Josephine Ward Thomson
Josephine Antoinette Ward Thomson Swann | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1828 Sing Sing, New York, US |
| Died | March 2, 1906 Washington, D.C., US |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Josephine Ward Thomson |
| Known for | Philanthropy, Wife of Governor of Maryland Thomas Swann |
Josephine Antoinette Ward[1] was born c. 1828[2] at Sing Sing,[3] Westchester County, New York. She was the eldest child of Aaron Ward and Mary Watson Ward.
Career
Ward was interested in history and was the founder of the Princeton chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.[4] This lineage society supported preservation and recognition of sites and properties important to American history.
She was also the first benefactor of the Princeton University Graduate College.[5]
With Kate McFarlane, Ward organized the Washington Headquarters Association of Rocky Hill. They helped preserve Rockingham, the final headquarters of General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. After passing into private hands in the mid-19th century, it was bought by a quarry and used for worker housing. Ward and McFarlane raised money to buy the house and move it away from the quarry, which would undermine it.[6][7]
Marriage and family, private life
In 1845 Ward married the widower and US Senator John R. Thomson (R-NJ). He died in 1862. She continued to live in the Washington, DC area.
In 1878, Ward Thomson married the widower Thomas Swann. She was the second wife of the former Governor of Maryland.[8] Some of the groom's family said this was a sign of "insanity growing out of dotage." The Governor was 72 at the time of the marriage. The couple separated in 1880.[9]
Ward Thomson was a frequent participant in Miss Matoaca Gay's Shakespeare seminars in Washington, DC during the 1880s and 1890s.[10]
She died 2 March 1906 in Washington, D.C. and is buried at Princeton, New Jersey.[2]
References
- ^ "Library of Congress Name Authority File" http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n94075201.html
- ^ a b "Josephine Ward Thomson Swann, MSA SC 3520-2271". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ^ The name of the Village of Sing Sing was changed to Ossining in 1901, the Town of Ossinsing was created in 1845 and renamed Ossining the next year
- ^ "Princeton Chapter, NSDAR". NEW JERSEY STATE SOCIETY DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ^ "Princeton University, The Graduate College", Accessed 05 September 2016 http://www.princeton.edu/~gradcol/perm/hist.htm
- ^ Newman, Margaret (December 1, 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Rockingham". National Park Service. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ "Rockingham Historic Site", Accessed 05 September 2016 http://www.rockingham.net/history.html Archived 2016-09-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "SWANN THOMSON WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT; The Times, Philadelphia, PA; Page 2; Friday, 21 June 1878" https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3350035/swann_thomson_wedding_announcement_the/
- ^ "Dissolution of Marriage- Settlement; Thomson/Swann; The Sun, NY, NY; Page 1; Thursday, 5 Feb. 1880" https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3350083/dissolution_of_marriage_settlement/
- ^ File:Matoaca_Gay_-_Shakespeare_clipping.png Unidentified news clipping from January 1894 in the Washington D. C. area.