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One of the least remembered families in the early history of Bloomfield is the Ball family. However, their lack of popularity is overshadowed by their contributions to the town. The Homestead at 288 Broad street and the Bloomfield Cemetery on Belleville avenue remain as silent legacies of the Ball family in Bloomfield.The first Ball in New Jersey was Edward. Edward Ball was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England about 1640. His early life was spent in the English colony of Barbados* with his father. His life there gave him suitable training for the pioneering life he would encounter in the New World. His name appears among the first settlers of Branford, Connecticut in 1665. Like Robert Treat and the Milford congregation, the Branford congregation were displeased with the union of the colonies of New Haven and Connecticut allowing non-congregationalist church members to vote and take part in town affairs. In May, 1666, a purchase was made on the Passaic river and the Branford congregation joined Robert Treat and the Milford group in the Newark settlement. Sometime later, Edward Ball married Abigail Blatchly who was born about 1650. Edward Ball was probably a farmer by profession. During the winter months, he was probably a lawyer. He owned a house on Broad street in Newark and owned much land outside of the Newark settlement. In 1673, he wished to sell his lands in Newark to buy the large tract of land between the Passaic and Hackensack rivers but found that the area had already been claimed. Edward once owned land "at or near" the Second river from 1675 to 1679.
Edward Ball was one of the most important men in the Newark settlement. He held a number of offices including surveyor of Highways, 1674-1678; town attorney, 1679-1686; constable, 1683-1689; overseer of the poor, 1692; high sheriff of Essex County, 1693; and grand juror, 1709-1710.
He had six known children and he died shortly after 1724, although there is no record of the exact date of his death.
To prevent confusion in outlining the Ball family genealogy, numbers will be used after each name to indicate the generation; Edward being first (1).
First Son : Edward's (1) first son, Joseph (2) was born in 1673. It is generally assumed that from Joseph the Bloomfield line of Balls descended. However, it is wrongly thought that Joseph's (2) son, Joseph (4), was a Revolutionary War soldier. This is obviously an error in historical accounts because Joseph (2) died on April 25, 1733. Joseph (4) was born July 28, 1734 -- a year after Joseph (2) had died.
From studying genealogical records, the situation appears to run as follows. Joseph (2) had a son, Daniel (3) who was born in 1706. Daniel (3) had a son, Joseph (4), the date of birth which is not stated. However, it would seem that Joseph (4) is the one who is associated with Bloomfield. Daniel (3) died at age 30 on July 7, 1735, two years after Joseph (4) was born. Therefore, I assume Joseph (4) was taken in by Daniel's brother, Thomas (3) who lived in Watsesson. Thomas (3) had married Sarah Davis, daughter of Thomas Davis. It is assumed that Thomas built the Homestead at 288 Broad street around 1735. Thomas died on October 18, 1744.
Whoever had been Joseph's (4) father, it is known definitely that his great-grandfather was Edward, and his grandfather was Joseph (2). Also, it is known that Joseph (4) married Anna Harrison, the daughter of George Harrison, owner of one of the first saw mills in Watsesson. Anna was born on December 21, 1741.
Revolutionary Soldier : Joseph was a Revolutionary War soldier and his tombstone in the Bloomfield Cemetery is marked by a Daughters of the American Revolution tablet. On October 27, 1796, the people of the area met to incorporate as the Trustees of the Presbyterian Society of Bloomfield. Joseph Ball contributed 15 pounds, or about 45 dollars, towards the subscription fund.
Joseph's will, dated August 31, 1805, names four children; two of whom "went west" (probably to Pennsylvania or Ohio); Abigail, the Widow Jones, who is buried at the left of her father; and Isaac.
Isaac was born in 1776 in the Homestead on Broad street. His wife, Sally, was born in 1778. Isaac was a quarryman in a quarry near Toney's brook. He helped cut some of the stones used to build the Church on the Green. Isaac and Sally became members of the Church on July 17, 1808.
The Homestead Today : The Homestead, as it appears today, has been tremendously altered since it was built sometime around 1735.
Most of the alterations took place when Dr. Walter Merkelbach (father of the present owner, Dr. Robert Merkelbach) made the house into his home and office in 1937. Among the additions have been a professional wing on the north-west site of the house; another small wing on the south-west side of the house; two dormers on the front of the main structure; and extended dormer on the back; aluminum siding; and numerous windows.
Originally the house was probably a smaller version of the larger structure with additions, extensions and roof-raisings as the family grew larger. One of the most interesting features of the house is the basement. When looking at the building methods, one can see rubble fieldstone construction and huge hewn oak beams fitted together, many with the bark still on them. The beams support random-sized floorboards. The walls, beams and floorboards were all whitewashed over.
The cellar has two fireplaces and a separate entrance indicating that early cooking may have taken place down there. The floors were originally packed dirt, but were cemented over during this century.
The outside construction is visible in parts close to the ground. The stones used for the main structure are of a finer cut than those used in the basement. The cracks were filled in with a mixture of clay, mud and horsehair. The stones were later covered with clapboards which have since been covered by aluminum siding.
Probably the most interesting part of the house is what used to be the kitchen. The room is now rented for professional purposes, but the fireplace, bake oven and "Parson's Cabinet" are all in the original condition.
