A LOOK AT JAMES BEVERLY WARD, AGENT OF THE BEALE PAPERS

[ECS]

James Beverly Ward, born January 27, 1822, the son of Giles Ward and Adeline Risqué, daughter of James Beverly Risqué who had the duel with Thomas Beale.
Risque's other daughter, Harriet married George Hutter, and Ed ward S Hutter, and Fernand C Hutter were J B Ward's cousins with which he grew up.
At age 16, James Beverly Ward was accepted to the US Military Academy, but after 18 months , decided it was not much to his liking, and resigned in 1840.
Leaving New York, he went to St Louis , Missouri and work as an assistant to the military pay clerk in St Charles.
The Hutter family also served in St Louis, as well as his other Kennerly cousins who had a mercantile store there.
1843, Ward married Harriet Emmaline Buford Otey and moved back to Virginia, working on his mother
s farm in Campbell county, inherited from her father James Beverly Risqué, who died in 1843. Ward's father, Giles, inherited his grandfathers library.
Harriet Ward's uncle was Pascal Buford and she was born and raised 4 miles from Buford's Tavern, where Thomas Beale was said to stay in the Beale letters, and her Otey family had vast land holdings in the GOOSE CREEK VALLEY, 2 miles from Buford's Tavern.
In 1852, Ward and his brother in law ,John W Otey, purchased a sawmill in Bedford county, but later sold it in 1856.
What in obvious is the contact Ward had with the Oteys, and Bufords during this time period.

Harriet had known the Morriss's since childhood, since her father, John B Otey and Robert Morriss were business partners in the 1820's, and Morriss was Ward's uncle by marriage, and Ward's daughter, Ann's middle names was Morriss.
Sarah Morris died at Ward's house, May 11,1861 and Robert Morriss, January 3, 1863, the 2nd Year of the Confederate War at his nieces house.
What did James Beverly Ward do during the Confederate War and up to the point of his applying for copyright as agent for the Beale Papers in 1884 on borrowed letterhead of ADAMS BROS. & PAYNES were his son -in-law, William D Johns was employed?
Let us examine one of "authentic statements" that could have been resolved before the job pamphlet publication, that being an eyewitness account of Beale's stay at Buford's Tavern by Pascal wife Francis.
They were NEVER consulted or asked about Beale by Ward or his wife.
Pascal Buford died July 23, 1875, ten years after the Confederate War, and his wife, Francis, March 26, 1884, a few moths before Ward applied for the copyright. No witnesses alive who could confirm of deny the treasure story of the BEALE PAPERS.
After the publication in 1885 and advertised for sale in THE LYNCHBURG VIRGINIAN, the descendants of Withcher, Coles & Clay, who were mentioned in the job pamphlet treasure story complained about the use of their ancestors names as being used to legitimize this dime novel treasure tale. Max Guggenheimer, well known Lynchburg businessman contemporary to the 1885 publication and also mentioned in the pamphlet, did not complain, and sold copies at his store.
Pressure was brought upon Rowland Buford (1827-February 3. 1921) son of Pascal, and Bedford County Clerk to either verify this story or have Ward remove it from publication.
Sisters, Margaret L Buford who lived on the site of Buford's Tavern, and Mrs Ann Buford Hall were also bothered with complaints.
...and what did Ward do with the unsold copies after all this pressure brought down upon him?
The games may be worth the candle, but the flames took all the rest, and would have been forgotten if the Harts didn't bring it again to light from the ashes.

...and Clayton Hart was also married to an Otey, who was related to Newton H Hazelwood, who according to the Hart Papers, Hazelwood introduced Clayton to the Beale story.
...and then George Hart introduced Pauline Innis to a member of the Otey family who shown her an iron box with that torn slip of numbers covered paper that is mentioned in her "GOLD IN THE BLUE RIDGE".

