Rice Ware
1846 - 1927

Rice Ware was born on July 23, 1846. The son of John Ware (1821 - 1903) and Clarinda "Muse" Ware. At the age of 17 Rice volunteered for and served as a Union Soldier during the last year of the Civil War. Rice Ware's grandfather, also named Rice Ware, Sr. (1797- 1883) from Albemarle County Virginia, was one of the first settlers in Pulaski county Kentucky. I am focusing this web page on Greatgrandfather Rice, because it was his daughters strong sense of family values that started the "Ware Family Reunion" that continues to this day at the Big Bone State Park near Walton Kentucky every year on the first Saturday in June.

Rice Ware 1846 - 1927

Most of Rice Wares decendents no longer carry the last name "Ware", but they still carry the genetics and value system that were passed down from Emma, Mary, and Maggie and Laura (not pictured), as well as the daughters and grandaughters of John, Megarvy and Virgil. These are some of the last names of the decendents of Rice and Telithia Ware. Godbey, Haggard, Apple, Cannon, McKee, Allen, Boyatt, Hill, Wesley, Wilson, Stepp, Craft, Hough, Jacobe, Howard, Lake, Gross, Jones, Downey, Allen, Dispennette, Stringfield, Taylor, Fryer, Wheeler, Lawhorn, Watson, Weeks, Wine, Buess, Bryant, Coomer, Hartke, Epperson, Harmon, Hammond, Corder, Coddington, Restle, Cole, Hughes, Pike, Kinman, Joyce, Bastin, Black, Bourne, Byrd, Back, Catron, Clouse, Corhn, Dunsmore, Duvall, Elliott, Ellis, Ellison, Fedrick, Frauenknecht, Fulcher, Gaunce, Haarman, Hargis, Hawk, Isaacs, King, Kingman, Kuhn, Mathis, Meyers, Moses, Moubray, Pope, Rector, Reese, Sayers, Schermerhorn, Shewmake, Smith, Stamper, Stone, Tormamichel, Vaught, Villar, Wheeldon, Williams, and Wynn Many of the decendents have not been updated since 1968. Therfore the list of last names are very much larger than what I have listed. One of the purposes of this web page is to locate other family members and welcome them to our "Family Reunion". .YourWebmaster and Host: David Ware Canton Georgia 770-479-4447

Grandfather Virgil and Sisters Mary Eliza "Ware" Apple; right, Emma "Ware" McKee; left and Maggie "Ware" Cannon :center

Letter of Geneology From Chas. P. Ware 1928
	Rice Ware Reunion 1916 First row: L-R: Roscoe Ware , Rice Ware with baby Margaret Haggard, Ila McKee, Lizzie Ware, Ina Mckee, Gladys Apple, Estella Ware, and Dell Ware. Second Rowe; Opal Mckee, Ocia Apple, Zora Ware, Hester Apple, Hobert McKee, Beatrice McKee, Pearl Ware. Third Rowe: Marian McKee, Emma McKee, Tura Ware, Chester Haggard, Maggie Cannon, Elsie Haggard, George Haggard and baby Arvil, Sarah Haggard, Mary Apple.

Children of Rice and Telitha Ware

by Ila McKee (daughter of Emma Ware Mckee) above

1. Louetta

Louetta was young when she married Elsworth Haggard, a cousin of hers. After a few years of marriage she died of a lung sickness, leaving two small sons, George and Chester, for Ma Telithia to add to her already full load. But Ma Telithia's wings were wide enough to hover over these two as her very own. George and Chester then became full members of Rice and Telithia's family. George with his quiet ways and quick wit like Uncle Virgil and Grandpa Jack. Chester with his outgoing, lovable ways. Both boys loved Ma and Pa just as much as any of the original six did. When Chester was sixteen years old he went to Cincinnati and got a job. Writing back warm and affectionately to "Ma". Both George and Chester were true to Rice and Telithia to the end. It was Chester, who with Emma attended Pa the last week of his life. Mary had just finished her turn when Emma took over. That was in the Winter.

