Group of Incoming Letters to Annie Parry Ladd Ward, wife of Attorney Maj. John Langdon Ward of New York City, 1875-1893

67 letters, 318 manuscript pages, (54 retained mailing envelopes), dated February 3, 1875, to October 22, 1893, the bulk of the letters date between 1875 t0 1881, there are also 12 related ephemeral items.

Most of the letters are incoming correspondence to Annie Parry Ladd Ward of New York City. The letters were written to her by various family members, female friends, associates, etc. They discuss family affairs, social news and activities, their comings and goings, and other family news, in particular news concerning Sophia Langdon Ward who married a man twice her age and moved to London.

Annie Parry Ladd (1842-1925) and Maj. John Langdon Ward (1841-1915)

Annie Parry Ladd was born April 3, 1842, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Ladd was daughter of cotton merchant Alexander Hamilton Ladd (1815-1900) and his wife Elizabeth Wyer Jones (1818-1865), both Portsmouth residents. Annie's father was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy and Dartmouth College but left college to enter business. He established a factory in Portsmouth to refine Sperm whale oil. He later became interested in the iron industry in Maine, and afterwards was active in business in Galveston, Texas, where he was a cotton buyer for large New England mills.

Annie was one of at least seven children born to her parents, the others were: Mary Tufton Ladd (1841-1912), William Jones Ladd (1844-1923), Elizabeth Hamilton Ladd (1845-1924), Maria Haven Ladd (1848-1941), Alexander Alex Ladd (1853-1873), Charles Albert Ladd (1857-1863).

Annie Parry Ladd married John Langdon Ward on October 25, 1871, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. J. Langdon Ward was born October 25, 1841, in Buffalo, New York. He was the son of William Raymond Lee Ward (1812-1897) of Salem, Massachusetts and his wife Sophia Ann Langdon (1818-1855) of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Ward spent the greater part of his youth in Salem.

Ward entered Harvard University in the Class of 1862. However, after the attack on Fort Sumter and the outbreak of the Civil War, Ward was among the first to leave campus departing five days after the attack on Sumter. With a Salem militia group, he had belonged to before the war, he enlisted as a private for a three-month tour of duty in Company I, Massachusetts 8th Infantry Regiment on April 30, 1861, mustering out August 1, 1861, in Boston, where he rejoined his college class and graduated from Harvard in 1862.

He then recruited a company of men and enlisted in Company B, Massachusetts 50th Infantry Regiment on September 15, 1862, and was commissioned Captain of the 50th Massachusetts Infantry that day. Ordered with the regiment to Louisiana, he served with the 19th Corps through the siege of Port Hudson. Ward was commissioned Major of the 3rd Infantry Corps d'Afrique, the third regiment of black troops in the United States, changed to the 75th United States Colored Infantry July 24, 1863. He was detailed to the staff of the Corps under General George L. Andrews as Commissary of Musters. When the Corps organization was broken up Ward resigned his commission July 21, 1864.

After the war he went to New York City and practiced law with North, Ward & Wagstaff. After North's retirement and after Wagstaff became the Clerk of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, he formed the firm of Ward, Wilson & Hayden at 1t 16 Exchange Place, New York City ad was with the firm until his death.

Ward was active in Republican politics and was nominated in 1891 for Judge of the Common Pleas Court. He was a member of the Bar Association and the Secretary of the Union League in its early days. He was also a member of the University Club and an officer of the Loyal Legion.

The 1880 Census shows Annie Parry Ward and her husband John and their children residing at 15 Washington Place, New York. They had several live-in servants. When the 1900 Census was taken the family were living at 125 West 74th Street, New York. They also had a summer home in Old Orchard, Maine.

Annie and her husband had five children: a boy (1872-1872), Alexander Ladd Ward (1874-1948), Miles Ward (1878-1881), a boy, (1880-1880), and Ethel Ward (1880-1977).

J. Langdon Ward died July 18, 1915, and was buried in Proprietors Burying Ground, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Annie outlived her husband and lived with her daughter Ethel after the death of her husband. Annie Ward died October 12, 1925, and was buried with her husband.

Sample Quotes:

"32 North St. Paul Street, Rochester, Feb 24 79

My dear Anna,

I thank you for the letter that I received from you some days since, A severe cold making me quite ill & afflicting me with an owlish stupidity is why I have not before acknowledged it.

