William Ware

William Ware's headstone in the Spanish Dry Diggings Cemetery

William Holcomb Ware
Born: November 29, 1827 (Caswell County, North Carolina)
Died: July 12, 1915 (Placer County Hospital, Grass Valley, Placer County, California)
Interred: Spanish Dry Diggings Cemetery, Spanish Dry Diggings, El Dorado County, California
Occupations: Military Veteran (Private, Company A, 5th Texas Cavalry, Confedrate States of America), Saw Mill Laborer, Farmer

William Ware was born in 1827 to John and Mary Polly (Holcomb) Ware, the fourth of twelve children. His obituary (see below) states he lived in California "for over sixty years" at the time of his death, putting him in the northern part of the state in or before 1855. However, his military headstone pictured above states he was fighting in the Civil War as a member of the Confederate Army's 5th Texas Cavalry, in the early to mid 1860s.

Ware's obituary in the July 22, 1915 Georgetown Gazette

The earliest record I could find that definitely proves Ware was living in Northern California is the 1870 Federal census for Placer County's Township 4.

1870 Federal Census, Township 4, Placer County, California -- showing Ware living with several other men, possibly in a hotel or employer provided housing (line 40)

This census record, along with the 1900 and 1910 censuses, also dispute another fact mentioned in the obituary. Ware was born in North Carolina, not South Carolina as the obit states.

1900 Federal Census, Township 5, Placer County, California -- showing Ware living alone/head of household (line 38)


1910 Federal Census, Township 5, Placer County, California -- showing Ware living alone/head of household (line 9)

There is one more inaccuracy in Ware's obituary. It further states that he was survived by only two sisters and a niece. My records indicate that one of those sisters was Sarah, who died five years later. He also had a sister named Minerva whose date of death I have not been able to determine, and she could be the second sister referred to. However, Ware also had a brother who was still living at the time -- John Pinkney Ware, who was the last of the Ware siblings to die when he passed away on October 3, 1929 at the age of 90.

Though Ware lived and died in Placer County, his body was buried in the Spanish Dry Diggings Cemetery in northern El Dorado County, where some other family members of his were buried. A second headstone with his name also lists his brother and sister-in-law who had died previously. I'm guessing this shared headstone was the only one marking his grave for many years, and the military headstone in the photo at the top of this page was put into place much more recently.

A second headstone with Ware's name in the Spanish Dry Diggings Cemetery, along with his brother and sister-in-law who had both passed away before him

Sources:
Suzi Mickus
Georgetown Gazette - July 22, 1915
1870, Township 4, Placer County (line 40)
1900, Township 5, Placer County (line 38)
1910, Township 5, Placer County (line 9)
LHKanevsky on Ancestry.com