 

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[ECS]

James Beverly Ward- copyright holder, publisher, possible author
Harriet E Otey Ward- wife, possible contributor of Beale's description
John William Sherman- cousin, pamphlet printer, possible contributor with Shakespeare reference
Max Guggenheimer- friend, names is used in story, sold copies at his store
F C Hutter- cousin, possible contributor of DOI "solved" cipher"
Charles W Button- Sherman's boss, owner of THE LYNCHBURG VIRGINIAN that advertised the Beale Papers
V A Witcher- objected to his ancestors name mentioned in the dime novel pamphlet
Rowland Buford, Margaret L Buford, Ann Buford Hall-children of Pascal and Francis Buford who professed no knowledge of Thomas Beale's stay at Buford's Tavern or of the treasure vault story.

The above list are those who knew the truth concerning the Beale story and treasure when it was published and put on sale.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

And the TRUTH is...?

 

[ECS]

...whatever the decoder or researcher wants it to be based on his beliefs.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Heh...

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Tad end the attack on ECS and post by our rules, you have issue with moderation take it to pm with a mod per our rules, not on the forums.

 

[ECS]

The above list are those who knew the truth concerning the Beale story and treasure when it was published and put on sale.

The point of posts #201 & 202 is that this is the only solid history and people that can be connected to the Beale Papers story.
If the story was true and concerned an actual treasure of if it was a mere localized adventure/treasure dime novel that the purchaser could play along and solve the two unsolved ciphers- these were the people who were involved one way or another with the story and WOULD KNOW THE TRUTH.
While there exists a highly conspicuous absence of outside documented evidence that can conclusively prove that the events in the Beale Papers story narrative actually occurred outside of the pamphlet's pages, endless speculation and cipher solutions have been presented and will be presented all the while no vault or treasure has been recovered or an actual true story revealed from this speculation and cipher solutions.
...and as presented, these were the people who knew the truth behind the reason for copyrighting, publishing, and placing this story for sale, and most important, whether the story narrative was true or a fictional creation.

 

[ECS]

I have in my hands, the ORIGINAL newspaper of the News-Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) Sunday, April 19, 2015; p. B-3. Charlie Button "ended his newspaper career with a bizarre interlude in which he sold the DAILY VIRGINIAN to one of his sub-editors (John W. Sherman & his brother; DOCUMENTED), WHO HAD EARLIER WRITTEN A DIME NOVEL THAT MAY HAVE SPARKED THE BEALE TREASURE LEGEND, ABOUT A HOARD OF GOLD BURIED IN BEDFORD." THERE YA GO!

Charles W Button who owned the Virginia Print Shop where Sherman printed the job pamphlet would have had first hand knowledge to have made that statement.

 

[ECS]

Your author, in 1885, tells his readers that it is his hope that his publication "will bring to light the missing piece of paper" and he further describes that missing piece of paper as something that will appear as an "unintelligible writing." This is all clearly detailed in that 1885 narration. Morriss "DID NOT", according to that narration, ever receive the described letter from St. Louis. Your author clearly details what is still required and what he is still lacking. Only one way in which he could know this.

But Morriss never received the alleged letter, "because his services were never required." This should clearly tell you something. And no, they didn't all get killed as is so typical in an endless stream of fairy tale treasure stories.

Claudine Fulton Ellis claimed to have discovered the "missing" letter that Beale sent to Morriss from St Louis in a family Bible at Roanoke's Blackhorse Tavern.
The major question from this additional lore is who was this family and why did they keep the letter instead of forwarding it to Robert Morriss in Lynchburg?

 

[franklin]

Claudine Fulton Ellis claimed to have discovered the "missing" letter that Beale sent to Morriss from St Louis in a family Bible at Roanoke's Blackhorse Tavern.
The major question from this additional lore is who was this family and why did they keep the letter instead of forwarding it to Robert Morriss in Lynchburg?

Because the man that ran the tavern was one of TJB's partners that had left the associates after the first deposit. He had been wounded and stayed in Bedford County in 1820. So when the deliverer of the letter stayed at his tavern, he had them both killed so the letter could not be delivered. Now the treasures were all his.

 

[ECS]

And the TRUTH is...?

...there is no documentation that states that Ebenezer Nelms was part of a Beale party as written in the 1885 job pamphlet, or that he was wounded by James Purcell while working the gold mine in the story.
Once one steps outside of the Beale job pamphlet story narrative it ALWAYS becomes, maybe, could be, but NO real definite solid "connexions" are ever made.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

And the Otey family, etc...?

