Notes
Letter from Dr. Joseph L. Druse to Mrs. Mary (Ball) Scukanec, 6 Jan 1978:
I was doubly delighted to get your letter today; first becuase it proves
that the US Post Office can really function - you wrote the letter
yesterday - and second because it enables me to make a lot more Ball
cards for my file. I'm happy you had a chance to get to Connecticut at
Christmas time.
The real problem with the Alling - Edward relationship is the lack of
evidence. Alling left a will in which he names his children; Edward is
not included. It must be said that it is not infrequent for that to
happen, when there exists some other form of settlement of land or
property by a father on a child. There is no evidence, however, of any
other such settlement between Alling and Edward. A second consideration
is that none of Edward's children bear any names of Allings children. It
was very common for family names to go down the generations. The name
Alling never shows up among Edward's descendants.
It is also to be noted the Edward married Abigail Blatchley or Blakeslee;
her mother was Susannah Ball, a sister of Alling Ball. It is perfectly
possible that the knowledge of a relationship on the mother's side
somehow in later generations got transfered to the father's side.
One of the reasons I've been spending so much time in England on the
seventeenth century Ball wills was to find out more clearly where our
colonial Balls came from, and perhaps clear up such myseries as this
problem.
{Conversation with Dr. Druse 11 Feb 1997}
Stated that only three Edward Ball's show up in English court records
he's researched. None seem to be Edward of New Jersey.
New Haven Historical Society, Ancient Records Series, Vol. 1, 1649-1662
"AT A COURT HELD AT NEWHAUEN THE 7TH OF AUGUST, 1655"
". . . Elizabeth Godman was called before the Court, and told that
she lies vnder suspition for witchcraft, as she knowes, the grounds of
which were examined in a former Court, and by herselfe confessed to be
just grounds of suspition, wch passages were now read, and to these some
more are since added, wch are now to be declared:/
Mr Goodyeare said that the last winter vpon occasion of Gods
afflicting hand vpon the plantation by sickness, the private meeting
where of he is had appointed to set a day apart to seeke God: Elizabeth
Godman desired she might be there; he told her she was vnder suspition,
and it would be offensive; she said she had great need of it, for she was
exercised wth many temptations, and saw strange apparitions, and lights
aboute her bed, and strange sights wch affrighted her; some of his family
said if she was affraide they would worke wth her in the day and lye wth
her in the night, but she refused and was angry and said she would haue
none to be wth her for she had her spirituall armour aboute her. She was
asked the reason of this: she answered, she said so to Mr Goodyeare, but
it was her fancy troubled her, and she would haue none lye wth her
because her bed was weake: she was told that might haue been mended: then
she said she was not willing to haue any of them wth her, for if anything
had fallen ill wth them they would haue said that she had bine the cause:/
Goodwife Thorpe informed the Court that concerning something aboute
chickens she had formerly declared, wch was now read, after wch she one
time had some speech wth Mris Evance aboute this woman, and through the
weakness of her faith she began to doubt that may be she would hurt her
cowes, and that day one of her cowes fell sick in the heard, so as the
keeper said he thought she would haue dyed, but at night when she came
into the yard was well and continewed so, but would neuer give milk nor
bring calfe after that; therefore they bought another cow, that they
might haue some breed, but that cast calfe also; after that they gott
another, and she continued well about a fortnight, but then began to pine
away and would giue no milke and would sweat so as she would be all of a
water where-euer she lay, wthout or wthin; then she thought there was
some thing more than ordinary in it, and could not but thinke that she
was bewitched; God helped her to examine herselfe, and to be humbled for
her vnbelief, and to seeke him twice or thrice to deliuer the beast, but
upon the day that John Knight was executed (hauing more freedome than
ordinary) she sought God earnestly to resist the euill spirit, and if the
beast was ill by that meanes he would deliuer it, and presently the Lord
answered and ye beast was well and continewes so. About a weeke after,
she went by Mr Goodyeares, and there was Eliza: Godman pulling cherries
in ye streete; she said, how doth Goody Thorpe? I am behoulden to Goody
Thorpe aboue all the weomen in the Towne: she would haue had me to the
gallowes for a few chickens; and gnashed and grinned wth her teeth in a
strang manner, wch she confesseth was true, but owned nother aboute ye
cows:/"
[More interesting testimony follows, but since I'm getting tired of
typing, I'll skip ahead to Allen and Goody Ball's testimony]
"Allen Ball informed the Court that one time Eliza: Godman came to
his house and asked his wife for some butter-milke; she refused and bid
her be gone, for she cared not for her company: she replyed, what, you
will saue it for your piggs, but it will doe them no good; and after this
his piggs all but one dayed, one after another, but the cause he knowes
not. Another time she came into his yard: his wife asked wat she came
for; she said to see her calfe: now they had a sucking calfe, wch they
tyed in the lott to a great post that lay on ye ground, and the calfe ran
away wth that post as if it had bine a fether and ran amonge Indian corne
and pulled vp two hills and stood still: after he tyed the calfe to a
long heauy raile, as much as he would well life, and one time she came
into ye yard and looked on the calfe and it set a running and drew the
raile after it till it came to a fence and gaue a great cry in a lowing
way and stood still; and in ye winter the calfe dyed, doe what he could ,
yet eate its meate well enough:/"
There was more testimony, some of which involved "Goody" Ball. and there
are other interesting cases in this book as well (I don't have it, just
copied some pages at the library. Allen Balle is told to take care of
Thomas Fugills fence (which indicates some sort of relationship between
them, (I think -- some say he married a Fugill). Thomas Blatchley gave
the court "some offence and neglecting the imadge of God in magistrats, &
goeing away soe irreverently and sayeing he would have justice in another
place if he had it not here, wch now lyeing on his conscience, desirs to
cleare himself, wherewth the court was satisfied"
Ref#110:
When I first started my search on the Ball family (about 18/20 years
ago), I found that I had copied a T.A.G. article written by Donald Lines
Jacobus, M.A., of New Haven, Conn, pages 208-212, regarding the BALL
family. Somehow I missed writting the vol. number down. Basically this
is what it says.
