Ball Bounty

Although Mr GeniAus (my husband Robert) is not particularly fond of research he loves making connections with distant cousins and sharing stories and photographs with them. He will and has travelled to the ends of the earth to meet up with them. We have travelled to Rochdale Lancs., the town of his Ball line on several occasions and visited local archives, churches, cemeteries and homes of the Balls. The British Newspaper Archive has recently enabled us to add to the Ball story.

In the early 1800s the Balls lived at Wolstenholme Fold near Rochdale

Way back, when DNA was the new research tool on the block Mr GeniAus took a Y-DNA test which hasn't really helped us make any connections. Then in 2015 we added an autosomal test from FTDNA followed by an Ancestry test. Through these we have identified several matches and connected with a few on his Ball line but to date haven't added to our knowledge of the family until this week. 

I recently received an Ancestry  message from Alli in the UK relating to three kits that I manage so I promptly messaged her back to confirm that the relationship she asked about was indeed correct. Alli who is Mr GeniAus' third cousin was as excited as Robert and I were to make this connection. It was easy to work out the connection because both Alli and Robert have trees attached to their DNA accounts.

Ancestry message from Alli

 

Alli kindly responded with a copy of a document recording notes on family members written by her grandmother whose grandparents James Ball and Betty Clegg are also Robert's 2xGreatGrandparents. 

James Ball and Betty Clegg's grave in Rochdale Cemetery 

The information in the document filled in many gaps for us and provided some clues for further research. The icing on the cake was being sent a copy of a photo of James Ball held by Alli's branch of the family. It was the first image we have ever seen of Robert's ancestor. 

I wrote to Alli "We have just sat and read through your grandmother's account. Even though I am not related to the Balls it brought tears to my eyes as I read James' story, having researched them for eons I am quite fond of them.

This is the best and most valuable geneasurprise I have had in years, thank you for taking a DNA test."

As we are visiting the UK in June 2022 we are making arrangements to meet up with Alli and her family. Alli has also agreed to upload her results to Gedmatch so I can examine her chromosome matches with Robert, James and Norma.

It's been an exciting geneaweek for two distant Ball families. Isn't DNA just grand!

Faceless no more

I have been preparing my slides for the webinar on Online Books that I am presenting next week for The Society of Australian Genealogists.

I was browsing through an online .pdf copy of  Parramatta and District Soldiers in the Great War, 1914-1919. Mr GeniAus on seeing the image on my desktop asked whether there were pictures of his Ball Ancestors in the publication.

I had used the publication several years ago for another purpose but didn't think to check for photos of  Grandfather James Ball or Great-Grandfather, John James Ball. Mr GeniAus immediately fired up his laptop and entered the term "Ball" into the publication's search box. He was rewarded with three Ball images. The first was for Fred Ball, brother of James and the second was of James. We had previously seen copies of these images in local newspapers via Trove.

The third image was of "Pte. J. Ball Sen of Liverpool", John James Ball. We have been researching the Ball family for thirty years and this is the first photo we have found of John James. We were both gobsmacked and annoyed with ourselves because we had first looked at this publication several years ago but had blinkers on as we were consulting it for a different purpose.

Needless to say we are both excited that John James in no longer  a Faceless Ancestor. Now we can look again at the few unlabelled Ball images we have to see if we can identify more for John James' gallery.

Remembering Two Jims

A notice about International Firefighters' Day which is held annually on May 4th (St Florian’s Day) just came up on my Twitter feed so I dropped what I was doing and launched into this post.

On this day we remember two Jims, James Ball (1890-1931) and James William Ball (1918-1990), grandfather and father of Mr GeniAus, who both served in the NSW Fire Brigade which is now known as Fire & Rescue NSW. Theirs were not distinguished careers but these two men, who worked in appalling conditions without the benefit of current safety standards, were dedicated and hard-working officers.

Prior to joining the Fire Brigade James Ball (1890-1931) served in the Australian Navy. It was probably James' experience as a leading stoker on Australian warships that prompted him to join the Fire Brigade.

1916 'AUSTRALIA'S DEFENDERS.', The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), 8 March, p. 2. , viewed 04 May 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article86082068

After joining the Brigade James was active in Fire Brigade affairs being a member of the Fire Brigade Band and a coach of the Soccer team.

James Ball 1890-1931 2nd from left, top row

James Ball  1890-1931) (Top left) 

Mr GeniAus never got to meet his grandfather James Ball who died at the age of 42. We are hoping that one day we can find someone who has a clear photo of James to share with us.

1931 'DEATH OF FIREMAN JAS. BALL.', The Propeller (Hurstville, NSW : 1911 - 1954), 9 October, p. 1. , viewed 04 May 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article235040812

We do not know if James William Ball (1918-1990) joined the Fire Brigade in 1941  to follow in his father's footsteps but presume this was the case. James worked in the Fire Brigade for many years retiring in 1978. During that time he worked at many city stations and East Maitland in the Hunter region.

