Person:William Ball (1)

Working Timeline

Birthplace in England (NOT Barkham)

• Note of Caution: Many still claim that William Ball was from Barkham Manor in England as was stated by some very early Ball researchers. In 1959, this claim was proven false by English archivist Peter Walne ⁷; yet it still persists today.

Earliest Records in Lancaster County, VA

24 OCT 1653. Certificate granted to Capt. Henry Fleet for importation of 21 people, including William Ball. (DB 1, p. 89)

8 DEC 1653. William Ball and Toby Smyth witness Capt. Henry Fleete's assignment of 200 ares of land on Hadaway's Creek "including three Indyan Cabins" to John Sharpe. (DW 1, p. 132; OB 1652-1654, p. 132)

12 FEB 1654/55. William Ball and Toby Smyth witness Capt. Henry Fleet's assignment of 200 acres of land on Hadaways Creek in Fleet's Bay to John Sharpe. (DW 1, p. 186; OB 1652-1654, p. 149)

29 MAR 1655. William Ball and William Underwood witness to Power of Attorney from Edward Bradshaw to Mr. Hum. Booth to sue William Cotton. (OB 1652-1654, p. 14; Fleet, p 103).

6 JUN 1655. (Recorded). William Ball and William Anderson witness to Edward Bradshaw's Power of Attorney to Mr. Humphrey Booth to sue William Catten. (DW 2, p. 14, Sparcio, p. 8)

16 NOV 1655. William Ball and Thomas Widdon witness Arthur Dunn's Will. Dunn's will makes a provision that "Thomas Kidd shall satisfy unto Robert Middleton 1,200 lbs. of tobo: & cask & to Willm. Ball about four hundred pounds more both of which are my sd debt." Thomas Kidd and Bartran Hobert were Dunn's executors. (DW 2, p. 23). Thomas Kidd lived in what is now Middlesex County.

19 MAY 1657. Certifcate for land issued to William Ball for transporting himself four times and also for transporting Hugh Davys and Richard Ball. (Orders 1656-1666, p. 16, Sparacio, p. 10).

2 JUN 1657. Land Patent to Domick Theriott of Lancaster County, land on Clapham's Creek and adjacent to Edwin Conway, due for importation of 32 persons, including William Ball FOUR TIMES, and Richard Ball. (Nugent Vol. I, p. 347-348, citing PB 4, p. 102.) These were probably same headrights named in the certificate issued to William Ball above, and apparently sold by William Ball to Domick Theriott.

27 NOV 1658. William Ball and Richard Ball were witnesses to a deed from Enock Hawker to John Dickenson of a 3 year old red heifer. (DW 2, p. 174).

18 APR 1659. William Ball (by mark), John Sharpe (by mark) and Thomas Powell (signature) appraised the estate of Mr. John Irish. This estate included a sea plat, a sea quadrant, a cross staff, one pair of brass compasses, a gunter scale, "another sea instrument", a seaman's "kalander" and carpenter's tools. (DW 2, p. 63-64)

9 MAR 1660/61. William Ball and others, including Mr. David Fox, paid debts due from estate from estate of Mr. Thomas Prettyman. (DW 2, p. 127)

Records in Maryland

See: "A Forgotten Member of the Ball Family" (Anonymous), The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 7, No. 4, p. 440-441 (April, 1900) and Vol. 8, No. 1 (July, 1900).

See: Mrs. William Montgomery Sweeny, "Colonel William Ball, of Balleston, Maryland, And Millenbeck, Virginia, Great-Grandfather of George Washington", Genealogies of Virginia Families From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 1, p. 74-80 (Baltimore: Clearfield Publishing Co., 2004).

16 JUL 1659, warrant for 500 acres

15 FEB 1659/60, grant of 420 acres called Balleston, on west side of Chesapeake Bay called North West River, on Ball's Creek [later Baltimore County] (Land Office, Liber 4, folio 342).

