Family background
James Ward was born in 1849 in West Allington, Dorset, England. His parents were Joseph and Ann Ward. He married Sarah Jane Whittle in London in 1873 and they travelled to Australia on the Samuel Plimsoll, which left Plymouth in 19 November 1873 and arrived in Sydney, NSW, on 1 February 1874. He was aged 24 and his wife Sarah was 25 years old at the time of their arrival. He died in 1915 and was buried at Waverley Cemetery.
Occupation & interests
By 1885, James Ward was established at 414 Crown Street as a whitesmith and stove and range manufacturer. In November 1890 he gained a contract from Sydney City Council to supply cooking apparatus for the Centennial Hall. By 1891 he had a showroom at Crown Street and a factory, Allington Works, at 15 Marshall Street, Surry Hills. As well as a stove maker, Ward advertised himself as a hot water engineer, plumber, coppersmith, and iron-founder. His business was later taken over by Metters Ltd. By 1895, James Ward, JP, was living at Stanley Street, Randwick. His house was named Allington, a reference to his birth place.
Community activity
James Ward as a Justice of the Peace (JP). He was a member of the Water and Sewerage Board, and also a member of the Randwick Bowling Club.
Local government service
James Ward was Alderman for Flinders Ward, 7 December 1900 to 30 November 1902 and 1 December 1906 to 30 November 1909. He was a member of the Works Committee in 1901, the Staff and Labour Committee in 1902, the Fruit and Vegetables Special Committee in 1907, the Electric Lighting Committee in 1909 and the Finance Committee in 1901, 1902 and 1908.
References
‘James Ward’, The Australian Star, 22 December 1898, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228451475
‘Tuesday’s Harbour Accidents’, Evening News, 29 December 1899, p. 8, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113690251
‘Powder and shot’, Freeman’s Journal, 16 February 1901, p. 22, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article111080282
‘Late Mr James Ward’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 September 1915, p. 6, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15612010
‘Death of Mr James Ward’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 September 1915, p. 12, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15611851
City of Sydney Archives: Aldermen’s Files; Photo: CRS 54/361