The Earle-Ward Family collection contains the personal correspondence, business papers, and legal documents of Josiah F. Earle, Cynthia Earle Ward, J.E.H. Ward, and Julia Ward Miller. Josiah F. Earle was a court clerk, school commissioner, and farmer with extensive holdings of property. During the Civil War, he organized the first confederate company in Crittenden County. Cynthia Earle Ward was the wife of J.E.H. Ward and the sister of Josiah Earle.

Cynthia Earle Ward's diary, below, offers insight into the Civil War years as they affected a female in typical plantation life. After the death of her husband, Cynthia Earle Ward managed the plantation operations.

The Earle-Ward Family collection finding aid is available in the finding aids section of this site.