2. Mary

Mary with her "Martha-like" qualities of gardening, cooking, sewing (but not so fastidious a seam as sister Maggi), and every housekeeping way, sociable and kind to the sick like Ma Telitha, and was long, a Gibraltor-like rock for others of the Wares to run to for shelter when the dreamy, romantic foundations of their personalities wasn't quite enough. All of them must have thought at times, Oh, to be more like sister Mary with her practical, strong confident carperter with business acumen, Walter Apple, a native of Smith Co., Tenn., where his Apple relatives still live. In 1968 the name Apple is still alive in the business world of Salem, Indiana. Walter was sociable, friendly and lovable like a Ware. But unlike the inbound Wares, Walter was more outgoing.
This marriage between Mary Ware and Walter Apple was a fine marriage. Telitha approved heartily. Walter was the very kind of man she would have chosen for her Mary. It was easy for Walter Apple to step into the good graces of Telitha Haggard Ware.
Lovable, business-like, laughing Barnell was the first of Mary's children. If there could be a popularity vote taken by the grandchildren of Rice and Telitha Ware, Barnell Apple would surely be at the top, Loved by everyone of his cousins. Barney has always been a joy to all who knew him.
After Barnell was easy going Roy, who could see the funny side of life through it all. His memory is cherished by his McKee cousins. Then Ocia, practical minded Ocia, with her outgoing personality, a natural for a preacher's wife, fitting easily into the role, one who likes to be on the go, sympathetic and calm. To be in her presence lifts up one's spirit. Then came pretty, sweet, intelligent, delightful Hester, another favorite with Rice and Telitha's grandchildren. The next was Otis with his old time American individualism trait of character, as practical as his sister Ocia, as easy going as his brother, Roy, as cheerful as all the Ware-Apples. And last of all came pretty, smilling Gladys, with keen intelligence, a sociable like Papa Walter. Gladys was the darling of her father, Walter. Gladys full name was Telitha Gladys. In very early years she was called Telitha in honor of Grandma Telitha.
That's the wonderful Apple family as the McKees Know them.

3. Maggie

Maggie was frail physically, had a little sharper tongue the the others of the Haggard-Wares, was a dreamer of dreams, throughly religious, possible exceeding all the other children of Rice and Telitha in the things of the spirit, an idealist and a romantic. The Telitha-like quality that all the ware children had, blended with that finer and deeper culture of the Wares made Maggie's work of the finest quality. But the Ware slowness coupled with the Haggard drive for perfection, and Maggie's poor health, kept Maggie from doing as much as Mary. But what she did, she did ezquisitely and tastefully.
Maggie also had a marriage that was much to Telitha's liking. She married Johnny Cannon with native roots imbedded in Shoals, Indiana soil where his relatives other than his own posterity still live.
Johnny Cannon was a good man, the best of goodness. He must have been a powerful preacher, too, or he had a powerful message, of it wouldn't have swayed such a family as the Ware family to the extent it did. The Rice Ware family belonged to the Christian Church. But when Johnny Cannon came to the Ware community about the turn of the century, Johnny brought with him a new concept of the bhurch and Bible interpretation. He called the Church, Church of God , instead of Christian Church. The church was to be completely free to follow the Spirit, and not bow down to the dictates of man. That freedom went well with the free Ware spirit. And all the Wares accpeted it, and openly cast their lots and lives with it.
All but Ma Telitha. Ma Telitha wasn't religious. Who knows, she may have worshipped her God on the run, but she didn't stop to say prayers, or go to church. Somebody had to stay at home and have dinner on the table for the church goers when they came home from church; somebody in this family had to see that this family had cloths, and well-made clothes, suitable for church-wear; now didn't they? Religion and church going was all right in

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But it didn't matte whether Johnny could do it or not. As long as Telitha lived, Maggie would be cared for, and Maggie's children would have all the good material things of life that Telitha could give them. No sacrifice was too great for Maggie and Johnny and their little ones. The Cannon grandchildren were probably closer to grandma Telitha's heart than any of the other grandchildren because of this, with the exception of George and Chester who lived with her.
In Maggie's sicknesses there was always Ma to go across the field from her big white house that she and Rice had finally managed to build on their farm, across the field to Maggie's neatly kept little home to minister to Gaggie and her family. Even when Maggie and Johnny were in Colorado, Telitha would save up more food in the summer, dry it and send it to the Cannon family. Mary chipped in too, sometimes from the suppliesfrom her garden or orchard. Virgil sent money, too, to this sister, and even Emma who had less, sent her little gift. Maggie was special to her family.
After Telitha's death in May 29, 1913, it was harder sailing for Maggie, but God gave her strength enough to work for her own living, and God prepared homes for her four boys. Johnny went on a preaching mission and something happened to him that he never returned, likely he had a fatal accident. so Maggie had to get along without Telitha or Johnny. Only Maggie's deep spiritual resources could have kept her as happy as she was with having to be separated from her children. But she kept in touch with them with tender, motherly letters, receiving sweet letters back from them.