1. "The real paternity of Alling BALL ...... was published in the
N.E.H.G.R.
vol 54. p. 96." "From the will of John BALL of St. Mary Bowe, London,
Clothmaker, will dated 28 Feb 1637/8 proved 9 Apr 1638. Names brother
Samuel
BALL, mother-in-law [prob. step mother] and her sons Leonard COOKE and
Thomas COOKE; my cousin Mary RUSSELL, and her brother Allen BALL, son of
my
uncle Allen BALL, and two other daughters of uncle Allen BALL; cousin John
BAll, son of my uncle Hugh BALL; cousin William BALL, my co-partner; the
wife of my other cousin William BALL (who is beyond seas); children of my
cousin Roger BALL; cousin Newman ROOKES; my two brothers, Andrew BALL and
Samuel BALL. The witnesses were James RUSSELL, Richard PREICE (sic),
Richard
BALL, and Alice BALL.
2. Mr. Jacobus continues with the fact that this proves Alling BALL's
father
was Alling or Allen, and his sisters were Mary (BALL) RUSSELL, and two who
were not named. The William who was overseas, came before Alling and had
left his family in England. This William was probably the same William who
died in New Haven, and so Alling was not the brother of Col. William BALL
of
VA.
3. Mr. Jacoobus says that the proof of this is further cemented by the
mention of Alling's sister, Mary RUSSELL. Mary married James RUSSELL of
New
Haven, and they had one child Hannah who married Thomas KIMBERLY, Jr., who
died without issue. The children of Alling also became heirs.
4. The inventory of estate for Mary RUSSELL "presented" 11 Nov 1674 and
the
next June the court found that the only daughter of the late James RUSSELL
and Mary, and the wife of Thomas KIMBERLY, was to have the entire estate
after the death of her mother.
5. On 3 Mar 1706/7 Hannah Kimberly, widow, and Sgt. John BALL (who was a
collateral heir of the estate) made an agreement " for himself and all the
rest of the collateral heirs) of the said estate".
6. Land records - 26 Sep 1705 - Hannah Kimberly widow of Thomas Kimberly,
gave power of attorney to "my truste & well beloued frind and Kinsman John
BALL". 19 Jul 1708, Hannah sold land to " my Louing Kinsman Capt. Allen
BALL". "John BALL and Capt. Alling BALL were the two surviving sons of
Alling BALL Sr.".
While this may put to rest the confusion regarding the relationship to
George WASHINGTON, the fact that Susannah BALL being a sister of Alling,
has not changed.
As I stated before, Dr. Druse, had written me about the source for
Susannah being the sister of Alling. I have never seen the actual
article, but I will
write Dr. Druse and ask where he found "Putman's History", and if he
would send me a copy of the article.
"Families of Ancient New Haven, Conn., Vol 1, compiled by Donald Lines
Jacobus, Printer: Clarence D. Smith, Rome, NY 1923
BALL - English Ancestry:
Alling of London ? English., uncle of John Ball of St. Mary-Le-Bon London.
Alling of New Haven died 1716, m. Dorothy________ who died 22 Feb 1689/90
NH vital Stats.
Family:
John, b 15 Apr 1649 - d. 1 Jan 1730. m 11 Dec 1678 to Sarah, dau of
Harry and Helena Glover.
Eliphalet, b 11 Feb 1650, d 11 Jul 1673 without issue - m 13 Feb
1672 to Hannah dau of John and Elizabeth Nash.
Mercy, b ABT 1654, d 13 Aug 1684, m 10 Feb 1675 to Geo. Pardee
Alling, b 27 Jun 1656, d 1710 (Captain). m 24 Nov 1678 to Sarah dau
of John and Dorothy Thompson who was b 30 Apr 1654, d 23 Oct 1716.
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