Ward, William Allen, 1893-1959

William Allen Ward was born on September 24, 1893, in Corsicana, Texas. Ward's childhood experiences, which included a trip in a covered wagon, influenced his work. In 1973, Ward took a position as a public school teacher in Fort Worth. By 1917, Ward had given up teaching to be a reporter for The Fort Worth Record . As a correspondent for The Fort Worth Record, Ward accompanied the Seventh Cavalry in the search for Pancho Villa along the border of Mexico. In 1920, Ward joined the staff of The Dallas Journal's Oak Cliff edition. He remained with The Dallas Journal until 1938. From 1929 to 1938 Ward served as editor of The Dallas Journal's Oak Cliff edition. The Dallas Morning News purchased The Dallas Journal in 1938 and Ward joined the staff of The Dallas Morning News. Ward served as Oak Cliff' reporter, military editor, and church editor while working, for The Dallas Morning News.

Ward established a reputation as a writer and pool. He was listed in Volume 24 of Who's Who as a Texas author. Westerns and crime stories: made up the bulk of his fiction. Ward also produced nonfiction, some: of which was published in The Dallas Morning News as articles on the history of the settlement of Dallas and Oak Cliff. Several of Ward's stories for children published. Some of Ward's short verses appeared in The Dallas Journal and The Dallas Morning News . Ward had his fiction and poem published in magazines such as Grit, Ace-High Magazine, The Golden West, Complete Novel Magazine, and American Poet .

Ward married Eula Ellen Byas in 1918. The couple had three sons: Richard Allen Ward, Robert Byas Ward and William Anderson Ward. Besides his writing, Ward was also interested in photography and stamp collecting. Ward died in 1959 of a heart aliment. He was sixty-eight years old.

William Anderson Ward, Ward's son, was also a writer. Special Collections also has a small collection of papers of William Anderson Ward.

Sources:

From the guide to the William Allen Ward Papers AR315., 1918-1960, 1920-1935, (Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington Library)