Edward Newell Ware and Son

Undated photo of Newell Ware, Jr., Memorial Volume of the AFS, p. 242

Tragically, Rev. Ware's 27-year-old son, Edward Newell Ware, Jr., died of smallpox on May 7, 1919 while volunteering for the Hoover Food Commission in Romania. Ware, Jr. had joined the American Field Service on May 5, 1917 and enlisted with the American Ambulance Service of the French Army. All who knew him appreciated his selflessness, courage, and independent spirit, with "an instinctive sympathy for the 'under dog' ("Tribute" 243). His service earned him the Croix de Guerre. In February 1919, Ware, Jr. joined the Hoover Commission to assist with the economic reconstruction of Rumania, where he worked in areas riddled with poverty, famine, and disease. He was buried in Bucharest with full military honors. 

It is interesting to note that when Ware, Jr. was in Paris, "[...] a young American miniature painter was making a picture..." that he had planned to send as a gift to his mother (Ware 8). She did send the miniature to the family but, unfortunately, her name was never mentioned in any article on Ware, Jr. so it has been impossible to identify her. It is tempting to imagine that she was a former resident or exhibitor at the Girls' Art Club.

Source

  • Edward Newell Ware Jr. (1892-1919). Findagrave.com.
  • "Tribute." Memorial Volume of the American Field Service in France, 1921. pp. 242-244.
  • Ware, D.D., Rev. E.N. “Chicago Letter.” The Herald and Presbyter, July 30, 1919, vol. 90, no. 31, p. 8. HathiTrust.