With the last of Ward bros. passing, an era ends in Deltaville

With the passing of Floyd T. Ward, 95, on Dec. 17, 2023, the last of the Ward brothers of Deltaville have passed.

The Ward brothers, Floyd, Melvin and Milton (Mit), were part of a Chesapeake Bay maritime dynasty started by their father Captain Johnny Ward, originally from Crisfield, Md., who owned and operated more Chesapeake Bay buyboats and steel hull freight boats called “Bay Boats” than any other single family on the bay.

Born in 1902, Captain Johnny and his family can be compared to the famed Conway family of Cambridge, Md. Legend has it that Captain Harvey Conway Sr. moved to Cambridge as a young man with all his possessions in a 12-pound capacity flour sack. He died a millionaire, his money made from hauling freight and lumber on sail-powered schooners. He and his son owned a fleet of sailing schooners and “bugeyes.”

A bugeye is a log or planked round-bilge boat designed for the Chesapeake Bay oyster dredge fishery. Originally built for sail, many were converted to power and used to haul freight and as commercial fishing boats. One of the boats Captain Johnny went on to own was the H.H. Conway, once owned by Harvey Conway himself and named for the famous captain.

…

The Ward brothers, along with John Melvin Jr. and Floyd’s son, the late Floyd Gene, were honored by the Urbanna Oyster Festival Foundation as captains of the 2016 festival. 

Melvin was posthumously honored by the foundation as he passed in 2010, Milton, 2018 and now Floyd — good watermen, all good and faithful men, and Chesapeake Bay legends!