Irene Crane Briggs was born on August 11, 1853, in Ohio. Her father, Benjamin Bennett Briggs, was 26 and her mother, Abby Crane Briggs, was 28. Irene was their first, and only, child. The family lived in Sharon, Ohio, near many members of the Briggs' large family. In 1860 Irene and her parents were sharing a household with her uncle Daniel Briggs, his wife and son.
In 1861 Irene visited her mother's relatives in Massachusetts before leaving Ohio for California. Sailing out of New York, Irene took a steamship to Panama, crossed the isthmus by train and then sailed to San Francisco. The last leg of the journey was by riverboat to Marysville, California, where some of Benjamin Briggs' family were living.
Irene's father bought property in Saticoy, California, with the intent of making their permanent home there. However, the death of her mother when Irene was only eight caused her grieving father to change his plans. Irene was given into the care of her aunt, Maria Antoinette Briggs Haskell, in Marysville. Her aunt Maria took Irene back to Ohio so she could join the family of her mother's widowed sister, Caroline Crane, in Indiana.
In 1865, at age 11, Irene accompanied her father to Heidelburg, Germany, and Paris, France. She was enrolled in school while he studied medicine. Back in the United States, Irene again stayed with her aunt Caroline in Indiana while Benjamin continued his medical studies. In 1868 Benjamin established himself as a surgeon in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and married Irene's aunt Caroline. Irene attended the Western Female Seminary in Oxford, Ohio.
Crawfordsville, Indiana, was home to Wabash College, and Irene met a Wabash student, Samuel Lawrence Ward, at a croquet game. She and Larie, as she called him, were engaged on May 11, 1873, and married on August 1, 1876. Irene was twenty-two.
The young couple left Crawfordsville destined to be missionaries in Persia. Their trip took months and they enjoyed many experiences along the way. Their first posting was in Tabriz. Although her husband was busy "teaching and preaching and visiting," Irene was not expected to do any church work, only "to make a pleasant Christian home."* Her first child, Samuel Lawrence Ward, died before he was 10 months old. Two other sons, Benjamin Briggs Ward and Seymour Paul Ward, also were born in Tabriz.
Irene and her family took an extended leave in the United States. On returning to Persia, they learned they were being transferred to Tehran. Irene had four children in Tehran--daughter Irene Louisa Ward, son Lawrence Arthur Ward and twins Abby and Gertrude Ward.
Irene faced health issues that made living in Persia difficult. When she and her family came back to the United States for another leave in 1895, she decided to remain permanently. Her husband Samuel Lawrence Ward went back to Persia on his own, expecting Irene to join him later. She could not, and he resigned from his missionary work. The Ward family followed Samuel Lawrence to his church postings—first in Ohio and then in Glendale, California.
Irene found the duties of a pastor's wife increasingly challenging and was freed of those responsibilities when her husband resigned from his position at the Glendale Presbyterian Church in 1910. Before he retired completely, Samuel Lawrence Ward supplied churches near and far. Irene remained in Glendale. During these years various children and grandchildren temporarily made their homes with Irene. Once her husband began receiving his pension in 1921, he took over domestic duties, freeing Irene to pursue her hobbies such as genealogy. Irene died of a heart attack on October 22, 1932. She was 79.
*Irene Briggs Ward's August 13, 1882, letter to her cousin Louisa Crane Johnson.
In 1861 Irene visited her mother's relatives in Massachusetts before leaving Ohio for California. Sailing out of New York, Irene took a steamship to Panama, crossed the isthmus by train and then sailed to San Francisco. The last leg of the journey was by riverboat to Marysville, California, where some of Benjamin Briggs' family were living.
Irene's father bought property in Saticoy, California, with the intent of making their permanent home there. However, the death of her mother when Irene was only eight caused her grieving father to change his plans. Irene was given into the care of her aunt, Maria Antoinette Briggs Haskell, in Marysville. Her aunt Maria took Irene back to Ohio so she could join the family of her mother's widowed sister, Caroline Crane, in Indiana.