James William Ball at left (1918-1990) on the job

James William (2nd from right) and East Maitland crew

James William not long before he retired

James William Ball (1918-1990) Certificate of service

We family members thought Jim was a special bloke but we are biased, the following words from his boss describe the kind, gentle man that we loved.

Today we salute the service of two Jims and all firefighters around the world who work tirelessly to protect we and our property.

A First Cousin Once Removed

Some time last year when Mr GeniAus tracked down the contact details of his father's first cousin he immediately contacted her by 'phone and asked would she mind if we visited some time.  Then life got in the way.

Finally on Sunday we made our way up the motorway to the Port Stephens region where the cousin resides. We had armed ourselves with some ancestor charts, a narrative on some of her Ball ancestors, copies of photos and some chocolate biscuits. Can you believe I left my camera behind in our accommodation in Newcastle? Luckily Mr GeniAus and I both had our mobile 'phones. I had my laptop in the car but didn't take it into the house initially as I didn't want to overwhelm this octogenerian. 

Mr GeniAus' Grandfather - there is a strong family resemblance

We organised our arrival for 10:00 am so the cousin wouldn't feel obligated to feed us. Of course we stayed longer and enjoyed lunch with the cousin and her husband. The cousin was most interested in her family history but didn't have any certificates or documents to share. She corroborated stories we had heard and gave us some names and dates that provided enough clues to track down references for some BDMs  and burials. She was able to help us identify some family members in our photos and we set her straight on one she had mislabelled. 

It was a Win-Win day - we came away with images of two studio photographs of Mr GeniAus' Great-grandmother one of which was with his Grandfather. This was so special because the only photos we have of these two are a couple of blurry amateur images. The cousin was delighted because of the documents we had prepared for her. 

The icing on the cake was when I fetched my computer from the car and read the cousin an account of her parents' wedding I had found on Trove. When we got home Mr G printed off a hard copy and have mailed it to her with a copy of her Grandmother's will.

I had a fun day today going through the notes and finding references including articles from Trove to add to my database.

Collaboration Rocks.

Trove Tuesday - Flags at Half-Mast

Mr GeniAus' grandfather, James Ball died an untimely death. It was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald on this day in 1931.

1931 'MR. JAMES BALL.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 6 October, p. 4, viewed 29 September, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16824559

Trove Tuesday - Where has all the silver gone?

When helping Mr GeniAus, who has developed more than a passing interest interest in his family history, I recently found a new treasure on Trove.

In the absence of family photos of his Ball ancestors this article reporting on the wedding of his Grandparents, James Ball and Harriet Parkinson, paints a picture for us. One wonders what has happened to the cache of silver the happy couple received as wedding presents.The good news is that Mr GeniAus has the Bible which is mentioned, it has recently been restored.

A transcription of the article follows.

Source: 1916 'WEDDING BELLS.', The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), 1 July, p. 11, viewed 6 January, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article86072617

On Saturday the Baptist Church, Liverpool, was crowded to excess on the occasion of the marriage of Mr. James Ball, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. James Ball, of 'Dorking Villa,' Liverpool, to Miss Harriet Parkinson, eldest daughter of Mr. W.H. Parkinson, of Batley, Yorkshire, England. The Rev. W. Bain officiated at theceremony; and the bride was given away by her brother, Mr. R. Parkinson, while Mr. James Kay was best man and Mr.Pettitt groomsman. The bride was prettily attired in grey pallette silk, relievcd with creme maltese lace, hat en suite, and carried a handsome bouquet of white camellias. Miss E. Grundy, bridesmaid, wore a grey crepe de chine frock and black
velvet hat; Miss Ball, bridesmaid, creme crepe -de chine, relieved with lace and minon. mobcap to match; Mrs. Ball, black crepe de chine and lace, relieved with heliotrope, black hat to match. 

After the ceremony the party, adjourned to the residence of the bridegroom's parents in George street, where over 100 guests sat down to breakfast, at which the Rev, W. Bain presided, The Rev. W. Bain, In proposing the toast of 'The King,' referrcd to the service both the bridegroom and his brother had rendered to King and country in the army and navy. Mr. and Mrs. Ball, Jun.,will make Liverpool their future home.

