Fred Ward

Ward in 2002, photo by Prphotos.com

Birth Name: Freddie Joe Ward

Date of Birth: December 30, 1942

Place of Birth: San Diego, California, United States

Date of Death: May 8, 2022

Ethnicity: English, small amounts of Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Scottish, German, distant Welsh

Fred Ward was an American actor, producer, and model. His roles included Escape from Alcatraz, Southern Comfort, The Right Stuff, Silkwood, Uncommon Valor, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, UFOria, the Tremors films, Henry & June, Miami Blues, The Player, Swing Shift, Short Cuts, Road Trip, Summer Catch, and Sweet Home Alabama, among many others.

Fred was the son of Juanita and Fred Ward. His family was from the South, specifically Tennessee and Texas. He spent time in the U.S. Air Force, boxed, and worked as a lumberjack in Alaska. He was married to Marie-France, until his death. He had a son with his former wife Silvia.

Fred was described on the internet as having Cherokee Native American ancestry. It is not clear if this ancestry has been verified/documented.

Fred’s paternal grandfather was Joseph Carroll Ward (the son of The Rev. Reubin/Reuben Houston Ward and Sallie/Sarah Harriet Dickson). Joseph was born in Perry, Tennessee. Reubin was the son of Carroll Houston Ward and Martha Ann Whitwell. Sallie was the daughter of Matthew James Dickson and Leonora/Lenora/Nora Jane Mays.

Fred’s paternal grandmother was Julia Bertie/Bertia Lewis (the daughter of James Wilson Lewis and Rebecca Josephine Sutton). Julia was born in Tennessee. James was the son of William Kennedy Lewis and Susan Jane Coleman. Rebecca was the daughter of James Rennick Sutton and Elizabeth Jennie Derryberry.

Fred’s maternal grandfather was Aubie Oral/Orell Flemister (the son of John M. Flemister and Georgia Morgan Henderson). Aubie was born in Jasper, Georgia. John was the son of John Flemister and Melissa Lee Jeffries. Georgia was the daughter of Samuel E. Henderson and Susan Francis Davis.

Fred’s maternal grandmother was Nellie Rosa Estelee/Estelle Koger (the daughter of Millard Fillmore Boone Koger and Sarah A. “Sally” Newberry). Nellie was born in Texas. Millard was the son of Tilman/Tillman Koger and Frances Bertram Sarah “Sally” Miller. Fred’s great-grandmother Sarah was the daughter of William Gaines Newbury and Ann Combs.

Sources: Genealogy of Fred Ward – https://www.geni.com

Death record of Fred’s paternal grandfather, Joseph Carroll Ward – https://www.familysearch.org