Land Patents to William Ball I in Virginia

18 JAN 1663/64. Mr. William Ball, 300 acres [Lancaster County] at head of a small branch proceeding out of the SW side of Narrow Neck Creek, which divides this land and land in possession of Thomas Rootes formerly belonging to Edward Grimes, dec'd, proceeding out of Coratoman River, and granted to David Fox 1 NOV 1653 and by him assigned to Thomas Hobkins and by him sold to said Ball. [Source: Nugent, Vol. I, p. 491, citing PB 3, p. 270]

30 SEP 1667. Maj. William Ball. 240 acres on North side of Rappahannock River [Lancaster County], adj. David Fox, land of Grimes, a creek dividing this land from and of Thomas Harwood. Granted to Edward Grimes 21 MAY 1651 and by him deserted, and now granted to said Ball. Due for transportation of 5 persons: William Jeffres, Abram Jackson, Tim White, Bernard Moore, Mary Field. [Source: Nugent, Vol. II, p. 20, citing PB 6, p. 67 (LVA Reel 6)]

[His 1680 Lancaster County will leaves 540 acres by TWO patents to his son William Ball II]

    17 April 1667. William Ball and Thomas Chetwood. 1600 acres on North Side of Rappahannock River in [Old] Rappahannock County (now Stafford County). Due for transportation of 32 persons: William Ball, his son, Hannah Ball, her daughter, Mary Jones, Martha, Ran. Gwill, Jos. Haseldowne, Joseph Foster, Ralph Gath, George Comes, Yarrett Williams, Henry Scoller, William Higgins, Edward Wagg, Dorothy Wells, William Morris, Joshua Greene, Jno. Chandler, Wm. Harloe, Nath. Freeman, Thomas Harris, George Martin, Jno. Bridgman, Elizabeth Smith, Grace -----, Edward Salter, RIchard Blackman, Robert Sanders, Thomas Bowles, Thomas Dickins, Robert Ambrose. [Source: Nugent, Vol. II, p. 20, citing PB 6, p. 67 (LVA Reel 6).]

[His 1680 Lancaster County will leaves this 1600 acres by TWO patents to his sons William and Joseph]

WILL: Dated 5 OCT 1680, proved 11 NOV 1680, WB 5:70-71. Names "wife" not named; sons William and Joseph.

Additional Resources

• From Martha C. Mordecai - Col. William Ball was the Ball immigrant. He was the great-grandfather of George Washington. Almost all of these Virginia ancestors were members of the House of Burgesses. William was a member of the House of Burgesses, 1669-73. The majority of the earliest ancestors came to VA in the 1630-1650 era. The Balls were from Lancaster Co., VA. There are a great deal of hand written land grants at Virginia Land Office Patents & Grants/Northern Neck Grants & Surveys. Much can be found at the Mary Ball Washington Library and St. Mary's White Chapel Church. They consider Ball descendants to be royalty. (Source: Ted Kaufman, Dallas, TX 2002). I went to Lancaster Co., VA, and the Mary Ball Library, in Oct. of 2003 and found much information on the Ball line.
• genealog.ballgen
• ancestrylibrary.com

1. ↑ William Ball, in Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009)
   1.

   Great-grandfather of George Washington. William Ball, c. 1615-Millenbeck, Lancaster Co. 1 Oct-Nov 1680, London. 2 Jul 1638 [m] Hannah Atherold. Father possibly Dr. Richard Ball of London.

2.   Hill, p. 1.
3.   Cukro, Diane. Descendants of William Ball. (Huntington, NY: Private Manuscript, 2002)
   1-5.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Will Abstract of William Ball, in Lee, Ida J. Abstracts Lancaster County, Virginia, Wills, 1653-1800. (Richmond: Dietz Press, 1959).

   p 6 -
   BALL, William. Will. 5 Oct. 1680. Rec. 11 Nov. 1680.
   To son Wm. Ball, my plantation, 2 patents of 540 acres. Wife Hannah ; son Joseph Ball Patent of 1600 acres in Rappa. Co., Dau. Hannah, wife of Capt. David Fox only 5 shillings sterling, which is overpayment both of her portion and deserts. Extrs. Sons William and Joseph. Wits. Thos. Everest, Jno. Mottly.
   W.B. 5, p. 70.

5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 COLONEL WILLIAM BALL, in Hayden, Horace Edwin. Virginia genealogies : a genealogy of the Glassell family of Scotland and Virginia: also of the families of Ball, Brown, Bryan, Conway, Daniel, Ewell, Holladay, Lewis, Littlepage, Moncure, Peyton, Robinson, Scott, Taylor, Wallace, and others, of Virginia and Maryland. (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.: E.B. Yordy, printer, 1891)
   50-53.

   p 50, 51 -
   ...1. COLONEL WILLIAM BALL, "of ye County of Lancastr in Rapp.," b. cir 1615 ; d. "Millenbeck," Lancaster county, Va., Nov., 1680. Will dated Oct. 15, 1680 ; pro. Lanc. county, Nov., 1680.* He m. "in London," July 2, 1638, HANNAH ATHEROLD, probably dau. of Thomas Atherold, of Burgh, in Suffolk. She survived her husband.
   
