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William H. Ward was born about 1855, in NY as suggested by a census. He came to Indiana to work as a typesetter about 1872, evidently from out west as a very young man. Married in 1876 to a local girl there in Warsaw, a year later a baby boy was born to them. The mother died @ five months later. William eventually contracted 'consumption', returned to 'better climate' to regain his health in first Minnesota, then Madison, South Dakota (actually Dakota Territory), where he died in 1881 about 26 years old.
His son was my grandfather, orphaned age 4.
Who was William? Where did he come from? Why did he have no past? He is found as an apprentice typesetter in Minnesota, age 16, in the 1870 census, living with the editor, apparently no relation.
I have his photo album. Some were tintypes. No clues to his past, unnamed photos. I also have a letter written back to his mother-in-law, who was caring for his son, in which he expresses hopes to return to IN when better. He was evidently highly respected, as described in the Warsaw paper.

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