The fireplace is quite large, covering half the south wall. It is built with huge cut stones and bricks. A woden mantel was placed over the fireplace at a later date. There is a large iron crane attached to the inside of the fireplace, which is the original one. To the left of the fireplace is a bake oven, in the center of the wall. A removable wooden box has been inserted into the front of it for practical purposes. Once the box is removed, one can see the arched opening into the semi-circular brick oven. The original cover is also in the oven.
The Bake Oven : Sally Ball would have used the bake oven only once or twice a week to bake the breads and cakes for the family. Firing a bake over was a task requiring a special type of skill. First, a fire had to be started in the center of the oven very early in the morning. This was fed with hardwood kindling and logs. The fire would burn for about three hours until the logs burnt down to ash. Then, Sally would open the oven an thrust her arms into it. She held it here for less than then seconds, and if the hair on her arm singed, then the oven was ready for baking. The ashes were scraped out and stored in a cavity below the oven to be used for soapmaking in the fall. After the oven was cleaned out, Sally would cover the floor of the oven with a few leaves to place her cakes, muffins and breads on. She would leave them there until they were done. After the important cooking was completed, corn, peas and beans could be placed in the oven overnight to be dried. The oven extends outside the building and can be seen as a small extension off the center portion of the house.
In the kitchen, to the left of the oven is a "Parson's cabinet". The cabinet is placed up high, and named for a special reason. Cookies were placed here to keep them out of the reach of children. The cabinet was also used as a hiding place for liquor when the Parson came calling.
The Cemetery was originally called the Presbyterian Burying Ground. The word "cemetery" was not used in those days. The cemetery was enlarged about 1850, when James Ball, Isaac's son, sold 20 acres tot he Church for about $1,500. James was about to sell the land to Major Simeon Baldwin, but at the request of his brother Mark, it was secured for the Church.
Among the dignitaries buried in the cemetery are Alexander Jackson Davis, the noted American architect, many early families and ten Revolutionary War soldiers, including Joseph Ball. Perhaps the most distinguished person interred in the burying round is John Franklin Fort, governor of New Jersey from 1906 to 1911. The Sesquicentennial marker is again in error by claiming the governor's name as being George.
J. Franklin Fort was born in Pemberton in 1852 (while his uncle, Dr. George F. Fort was governor of New Jersey). J. Franklin Fort was named to the Supreme Court of New Jersey in 1900 and as governor, he participated in the first radio broadcast in New Jersey in 1908. He established the Department of Education in 1910; greatly improved road and highway systems; and turned the state deficit into a one million dollar balance. President Woodrow Wilson named him to represent the United states on missions to the Caribbean republics. He was also appointed to the Federal Trade Commission. Fort died in 1920 and his body was taken to the Bloomfield Cemetery for burial.
To the north of the Cemetery on the outskirts of Isaac Ball's property, there was what was known as the "brick pits". In 1810, clay was dug from here and bricks were made to build the Bloomfield Academy.
The Ball family lived in the Homestead for more than 140 years. Sally died in 1813 and Isaac died in 1825. They have been remembered in a tomb-monument erected in the cemetery by their granddaughter.
{*Barbados was one of the few places where the peaceful nomadic Arawak people survived the expansion of the Caribs, but only until the first European incursions, by Spanish adventurers in the early 16thC.
They did not, however, remain, as the island appeared to be without mineral resources, though they named it ‘island of the bearded figtree’. It was uninhabited when claimed by England in 1625.
Between 1627 and 1640, the island was settled by British colonists, who introduced indentured labour to produce tobacco, cotton and indigo.
The introduction of sugar led to large plantations and the importation of African slaves to work them. By 1640 the population was around 30,000, and continued to prosper in agriculture and shipping.
Barbados has one of the oldest constitutions in the Commonwealth, the office of Governor and a Legislative Council having been introduced in 1627, and a House of Assembly constituted in 1639.
Barbados stands in splendid isolation as a proud and welcoming sentinel at the gateway to the West Indies. Being the most Easterly of the Caribbean islands, Barbados has for centuries been the potential first landfall for any sailors venturing Westwards. And so it proved to be for the Spanish and Portuguese adventurers who rode the winds of the prevailing North East Trades in the 1500's. They came in search of gold and riches but merely found a densely vegetated island inhabited by a small population of Amerindians.
Though the Iberians opted not to settle on the island, they did give it a name - "Los Barbados." General consensus is that this was derived from their fascination with the pendulous, aerial roots of the Bearded Fig Tree (A Ficus) which are reminiscent of a long, thick beard. "Barba" means beard and "barbados" translates to the "bearded ones"......hence the island of "Barbados."
No Europeans chose to settle in Barbados until the English arrived in 1625 by virtue of the navigational miscalculations of Captain Henry Powell. To them the island represented a golden opportunity to acquire a colony with tremendous scope for agricultural development - vacant, favourable climate, rich soils, good drainage through the coral bedrock and generally flat land. So, having put ashore at the site of today's Holetown, they promptly claimed the island in the name of the Crown and left to return at a later date. This they did in 1627 when Powell brought with him 80 settlers and a number of slaves captured en-route from a trading vessel. These early pioneers set about the task of clearing the densely wooded land and planting tropical crops such as cotton, tobacco, yams and cassava, thus instigating a period of uninterrupted rule that was to last some 339 years and gain the island the sobriquet "Little England."}
