Bertha, John and Frances Ward's eldest daughter, was almost seven years old when her father died. In 1978, when Bertha was 94-years-old, she wrote about her early life and her Autobiographical Notes was a source for Gerald McFarland's book. Bertha wrote the following about the death of her father:
"Soon an epidemic of typhoid fever broke out and many families suffered loss by death of loved ones....
"Soon the epidemic struck our home, of we six children all had the fever but Rose, who was a tiny baby. Both Orie and Jesse Ray had a light case, as did Bula, but the lives of both Grace and I were despaired of, we lay unconscious for days. Finally the tide turned, then by the time we were able to be up and around father took down. He had kept right on teaching and helping care for the sick at night, also many neighbors helped out too. Uncle Joe had left Nebraska long before this, so we were alone. Father felt he could not give up for he needed the money. Mother would write to our folks at Republic [Kansas] and give the letters to the doctor to mail. Unknown to her he had taken the address and wrote to them himself. He said that father could not possibly live, so Grandfather Dancy and Grandfather Ward both took the train for Nebraska. Then when they arrived they took a ride out to our place with the doctor. We saw them drive in, four men in a two seated carry all and mother said ‘Oh why did he bring those men out here.' Then when the knock came on the door she opened it and there stood Grandfather Ward. The doctor was right behind him and she did not see Grandfather Dancy, but turned her back and was watching father's reaction to seeing his own father. It was then Grandfather Dancy reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. I was watching and saw mother turn and cry out ‘Oh Pa' and throw her arms around his neck and start to cry. Not for long though as there was much to do.
"Strange as it may seem mother never took the fever. Father lived just a week after that. Grandfather Ward stayed only two or three days then left for home. Meanwhile Mr. Hicks, who was our neighbor, was stricken with the fever, he had been among those who had sat up nights with father. He lived only a short time after father's death and is buried near by him in the Mt. Hope Cemetery. The night father died it seemed to me there were so many with us, there was a Mr. Dennison and a Mrs. Shepardson as well as another woman whose name I cannot recall, besides Grandfather Dancy.
"We children were in bed and I was awakened by mother screaming ‘Oh, John' then the woman came to get we older children, that is Orie, Jesse Ray and myself to say goodbye. Father died on December 7th which was mother's birthday and was buried on his own birthday, December 9th, 1891 at the age of thirty three. The funeral was in our own home and the house was filled full of people as well as was the yard filled. We, that is mother and we children were not taken to the cemetery. A Mr. Homer preached the service and Mrs. Shepardson and Mr. Auker sang. It was just a short service. Since it was December, the day was short and it was dark by the time Grandfather and some neighbors returned from the cemetery.
"Early the next morning we were all bundled up and taken to the Shepardson home, where we stayed for a week or so before we were headed for Kansas. I remember hearing Grandfather saying to mother, 'The last thing Ma said to me was "bring Fannie and the children home with you."' There was nothing else mother could do, so that week was a busy one for all. Mother was the only one of us to ever go back to our home. She and Grandpa packed what few things she could keep and disposed of the rest as best she could. Mother was taken to the cemetery to visit father's grave one afternoon and came home weary and depressed. .... "For years mother kept in touch with the good neighbors on northwestern Nebraska. In later years, while she was living in Lincoln, she went back to Gordon and had a modern marker placed at father's grave."
Note: Wife Frances placed the "modern" headstone over John Ward's grave in 1928.
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