 

[franklin]

...there is no documentation that states that Ebenezer Nelms was part of a Beale party as written in the 1885 job pamphlet, or that he was wounded by James Purcell while working the gold mine in the story.
Once one steps outside of the Beale job pamphlet story narrative it ALWAYS becomes, maybe, could be, but NO real definite solid "connexions" are ever made.

To solve a mystery sometimes one has to trust some of the people that has researched and did things long before we came on the scene. That is the only way we can move this forward to a final conclusion. You can sit back and say there is no documented proof while others like myself get out and talk to the people, go to libraries, go to family members in search of a letter whether for or against, go to clerk's office and seek out testimonies of other people or we could just sit back like you do and say this never happened, this does not pertain to the book as written or there is no documented proof. If we do not get out and search and tell others of our thoughts and our searches then we can never solve anything other than talk about what has already been talked to death about. I will persevere thank you.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Nice "Post"... PROBLEM is as I see it... ppl have been DISTRACTED by the story of the Beale Expedition of 1819-1822; it NEVER happened, since NO proof of such can be found. It is a DECOY! Pay attention to REAL events of the CONFEDERATE WAR... 1861-1865, and the years AFTER. The "Clues" are there; you just gotta "know" the REAL history of Lynchburg, Va. & "points" WEST (ie. Bedford County, Roanoke County, Botetourt County...). "Target" for the "Beale Treasure...? REBUILDING the Virginia Military Institute (VMI); so THE SOUTH could "Rise Again"... BUT!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

BTW, PV was "looking into this", before he "passed away"...

 

[ECS]

And the Otey family, etc...?

Franklin once promoted the Sheriff Otey of Bedford county along with the Luck family who confronted then massacred Thomas Read and party at Overstreet Tavern as the true story behind Ward's Beale Papers story.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

COULD BE...

 

[franklin]

Franklin once promoted the Sheriff Otey of Bedford county along with the Luck family who confronted then massacred Thomas Read and party at Overstreet Tavern as the true story behind Ward's Beale Papers story.

Every story, every tale is true until research of documents can be found to either verify the story or prove that it is only book for profit.

Now ECS, I will say this much when you have driven over 600,000 miles making 3,000 round trips of 200 miles and this is not counting all the trips to other counties and other States in pursuit of the truth of the Beale Treasure and when you have spent enough to purchase a new house researching and documenting different trails of the treasure since it did encompass over two thirds of our country and when you have stayed up nights and worked on the cipher codes in your mind day and night for over four years then you can come back and remind me of a couple of times I quoted about having the truth in hand or what I believe at that time to be the truth.

For the past forty three years I have not left a stone without looking to see what is under it. Every time a story was in the newspapers about someone saying they had solved the mystery, I was in Bedford City or Montvale the very next morning checking it out. Yes and I have dug a couple of holes believing I had found the right location. One time I searched two square miles with a coin detector thinking I was searching six feet below the ground. That was a waste of a lot of trips, a lot of money and a lot of time simply because I was young and did not research before hunting. But anyway, I will keep on checking out stories, researching other stories and digging when I feel that it is right. Here are a few of the stories I have checked out.