In 1865, at age 11, Irene accompanied her father to Heidelburg, Germany, and Paris, France. She was enrolled in school while he studied medicine. Back in the United States, Irene again stayed with her aunt Caroline in Indiana while Benjamin continued his medical studies. In 1868 Benjamin established himself as a surgeon in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and married Irene's aunt Caroline. Irene attended the Western Female Seminary in Oxford, Ohio.
Crawfordsville, Indiana, was home to Wabash College, and Irene met a Wabash student, Samuel Lawrence Ward, at a croquet game. She and Larie, as she called him, were engaged on May 11, 1873, and married on August 1, 1876. Irene was twenty-two.
The young couple left Crawfordsville destined to be missionaries in Persia. Their trip took months and they enjoyed many experiences along the way. Their first posting was in Tabriz. Although her husband was busy "teaching and preaching and visiting," Irene was not expected to do any church work, only "to make a pleasant Christian home."* Her first child, Samuel Lawrence Ward, died before he was 10 months old. Two other sons, Benjamin Briggs Ward and Seymour Paul Ward, also were born in Tabriz.
Irene and her family took an extended leave in the United States. On returning to Persia, they learned they were being transferred to Tehran. Irene had four children in Tehran--daughter Irene Louisa Ward, son Lawrence Arthur Ward and twins Abby and Gertrude Ward.
Irene faced health issues that made living in Persia difficult. When she and her family came back to the United States for another leave in 1895, she decided to remain permanently. Her husband Samuel Lawrence Ward went back to Persia on his own, expecting Irene to join him later. She could not, and he resigned from his missionary work. The Ward family followed Samuel Lawrence to his church postings—first in Ohio and then in Glendale, California.
Irene found the duties of a pastor's wife increasingly challenging and was freed of those responsibilities when her husband resigned from his position at the Glendale Presbyterian Church in 1910. Before he retired completely, Samuel Lawrence Ward supplied churches near and far. Irene remained in Glendale. During these years various children and grandchildren temporarily made their homes with Irene. Once her husband began receiving his pension in 1921, he took over domestic duties, freeing Irene to pursue her hobbies such as genealogy. Irene died of a heart attack on October 22, 1932. She was 79.
*Irene Briggs Ward's August 13, 1882, letter to her cousin Louisa Crane Johnson.
Irene Crane Briggs was born on August 11, 1853, in Ohio. Her father, Benjamin Bennett Briggs, was 26 and her mother, Abby Crane Briggs, was 28. Irene was their first, and only, child. The family lived in Sharon, Ohio, near many members of the Briggs' large family. In 1860 Irene and her parents were sharing a household with her uncle Daniel Briggs, his wife and son.
In 1861 Irene visited her mother's relatives in Massachusetts before leaving Ohio for California. Sailing out of New York, Irene took a steamship to Panama, crossed the isthmus by train and then sailed to San Francisco. The last leg of the journey was by riverboat to Marysville, California, where some of Benjamin Briggs' family were living.
Irene's father bought property in Saticoy, California, with the intent of making their permanent home there. However, the death of her mother when Irene was only eight caused her grieving father to change his plans. Irene was given into the care of her aunt, Maria Antoinette Briggs Haskell, in Marysville. Her aunt Maria took Irene back to Ohio so she could join the family of her mother's widowed sister, Caroline Crane, in Indiana.
In 1865, at age 11, Irene accompanied her father to Heidelburg, Germany, and Paris, France. She was enrolled in school while he studied medicine. Back in the United States, Irene again stayed with her aunt Caroline in Indiana while Benjamin continued his medical studies. In 1868 Benjamin established himself as a surgeon in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and married Irene's aunt Caroline. Irene attended the Western Female Seminary in Oxford, Ohio.
Crawfordsville, Indiana, was home to Wabash College, and Irene met a Wabash student, Samuel Lawrence Ward, at a croquet game. She and Larie, as she called him, were engaged on May 11, 1873, and married on August 1, 1876. Irene was twenty-two.
The young couple left Crawfordsville destined to be missionaries in Persia. Their trip took months and they enjoyed many experiences along the way. Their first posting was in Tabriz. Although her husband was busy "teaching and preaching and visiting," Irene was not expected to do any church work, only "to make a pleasant Christian home."* Her first child, Samuel Lawrence Ward, died before he was 10 months old. Two other sons, Benjamin Briggs Ward and Seymour Paul Ward, also were born in Tabriz.