Many presents wore received: — Mrs. J.Ball, sen., cheque and house furnishings;Mr. R. Parkinson, hanging lamp; Mr. Fred Ball, silver cake stand; Miss Ball, celery glasses; Mr. J. Kay, clock and cutlery; Mr.R. Walsh and Miss McGuire, silver butterdishes; Mr. Frank Weeks and Miss Rose-bridge, silver salad dishes ; Mr, Frank Madden, set carvers;  Mr. T. Fielding andMiss Sedgewick, silver tea pot; Miss Lees(2), silver cruet; Mr. Alex Lee, silver pickle jar; Mr. and Mrs. C. Turner, Mrs.Claughton and Miss Pollard, eider down quilt; Mr. Geo. Chapple, silver tea spoons;Miss Edna Schell, silver jam dish; Cor-poral Ferguson (R.S.A.), silver butterdish; Mr. H. Watt and Miss Wilcoxson, silver jam dish: Rev. W. Bain, Bible, Mr. Pettitt (H.M.A.S. Yarra), silver breakfast cruet; Alderman and Mrs. P. Everington, silver butter dish; Mrs. Birchmeyer, silver trinket casket; Mr. and Mrs. Osborne, silver fruit stand; Mr. and Mrs. Hunt, kitchen requisites; Miss Markham, set salad dishes; Mr. and Mrs. Grundie, silver fruitdish; Misses Grundy silver biscuit barrel; Nurse Collins, set glasses and jugs; Misses Andrews, salad bowl; Mrs. Bush,cutlery;. Mr. Bush, silver butter dish; Mr.and Mrs. Laurence Murphy, silver jam dish; Mrs. M. A. King, set, silver teaspoons; Mr;, and Mrs. Leathart, silver vase; Mr. David and Miss Dolly Mills, tea service; Mr. Shepherd and Miss Bower (Sydney), tea set; Mr. and Mrs. Chapple, silver jam dish; Mrs. Brin, set glasses; Mr. andMrs. J. Grinsdod. silver Jam dish; Mr.and Mrs. James Munro, silver butter dish; Mrs. Wood, silver dish; Mrs; Jones, breakfast cruet; Mr. R. Robinson, silver dish; Miss Hanns, dishes; Mr. and Mrs. F. Hunt Jun., jardiniere, etc.; also presents from Mrs. Ratcllffe, Mr. and Mrs. Giles, Mr.Tom Wylie, Mr. J. Stone, and many others.

Temperance

A day spent in Local Studies, Touchstones, in Rochdale.

We discovered that our surnames are very common in these parts.

Children, we also discovered that your 2xGreat-grandfather, James Ball,  was President of The Temperance Society in Rochdale. What's happened to the teetotalling gene?

Sepia Saturday 191 : 24 August 2013

 Rob From Amersfoort wonders if the subjects in the prompt image for this week are a man with his two wives. This idea resonated with me and sent me scurrying to my online images to find a picture that told us that Mr Geniaus' ancestor, James Ball, had two wives. 

It was on a visit to Rochdale Cemetery during our first genealogy holiday in the Mother Country about twelve years ago that we found James' grave in that Cemetery and learnt that James had had two wives and that the threesome were resting together for eternity.  After this find we raced around to the Local Records Office and bolstered the British economy by buying more BDM certificates.

The photo is of very low resolution, I hope that I can find the original or we may have to return to Rochdale to take another picture but next time it won't be in January.

Trove Tuesday - Mr Geniaus is overjoyed

Last night we were babysitting and, after we had the kids settled, I decided to do a little bit of Troving. 

Knowing that new newspaper titles are being continually added to Trove I decided to see if I could find anything new on some of our direct ancestors. As Mr Geniaus was with me I started with his side of the family. His great-grandparents lived in George Street Liverpool, NSW in a house called Dorking Villa, their names were Emily and John James Ball.

Their son, James Ball, Mr Geniaus' grandfather died at a very young age followed not too many years later by his wife Harriet (nee Parkinson). We have no photos of Harriet and only a tiny, tiny photo of James in a group photo of the Fire Brigade Band which, when we blow it up, is a pixellated mess.

I played around with my search terms and was rewarded with some new hits that were all from one newspaper, The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), that was a recent addition to Trove. Once I had found one or two relevant articles I moved to searching just this newspaper. I was surprised to find articles about Liverpool in this publication as I would not have thought its coverage would have extended to Liverpool. As the evening unfolded we found more and more articles that mentioned my husband's grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles aunts and cousins.

I can't being to describe our elation as we read the warts and all stories of the Ball family in Liverpool. Mr Geniaus has been boring the socks off anyone who will listen today as he recounts the stories of these ancestors (he is not into family history but he loves these stories).

I will share just one of the articles in this post. Being greedy I will save the others up for another day.

Mr Geniaus' Grandfather, James Ball is in the centre of this image

1915 'A LIVERPOOL FIGHTING TRIO.', The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), 18 September, p. 10, viewed 22 January, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article86095653

Mr Geniaus is jumping for joy now that he has a photo of his grandfather.

At present only issues of The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950) from 1888-1919 have been digitised. As Emily and John James Ball  lived until 1944 and 1950 respectively in the Liverpool area imagine what treasure awaits us when later issues of the paper are digitised and made available on Trove.