Added by: Doris

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Son of William Ware and Betty Crane. John was born on Ware Creek, about 2 miles west of present day Willis, Texas.

At age 13, John “Dave” Ware moved with his father, CPT William Ware, with six slaves in 1852. With 600 head of cattle and two ox-drawn wagons full of seeds, fruit trees, food, and tools, they had to move large boulders to get the wagons through the pass into the canyon. On August 17, 1852, he and his father established the community of Waresville (now Utopia) in Uvalde County. At that time his was said to be the only Anglo-American family between D’Hanis and the Rio Grande. His father died the following year, March 9th, 1853.

“Dave” Ware continued working the family farm until the Civil War broke out in 1861, then aged 22 years, Ware was commissioned as a First Lieutenant with the 33rd Texas Cavalry.

He was a Texas Ranger, fighting Indians after the war. He continued farming until his death at age 92 from “Complete Nerve Exhaustion” – as per the death certificate.