A boulder between US 460 and it's four lanes of traffic.
Buford's Mill on North Goose Creek and it's west branch.
Samuel Clemmons home site near New Jerusalem.
Off load of CSA Treasure at Thaxton Switch before it was written by PV.
Fancy Farm and the Kelso area.
Wheat valley where another Robert Morriss lived and where Thomas Beale lived at one time.
Wolf Creek where a disc jockey said he decyphered the codes.
Taylor's Mountain where Lamar Cross said in treasure magazine he recovered the treasure.
Gap on Taylor's Mt. my brother and I drove our car across the old wagon road down to the Otey Farm.
Leonard Haymaker's property near Walnut Grove Church.
Diggings near Walnut Grove Church where they were washing their hands at the church.
An alluvial on the West side of North Goose Creek on Sanford Bower's property.
The homesite and cemetery on Sanford Bower's property.
The ice house on Sanford Bower's property where one treasure hunter searched for the Beale Treasure.
A large boulder on top of Taylor's Mt. with encrypted writing on it.
Wallac Orange's property where two chambers of treasure was reported recovered.
Where Mrs. Parsons from PA dug on Porter's Mt.
Where a Swift man dug a deep hole on Porter's Mt.
Solomon's Temple led me to search Porter's Mt. off to Bore Auger Creek.
Thompson house on Bore Auger near Airport.
Joseph Miller's homesite on Bore Auger Creek since he was the first to cross the Great Divide.
A physic from Atlanta I took all over the four mile area north, south, east and west.
The Blackhorse Tavern on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The road leading off towards Roanoke and Botetourt County.
The Beale Farm on Bear Creek along US 43
Beale Copper Mines on the Parkway on Purgatory
Searched the copper mines with two men from Florida.
Jimmy Luck's 800 acre diary farm.
The discontinued road up Goose Creek on Day Branch where the Overstreets live.
Depressions on hill tops both east and west of North Goose Creek.
When the PA people were arrested on Bobbitt's Gap trail we saw their lights from the east side of Goose Creek.
Bobbitt's Gap where Union Soldiers crossed in flight from Jubal Early.
Purgatory on Blue Ridge Parkway checked out air vents from volcano over 60 to 200 ft. at 45 degree angles.
Mines where the roof was burned by torches between Purgatory and Apple Orchard overlook.
The road from Purgatory to Apple Orchard overlook.
Overstreet Tavern at Apple Orchard overlook with a 30 ft. hand dug well several buildings a safe is still there.
Checked out massacre of TJB's party at Apple Orchard overlook
Spent two years on Apple Orchard overlook and the roads leading to it. Drove car where passengers did not ride.
Had trouble out of bears stealing our tools at night and scattering them at Apple Orchard Overlook.
Walked up on a sleep walking bear at night on Sanford Bower's property.
Attacked by a bull on Jimmy Luck's farm with permission to be there. Nearly had to shoot bull but did not.
New Smyrna School and the Otey Farm area in North Goose Creek.
Dowsed up Taylor's Mt. two times and back off.
Drove around the Big Island area. The Overstreets that owned the tavern lived here.
Ran off the road by Mel Fisher's track hoe in North Goose Creek before the TV people knew he was up there.
Went to New Castle picked up a treasure hunter and sled into a ditch in North Goose Creek over one inch of ice.
Searched out all the residents of North Goose Creek through deeds and mapped them on a topo map.
Hunted for a monument one thousand or more feet off the road 1843 when built.
Researched all the residents and their genealogies in North Goose Creek
Henry Buford owned over 6 thousand acres in North Goose Creek.
Sold 1,800 acres to James Wills that also owned property in Lynchburg, Va.
James Wills gave land to sons and daughters on six different tracks.
Went to Sharp Top mt. several times once when Smith and Jones was on the History Channel
Checked out property and a cabin President Jefferson owned at the Peaks of Otter.



Etc, etc etc. I could go on and on but no need you get the picture. If anyone has done anymore than I have to solve this mystery let us hear about it.

 

[ECS]

Every story, every tale is true until research of documents can be found to either verify the story or prove that it is only book for profit...

Every time someone presents the "true" story behind the narrative story presented in Ward's copyrighted BEALE PAPERS, it is an admission that the story in Ward's published job pamphlet is "NOT TRUE", but just a work of fiction.
With that stated, if one then holds the belief that the BEALE PAPERS is a work of fiction, why is the belief that there MUST be a real treasure story behind this story.
Over the last 130 years many claims of solutions and as you listed above, many areas searched for this treasure vault, all ending with the same results- the treasure vault was not found.
Which returns us back to the question if one believes that the story in Ward's published job pamphlet is not true and that there is a "real" story behind the Beale story, sometimes involving a Beale, sometimes not, why would one then believe the treasure to be real and continue to search after acknowledging the presented story is fiction?
Then there are items claimed to be part of the Beale story that become the basis of self published books, and while a story is constructed around these items, the only one to have seen these "Beale items" are the authors of these books.
James Beverly Ward is probably having a long hard laugh observing from heaven how others are profiting from his self published job pamphlet with self published variations on the original story.

 

[franklin]

If he is laughing he would be looking up.