   * p 50-51 -
   In the name of god Amen. I William Ball of ye County of Lancastr in Rapp being Praised be god in good & pfect health both of Body and minde doe make and Ordaine this my Last Will and Testament in Manner and form following (vis) Imp'et 1 bequeath my Soule to god Almighty my maker and Creator in full Assurance of ye pardon and Remission of all my sins Through ye death & meritts of Jesus Christ my only Savior and Redeemer and my body to ye Earth from Whence it Came to be Decently Intered and for my Worldly Estate my Just Debts and funerall Rights first is Charged I give and Dispose as foll:

   Item I give and Devise my Land and Plantation Whereon I Lived Expresst in two pattents Containing five hundred & forty Acres to my Sone William Ball and his heirs forever never ye les it is my Will and Pleasure yt my Loving Wife Hannah Ball be and Remaine in full possession thereof together wth all householde goods and Servants both Christians and Negrowes wth ye * * * of Cattle of all kinds Excepting What is pticularly bequeathed out of it wch never ye less is not to be Delivered till ye * * * of her rights for and During her natural Life pvided she soe long Remained A Widdow and therefore it is my Will and pleasure that what shall remain in her possession be Inventoryed and Vallued by her Selfe and my two Sons Between them them selves to ge (together) and if She Should Marry againe She may then Enjoy on * * her pporconable parte according to Law.

   Item, for ye Other part of my Estate Consisting Cheifly in Marchantdiscing goods and Debts it is my will and pleasure ye same alsoe be Inventoried and Vallued as before and that she my s'd Wife Likewise Enjoy one third part thereof and that ye Remainder togeather wth what shall be Over and Above her third part of houschold goods servants and Cattle of all Kinds & not hereby pticularly bequeathed bee Soone After ye termination of her Right hereby lymitted Devided into five parts three Whereof I give and Bequeath to my Son William Ball & his heirs forever and ye Other two parts to my Son Joseph Ball & his heirs forever their part of Marchantdizeing goods & Debts to be forthwth Delivered.

   Item, I give and Devise my land in ye freshes of Rappk Cont'g by pattent 1600 Acres to my two Sons William and Joseph and to each of there heires forever to be equally Divided between them wthout any Advantage of Survlvorshipp if either of them should decese before Demission.

   Item, I give and Bequeath to my Son William and his heires my two Negroes Called Tame and Katie his Wife and to my son Joseph and his heires my Negro Tony and Dinah his wife, the Negro Girle Bess and ye negro boy James to my wife to Dispose of between my two sons or their Children, and noe other Wise When her Rights shall Determine Either by Death or Marryage.

   Item I give unto my two Sons William and Joseph Whatsoever Either of them stands Indepted to me upon Acco in my book.

   Item, I give unto my Daughter Hannah now ye Wife of Capt David ffox only five shillings Sterling Which is an Overplus both of her portion and Deserts.

   Item I hereby nominate and Appointe my two sons William and Joseph Executors of this my Last Will and testament to act together in all things in ye Ordering and Disposing of ye Estate According to the true Intent and meaning thereof by a due pformance of ye Severall Exceptions pvisoes and Limitations therein Contained hereby Renouncing all former Wills and Deeclare this to be my last Will and testament by Witnessing the same wh my hand Seale this fifth day of Octr 1680 and in the two and thirtieth year of our Soveraigne Lord King Charles ye Second.

   WILLIAM BALL [L.]

   Sealed and Delivered in psence of us Thomas Everest, John Mottby, per signo Probat fuit humoi Testmt in Cur Com Lancast Decimo die Novembris Ao Domi 1680 pr Saemt Thomas Everest et John Mottby Jur in Cur. Test John Stretchly Clk. True copy test. Jno. Stretchly.

6.   Family Recorded, in Colonial Dames of America. Chapter 1, Baltimore. Ancestral records and portraits: a compilation from the archives of Chapter I, the Colonial Dames of America. (New York: Grafton Press, 1910)
   814.
7.   Walne, Peter. The English Ancestry of Colonel William Ball of Millenbeck, in Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. (Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Historical Society)
   67:399-405, No 4 (Oct 1959).

   [Demonstrates that immigrant William Ball of Millenbeck was NOT from Barkham, England.]
   -----
   [Note: Peter Walne was Berkshire County Archivist, Reading, England.]