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Benjamin Wade Ward

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Birth	:	15 Oct 1892 Independence, Grayson County, Virginia, USA
Death	:	29 May 1971 Independence, Grayson County, Virginia, USA
Burial	:	Old Grass Valley City Cemetery, Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate	:	39.2188100, -121.0563800
Description	:	Wade Ward was an American old-time music fiddler and banjoist from Independence, Virginia. He was especially renowned for his clawhammer banjo playing. He was a frequent winner at the Galax Old Time Fiddler's Convention. His instrument, a Gibson RB-11, is now housed in the Smithsonian Institution. Along with Kyle Creed, he is thought by many to embody the 'Galax' style of clawhammer banjo playing. His repertoire remained close to the tunes he learned in his youth. ---wikipedia.org Ward began performing in public in 1919, at age 26. His first group, the Buck Mountain Band, included Van Edwards on fiddle and... Read More	Wade Ward was an American old-time music fiddler and banjoist from Independence, Virginia. He was especially renowned for his clawhammer banjo playing. He was a frequent winner at the Galax Old Time Fiddler's Convention. His instrument, a Gibson RB-11, is now housed in the Smithsonian Institution. Along with Kyle Creed, he is thought by many to embody the 'Galax' style of clawhammer banjo playing. His repertoire remained close to the tunes he learned in his youth. ---wikipedia.org Ward began performing in public in 1919, at age 26. His first group, the Buck Mountain Band, included Van Edwards on fiddle and Van's son Earl on guitar. In 1925, Ward recorded four solo tunes (unreleased) for the Okeh label during a field recording session in Asheville, North Carolina. In October 1929 he and the Buck Mountain Band recorded four more tunes for Okeh in Richmond, Virginia, two of which were released. In the early 1930s, Ward joined a band called the Ballard Creek Bogtrotters, formed by his older brother Crockett, who was twenty years his senior. Ward played banjo, Crockett and his neighbor Alec "Uncle Eck" Dunford played fiddles, Crockett's son Fields played guitar and sang, and the Wards' family doctor W. P. Davis managed the group and occasionally played autoharp. Folklorist John A. Lomax discovered the group in 1937 at the Galax Fiddlers' Convention and recorded them for the Library of Congress. John's son Alan Lomax recorded Wade in 1939, 1941, and again in 1959; nearly 200 recordings of Ward are archived at the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Benjamin Wade Ward's memorial?
Benjamin Wade Ward's memorial is located at: Old Grass Valley City Cemetery, Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA.
When did Benjamin Wade Ward death?
Benjamin Wade Ward death on 29 May 1971 in Independence, Grayson County, Virginia, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Benjamin Wade Ward's memorial?
Latitude: 39.2188100
Longitude: -121.0563800

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Lelia Bell Mathis Ward

(1894 - 1951)

Siblings

David Crockett Ward

(1873 - 1964)

Rosa Ellen Ward Pierce

(1875 - 1972)

Wells Colombus Ward

(1878 - 1944)

Malvina “Mollie” Ward Hall

(1880 - 1960)

Della Virginia Ward Pierce

(1887 - 1972)

Verna M. Ward Pinion

(1889 - 1963)

Children

Herbert Lee Ward

(1914 - 1964)

Flowers:

Left by Anonymous on 04 Jan 2014

Left by Anonymous on 17 Jan 2019

My GG Uncle

Left by Anonymous on 17 Sep 2019

Left by Anonymous on 10 Feb 2022

Left by Anonymous on 29 May 2022

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Old Grass Valley City Cemetery
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2188100, -121.0563800

2. Forester's Cemetery
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2190800, -121.0553500

3. Odd Fellows and Masonic Cemetery
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2181900, -121.0551100

4. Red Men Cemetery
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2189400, -121.0544800

5. Old Elm Ridge Cemetery
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2188300, -121.0537400

6. Pioneer Jewish Cemetery
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2214850, -121.0568480

7. New Elm Ridge Cemetery
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2183230, -121.0529100

8. Old Saint Patricks Cemetery
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2138990, -121.0677060

9. Saint Patrick Catholic Cemetery
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2249985, -121.0717010

10. Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2247009, -121.0730972

11. Loma Rica Ranch Burial Site
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2261450, -121.0238470

12. Stockdale Family Cemetery
Nevada City, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2470700, -121.0622200

13. Sierra Memorial Lawn Cemetery
Nevada City, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2516670, -121.0216670

14. Nevada City Jewish Cemetery
Nevada City, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2545590, -121.0233320

15. Pioneer Cemetery
Nevada City, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2655560, -121.0241670

16. Saint Canice Cemetery
Nevada City, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2669400, -121.0236110

17. Deer Creek Cemetery
Nevada City, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2625000, -121.0055560

18. Pine Grove Cemetery
Nevada City, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2627780, -121.0052780

19. Forest View Cemetery
Nevada City, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2631100, -121.0054000

20. Rough And Ready Cemetery
Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2317009, -121.1343994

21. Nevada City County Hospital Cemetery
Nevada City, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2669440, -121.0058330

22. Maidu Tribal Burial Grounds
Nevada City, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2821350, -121.0512190

23. Lehr Family Cemetery
Grass Valley, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.1910300, -121.1309100

24. Historic Nevada County Cemetery
Nevada City, Nevada County, USA
Coordinate: 39.2697220, -121.0055560