings@@yahoo.com) provided t\the following information: "The tradition of this Ward family is that Frances was a Worsham. I want to back this up and try to prove it. A lady I have written back and forth who researches the Worshams said that Frances may have been one of the two daughters of Charles Worsham (died 1712 in Henrico County, Virginia) and Mary Bevill. Court records mention that Charles and Mary Worsham had five children, three sons and two daughters. The sons have been pinned down pretty much. Only one is known for 100 percent and that's William. Essex and Francis are pretty sure bets. The girls remain unidentified, but the court records do mention that there were two girls. I don't see any other Worshams that Frances could belong to. In addition to the tradition that Frances was a Worsham is the fact that Richard and Frances Ward's daughter, Tahpenes Ward Webber, named a daughter Ann Bevill Webber. I've not found a Bevill connection anywhere on either side of Ann's family, except for the possibility that her grandmother, Frances, was the daughter of Charles Worsham and Mary Bevill. The Wards and Worshams were connected through the marriage of Seth Ward, Richard Ward's brother, to Martha Worsham, a niece of Charles Worsham. So, if the family tradition is right, the brothers Seth and Richard Ward would have married first cousins. Charles and Mary Worsham would have named a son Francis and a daughter Frances Worsham. The Worsham researcher said that Frances (the girl) and Francis (the boy) might have been twins. I don't know about that one. I do know that back in those days it wasn't unheard of for parents to sometimes name two children the same name. Since the situation here was with a boy and a girl, I don't see that there is a problem."
  Researcher, Steve Jennings (mrstevejennings@@yahoo.com) provided information to from the Webber-Ligon Bible by email to this researcher on 30 June 2005. He stated the following: " This was taken from the Webber-Ligon Bible. RICHARD WARD married FRANCES WORSHAM and had a daughter, TAHPENES WARD, who married PHILIP WEBBER. Their daughter, ANNE BEVILL WEBBER, married RICHARD LIGON. The Webber-Ligon Bible was last known to be owned by a descendant, Mrs. WILLIAM HENRY GRAHAM. The Webber-Ligon Bible records the following marriage: RICHARD WARD and FRANCES WORSHAM was married December 18th 1716. The Bible does not identify the parents of Frances Worsham, but it does identify her as a Worsham. The fact that Richard Ward and Frances Worsham's daughter, Tahpenes, named a daughter Anne Bevill Webber points to the fact that Frances was one of the two daughters of Charles Worsham and Mary Bevill."
  Jack Webber posted 28 October 2005 on Genforum the following message. "I don't know any of the Graham descendants and don't know where the Bible is today. It was owned by Mrs. Graham in 1907. I have a transcript copy of the Bible record. Here's what the transcript says, as you may find it helpful." Richard and Ann Ligon Family Bible These entries are taken from a Holy Bible printed in Edinburgh by Mark and Charles Kerr, 1795. The Bible is owned by Mrs. William Henry Graham, 1907. Richard Ward and Frances Worsham was married December 18th 1716 Phillip Webber and Tahpenes Ward was married October 14th 1751 Richard Ligon and Ann Bevill Webber was married September 10th 1797 Alfred Wood married Tabitha Ward Ligon December 22 1822 William Richard Wood and Lucy Henry Southall were married August 25th 1847 Nannie Jane Wood married David Malcolm Wilkinson April 14th 1857 John Webber born August 15th 1752 Frances Webber born September 10th 1754 died September 14th 1754 Richard Webber born May 24th 1756 Phillip Webber born April 30th 1758 Benjamin Webber born October 6th 1760 Mary Webber born October 27th 1763 died November 3d 1763 Seth Ward Webber born March 20th 1766 Essex Webber born May 19th 1769 died October 8th 1773 Simeon Webber born January 16th 1772 Ann Bevill Webber born October 25th 1775 Richard Ligon born July 18th 1798 Daniel Ligon born December 22d 1799 Archibald Ligon born August 10th 1802 Tabitha Ward Ligon born June 10th 1804 Rachie Ligon born August 10th 1806 Catherine Ligon born December 11th 1808 Henry Ligon born February 11th 1811 George Ligon born June 7th 1813 Judith Ligon born February 1st 1815

https://wc.rootsweb.com/trees/110177/I22873/-/individual

Consistency Check:

Joshua Ward born after the death of his mother Frances Ward (Worsham).

Sarah Sally Jones born after the death of her mother Frances Ward (Worsham).

Sarah Sally Jones born after the death of her father Richard Ward.

Thanks for your informational response, Cynthia Hicks Curtis. I think family Bibles are an amazing record of family relations. We need to find more of them. Where institutions of records burn and are somehow destoryed, some family bibles make it down the family line.

David White I agree!