Josephine Antoinette Ward was born in 1820 at Sing Sing, Westchester County, New York. She was the eldest child of Aaron Ward and Mary Watson Ward.
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She died 2 March 1906 in Washington, D.C. and is buried at Princeton, New Jersey.
Family
She was the second wife of Senator John R. Thomson from 1845 until his death in 1862.
In 1878, Josephine became the second wife of former Governor of Maryland, Thomas Swann. Some of the groom's family said this was a sign of "insanity growing out of dotage." The Governor was 72 at the time. The couple separated in 1880.
Daughters of the American Revolution
She was a founding member of the Princeton Daughters of the American Revolution.
Princeton University
She was the first benefactor of the Princeton University Graduate College
Rockingham House
Josephine helped preserve Rockingham House, George Washington's final headquarters of the Revolutionary War, from demolition and decay.