Irene and her family took an extended leave in the United States. On returning to Persia, they learned they were being transferred to Tehran. Irene had four children in Tehran--daughter Irene Louisa Ward, son Lawrence Arthur Ward and twins Abby and Gertrude Ward.
Irene faced health issues that made living in Persia difficult. When she and her family came back to the United States for another leave in 1895, she decided to remain permanently. Her husband Samuel Lawrence Ward went back to Persia on his own, expecting Irene to join him later. She could not, and he resigned from his missionary work. The Ward family followed Samuel Lawrence to his church postings—first in Ohio and then in Glendale, California.
Irene found the duties of a pastor's wife increasingly challenging and was freed of those responsibilities when her husband resigned from his position at the Glendale Presbyterian Church in 1910. Before he retired completely, Samuel Lawrence Ward supplied churches near and far. Irene remained in Glendale. During these years various children and grandchildren temporarily made their homes with Irene. Once her husband began receiving his pension in 1921, he took over domestic duties, freeing Irene to pursue her hobbies such as genealogy. Irene died of a heart attack on October 22, 1932. She was 79.
*Irene Briggs Ward's August 13, 1882, letter to her cousin Louisa Crane Johnson.
In 1861 Irene visited her mother's relatives in Massachusetts before leaving Ohio for California. Sailing out of New York, Irene took a steamship to Panama, crossed the isthmus by train and then sailed to San Francisco. The last leg of the journey was by riverboat to Marysville, California, where some of Benjamin Briggs' family were living.
Irene's father bought property in Saticoy, California, with the intent of making their permanent home there. However, the death of her mother when Irene was only eight caused her grieving father to change his plans. Irene was given into the care of her aunt, Maria Antoinette Briggs Haskell, in Marysville. Her aunt Maria took Irene back to Ohio so she could join the family of her mother's widowed sister, Caroline Crane, in Indiana.
In 1865, at age 11, Irene accompanied her father to Heidelburg, Germany, and Paris, France. She was enrolled in school while he studied medicine. Back in the United States, Irene again stayed with her aunt Caroline in Indiana while Benjamin continued his medical studies. In 1868 Benjamin established himself as a surgeon in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and married Irene's aunt Caroline. Irene attended the Western Female Seminary in Oxford, Ohio.
Crawfordsville, Indiana, was home to Wabash College, and Irene met a Wabash student, Samuel Lawrence Ward, at a croquet game. She and Larie, as she called him, were engaged on May 11, 1873, and married on August 1, 1876. Irene was twenty-two.
The young couple left Crawfordsville destined to be missionaries in Persia. Their trip took months and they enjoyed many experiences along the way. Their first posting was in Tabriz. Although her husband was busy "teaching and preaching and visiting," Irene was not expected to do any church work, only "to make a pleasant Christian home."* Her first child, Samuel Lawrence Ward, died before he was 10 months old. Two other sons, Benjamin Briggs Ward and Seymour Paul Ward, also were born in Tabriz.
Irene and her family took an extended leave in the United States. On returning to Persia, they learned they were being transferred to Tehran. Irene had four children in Tehran--daughter Irene Louisa Ward, son Lawrence Arthur Ward and twins Abby and Gertrude Ward.
Irene faced health issues that made living in Persia difficult. When she and her family came back to the United States for another leave in 1895, she decided to remain permanently. Her husband Samuel Lawrence Ward went back to Persia on his own, expecting Irene to join him later. She could not, and he resigned from his missionary work. The Ward family followed Samuel Lawrence to his church postings—first in Ohio and then in Glendale, California.
Irene found the duties of a pastor's wife increasingly challenging and was freed of those responsibilities when her husband resigned from his position at the Glendale Presbyterian Church in 1910. Before he retired completely, Samuel Lawrence Ward supplied churches near and far. Irene remained in Glendale. During these years various children and grandchildren temporarily made their homes with Irene. Once her husband began receiving his pension in 1921, he took over domestic duties, freeing Irene to pursue her hobbies such as genealogy. Irene died of a heart attack on October 22, 1932. She was 79.
*Irene Briggs Ward's August 13, 1882, letter to her cousin Louisa Crane Johnson.
