Frederick, Ward's fourth son, committed suicide. Elizabeth was considered as mentally incompetent. His youngest child by his first wife, Mary E. Ward, was considered "eccentric." Ward's two children by his second wife also had problems. Clara married Marie Joseph Anatole Pierre Alphonse de Riquet, Prince de Caraman-Chimay in 1890 and became Princesse de Caraman-Chimay, officially a genuine European princess. She, however, later run off with a Hungarian gypsy and left her husband, causing quite a scandal. Eber Jr.’s wife, Victorine, divorced him in 1900. She said he was too much captivated with his stepdaughter, her daughter from a previous marriage, Blanche Herault. Ward died January 2, 1875 of a stroke. At the time of his death he was a multi-millionaire. He owned about two million dollars' worth of real estate and about $500,000 in a shipping fleet. Additionally he owned about a million dollars worth' of stock in the Chicago Rolling Mill company and about half a million dollars' worth of stock of the Milwaukee Rolling Mill company which contributed much to his wealth. He also had about a half a million in the Wyandotte Rolling Mill. At the time of his death it was uncertain what he was worth. Ward's immense wealth and business interests were so large at the time of his death that it is said that hardly any town of any importance in the Midwest was not affected by his death. His capital was so large and vast that it took several different accountings to figure it out. His businesses extended through several States reaching from Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico. His businesses were chiefly invested in iron, silver and copper mines, pine lands, sawmills, in rolling mills, silver smelting works, railroads, farming lands, and glass works. Ward was nominally the wealthiest man in the whole Midwest at the time of his death. His capital was estimated anywhere from about $7,000,000 to about $22,000.000. Realistically about $10,000,000 was all that was obtained from his estate when it was ultimately cashed out. It was not enough to cover all the liabilities Ward entailed. At the time of his death he left five adult children by his first wife and two children (a boy, 5 years old, and a girl, 2 years old) by his second wife. He wrote up a last will and testament six months prior to his death.