Mildred Lewis Ware was born on March 21, 1871, in York, Ontario.[2] She lived in the Toronto area until she moved with her family to Alberta in 1889.[3] She married John Ware on Tuesday March 1, 1892, in Calgary, Alberta.[4] Once married, Mildred helped John with his 200 head of cattle; however, Mildred never learned to ride a horse.[5] In 1893, Mildred gave birth to their first daughter, Amanda Janet Nettie Ware.[6] Mildred and John would go on to have four sons and two daughters until 1901, with five of them surviving until adulthood.[7] In 1902, the Ware family moved to a new ranch in the Rosebud area; nevertheless, their home was destroyed by a flooding of the Red Deer River.[8] Mildred and her family survived the flooding and prospered, increasing their head of cattle to 1000.[9] As a previous schoolteacher, Mildred was able to read and write, whereas her husband John was unable to do either.[10] These skills left Mildred in charge of the bookkeeping for the ranch. Additionally, she was able to teach her children to read and write.[11] Their children attended school in Blairmore, living with Mildred’s family.[12] In 1905, Mildred died of pneumonia at the age of 37.[13] John died five months after Mildred, leaving their children to be raised by their grandmother.[14]
