Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 5.djvu/721

 VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

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Chester and has recently entered upon his second term of this office, and has held other positions of responsibility and trust of a public nature.

Dr. Ward's family has long: been resident in \'irginia, being the grandson, on the pa- ternal side, of Daniel \\'ard and ]Mary (Fish- back) Ward, of Culpeper county, \'irginia. and, on the maternal side, of Oliver Fun- sten and Margaret (McKay) Funsten, the former having come to White Post, now in Clarke county, from Belfast, Ireland, near the beginning of the last century. Dr. Ward's father, George W. Ward, Sr., who for many years represented Frederick county upon the bench of the county court and in the Virginia legislature, died in March, 1902. His other sons were Judge George W. Ward. Jr., who died at Abing- don, X'irginia, in January, 1897; Rev. David F. \\'ard, of the Episcopal church, who died in Rockville, Maryland, in July. 1908 ; and Robert M. Ward, who is a lawyer and resi- dent of Winchester, Virginia.

John Kerr Branch. John Kerr Branch, a prominent citizen of Richmond, \'irginia, is a scion of one of the oldest and strong- est families of the state. Tradition states that the family is descended from Sir John Branch, born about 1485, who was lord mayor of London. His son, William Branch, a Protestant fanatic, was the father of Thomas Branch, whose son, Christo- pher Branch, was the pioneer of the fam- ily in this country. From Christopher Branch the line is traced by record, and there is none of the doubt of tradition. It is supposed that he came from the county of Kent. England, where he was born about 1G60. and married very early in life. With his wife Mary he came to Virginia in March, 1620, and was living in Henrico when the first census was taken in February, 1624. He came to Virginia in the ship London Merchant of three hundred tons, which sailed from Tilburyhope, sent out by the Virginia Company in Alarch, 1620, with two hundred colonists. His settlement was on the "college land," a large tract in Henrico county appropriated to the purposes of edu- cation, especially in behalf of the Indians. This intention was abandoned after the great massacre of 1622, and the lands were thrown open to the public. Christopher Branch and familv were among the few who

escaped from that massacre. He patented one hundred acres at Arrowhattocks in Hen- rico county, and September 14, 1636, he patented another one hundred acres at Kingsland, on the south side of the river. By subsequent patents and purchase he ac- quired an extensive plantation in the ex- treme northeast of Chesterfield, bordering on the James river and south of Proctor's creek. The present Kingsland creek ran through his property. It is apparent that he possessed but little means on his arrival, but he became a successful grower of to- bacco. He seems to have exchanged his first one hundred acres for a like amount at Kingsland. He filled various honorable of- ficial stations, and died in December, 1681, or January following. His wife Mary died before 1630. He had sons Thomas, William and Christopher.

The youngest of these, Christopher Branch, was born about 1627 and settled in Charles City county, where he continued to reside about twenty years, and died in 1665. There is no record of his wife, but three sons are known, Christopher, Samuel and Benjamin.

The youngest, Benjamin Branch, was born in 1665 and was reared by his grand- father, Christopher Branch, of Kingsland, who built for him a house on the western portion of the estate, which Benjamin cleared. He inherited a small plantation. About 1695 he married Tabitha, eldest daughter of Edward Osborne, of Henrico.

The only child recorded is Benjamin (2) Branch, born about 1700. and was reared by his maternal uncle, Edward Osborne, of Henrico. About 1721 he took possession of the small estate left by his father, lying on the south side of James river, and about 1740 became a citizen of Chesterfield, when that county was formed from the lower por- tion of Henrico. At his death in 1761 he was possessed of considerable landed prop- erty, his permanent home being upon a plan- tation which lay in the extreme southwest- ern part of the present Chesterfield county- bordering on Sapponey creek. He married, prior to 1727, his second cousin, Mary, eld- est daughter of Thomas Osborne, of Hen- rico. Children : Mary. Martha. Benjamin, Thomas, Edward, Obedience and Prudence.

Captain Benjamin Branch, eldest son, was born about 1732, and inherited from his father a half interest in the Redwater mill.