Christopher Ward

Born in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1868, Christopher Longstreth Ward became known as a lawyer, historian, and author with deep ties to Delaware. University of Delaware archival material describes him as a popular early-20th-century Delaware author, and records show that his papers include drafts, correspondence, clippings, and scrapbooks from a long professional writing career.

Ward wrote across an unusually wide range. Alongside light and comic books such as The Triumph of the Nut, and Other Parodies, Twisted Tales, and Foolish Fiction, he also produced substantial historical works including The Dutch & Swedes on the Delaware, 1609-64, New Sweden on the Delaware, and The Delaware Continentals, 1776-1783. He is also associated with The War of the Revolution, a large history that was published after his death.

What makes him memorable is that mix of playfulness and seriousness: one book could parody literary fashions, while the next explored colonial Delaware or the American Revolution in depth. He died in 1943, leaving behind a body of work that still connects regional history, literary humor, and early American storytelling.