I cant tell you how very sorry I feel for Sophia; when she wrote me of her engagement to Mr. Jackson, she mentioned the disparity of years, and his baldness, which she greatly regretted; and, his divorce, of which I knew the circumstances, I should approve, yet as she said 'all that makes no difference, my love for him is so very great, and I shall always think of Mt. Desert as a paradise as it was there I met him,' poor child, she was completely enveloped in the glamor of love. In other letters she spoke of him so affectionately, wished that I knew him, I would like him so much. She only in one letter hinted that it was not quite approved, and then she said she received sweet messages from his family, but they had not written her as yet as her family had not acknowledged the engagement. I suppose it was on account of the difference in years, which I did not think of vital consequence if she was content to be an old man's darling. A letter from Vineland was the first intimation I had, that it was so disagreeable to her brothers & then no reason was given why it should be. Well dear Anna, as the event is accomplished it seems to be wisdom to make the best of it for Sophia's sake; but it is an awful pity. I presume he has a great deal of personal magnetism & Sophia was incapable of resisting his influence, perhaps he will make every effort to make happy, if he has an ugly disposition or temper, she will have to use a great of tact & self-control to be half way comfortable with him.

It is a satisfaction that he is a gentleman by both birth & well connected. This is a topsy turvy kind of world & the wisest get unbalanced sometimes…

How does Hannah feel about Sophia's marriage? I suppose it was a great blow to her …

Lots of love … affectionately, yr attached Aunt Charlotte L. Ames"

"Boston March 12/79

My dear Annie,

After leaving you I thought (I had after thoughts) how foolish I had been to tell you of the sad disturbing features connected with Charles' sickness. They ought to have been kept – even if from Mary's own sisters & brother and those of us who did know of them ought to have held our tongues and I beg of you not to mention it to Langdon or ever to refer to it to any of the family. The sooner we drop all such things the better. I shall send you a letter in a few day, suggesting to Father & Mary a way out of the apparent impossibility of her living here, based on the idea of which we talked, and if it meets with your and Maria & Lizzie's approval, I shall send it, otherwise not.

I was very pleasant to catch a glimpse of you again. The night in the cars quite cured my bilious attack. Yours aff'y, Will"

"London, April 6th, 1879

Dear Annie,

I meant to send you a letter by yesterday's steamer, but was so busy all day that I could not, so take this opportunity Sunday morning, when we breakfasted too late to attend divine worship. Last evening, we dined at the Playfaires & had a delightful time. There were twelve in all, & certainly Mr. Lyon Playfaire deserves the reputation he has won of being a most charming man. He showed me one thing which would have interested you. A coin, composed of nine hundred times its own bulk of hydrogen, & which if held in in the hand would evaporate, so no one can touch it, there is but one other in the world. Also, my eyes were gladdened by two or three superb pieces of jewelry given by some royal personage, Lady Owen had a gorgeous bracelet, presented by the Prince of Wales with the name in raised letters on the back.

We meant to go to the Oxford-Camb race yesterday, but Norman has had such a horrid cold, that I thought it would not be prudent for him, so we staid at home. Friday night, Mr. Washington Jackson, Harriet, Norman & I went to see 'Pinafori' which, tho in some respects better in the whole in our judgment, did not equal the American play. It seemed so funny to be ushered to our box by a woman with dainty white caps, who in the entr'actes came continually to ask if we would have any refreshments. I never saw such a perfect man trap as that theater was, the entrance is in the Strand, & after descending a number of steps you go by a subterranean passage, not wider than your hallway, under houses, under another street, & then ascend to the theater, the reason being that they wish to be on the Strand. Had there been fire, there would have been no hope, as it was Mr. N. J. was a little fidgety. Wednesday Mrs. Frank Blake gave us a dinner of seventeen, a very handsome one, all Americans were there, & by Wednesday Mrs. Frank Blake gave us a dinner of seventeen, a very handsome one, all Americans were there, & by the way, tell Anais that I met there Mr. Carl Joy, & had quite a talk with him, tho I was not introduced to his wife …

Do you realize that it is three months today since I was married & I have not repented it yet. Does it seem so long, or longer to you? Can't you write me oftener in the six weeks I have been in England, I have had but two letters from you & I have written either you or Hannah every week… Ever aff'ly yours, S. L. J."