Descendants of Edward Ball (NJ)

>>>>> WHO'S WHO & LINES OF FAMILY RESEARCH <<<<<

This website is brought to you by a group of Ball cousins who "met" each other on the Internet genealogy conferences. Their common ancestor is Edward Ball, who was a founding father of Newark, New Jersey in 1666. If you would like to join us in researching our common Ball family heritage, or simply want to learn more, you can send an E-mail message to [email protected]

Please include your Ball lineage from Edward & Abigail in this format:
(Edward-1, Caleb-2, John-3, Samuel-4, Amzi-5, John-6, Nancy-7)
Also include your name, internet address, postal address, phone,
fax, brief biography of yourself, NJ surnames and locations
that you are researching, any questions and queries?

ELLEN CHAMBERS

My husband, Cliff Chambers, is a retired commercial construction superintendent. When we travel Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri, we check the different job sites to see how time has treated his various projects. It used to be when we traveled with our children they would fight over who would be the first to locate one of Dad's job sites, and there are many of them. Schools, nursing homes, post offices, activity centers, banks, motels, etc. etc. etc. One reward of Cliff's career in construction came in 1980, when his boss gave us an all expenses paid two week vacation in Hawaii. It was our very first "Grand" vacation, and we had a blast!! Loved it so much we have spent four more of our vacations there. Our last trip was once again given to Cliff by his boss, just before retirement.

I am the genealogist in the family. Started in the late 60's early 70's when our son Michael wanted to earn his family badge in Cub Scouts. He didn't catch the bug, but I did. For quite a few years whatever information I received was put up for the day that I could find time to do something with it.

Cliff's last big job, in Dodge City, Kansas, was the Manor of the Plains Nursing Home, which covered about four square blocks. It was a nice "last job". I enjoyed it because it was close to an LDS library - also the Kansas Genealogical Library, a DAR Library, and about 6 city, college, high school libraries as well, so I really had a ball working on our family tree. In retirement Cliff keeps busy with craft work in wood and barbwire, plus all the "honey do" jobs as usual. He has made some really beautiful articles, and our family looks forward to birthdays, Christmas, etc., to receive whatever Cliff has made for them. He also sells his work at a craft store in "Cow Town", near downtown Wichita.

My Great Grandfather was Otto Kerstingjohanner when he came over from Germany - Henry Karsting after he arrived. What great fun I had searching for a Henry Karsting in Germany. Everyone kept telling me that "Karsting" was not a German name, and yet I knew Great Grandpa was born there. Finally one of my Fathers sisters came up with Great Grandpas army records which she found in her attic, showing the full last name.

After graduating from high school I started working in the payroll section for the State of Nebraska, Department of Roads. Then, with various construction companies I worked my way up to bookkeeper, and finally bookkeeper/office manager for an oil company here in Wichita. When the bottom dropped out of the oil market, we closed our doors and I "retired" in 1986. This enabled me to travel with Cliff to his last few jobsites, Kansas City, Kansas, where he did some construction for the LDS, Liberal, Kansas, where he built an activity center, and the nursing home in Dodge City. Finally, I had time to start sorting and gathering all of my notes. I had done work on my line, proving my Robertson line to get my Mother into DAR, traced Cliff's Babb line back to 1630, one of his other lines to 1575, etc. etc. etc. Somehow I could never get past Woodruff and Sarah Ann Myer Beals till I came online, John Myer answered my plea, and the snowball started to roll.

I'm not really what you might call computer literate. I know which button to push to get what I want, usually, so if you find one of my messages wandering around in the cosmos, redirect it, will you? If every genealogist could see their records on computer, and know the speed of doing research online, they would ALL join us!! After all - to resist is "futile".

I would like to say, to the younger group just starting to do genealogy, Welcome. I think it is great that you are taking an interest in your family history. Our son Chris is very interested in genealogy and is great on the computer. However, at the present time he is very busy being a Manager of an Alco store in Portales, New Mexico, and raising three of our wonderful, smart, good looking, six grandchildren. Many times I have wondered what would become of all the records, pictures, copies of birth, marriage, death, that I have collected. Now I can rest assured that at least one of our children will carry on when I leave off (but not for AT LEAST another 50 or 60 years !!!!!)

NOTE - IF Edward Ball IS a son of Alling and Dorothy Fogal Ball - and has brothers Richard b. about 1646, John and Francis....AND IF I can find proof that Cliff's Richard Ball is MY Richard Ball b. about 1645 in Norfolk Co., Virginia who m. Elizabeth Linton who had a son named John Ball about 1670 in Stafford Co., Virginia (as noted in "John Ball of Lee Co., VA" by Wm. Woodson Hoskins) then I can tie into this Edward Ball line also. Thereby adding many, many, many, many more lines. Isn't genealogy wonderful? Just when I had everything all lined up - you all came along with a different direction for me to travel.

Ah well, better get busy entering into my FTM all the info everyone has been sending. I'm WAY behind in my "work" on the computer. Good Hunting everyone !!!!!!!!!!! Ellen Chambers

BEVERLY CRIFASI

I have only been actively working on my family's history for about two years, although I have been the keeper of the family "stuff" for about several years. I'm living in North Caldwell on land that has been owned by one or another Baldwin for two hundred or so years, although I've only lived here about fourteen years. For those of you who are familiar with the topography our ancestors coped with, I live on the western slope of Second Mountain. The valley between First and Second Mountain is about two miles from my house, and the top of First Mountain in Montclair is a ten minute drive. Without traffic, it takes me about twenty-five minutes to get to Newark to the east or Morristown to the southwest. Every day I drive and walk around the places our ancestors lived and now I think of them -- and some of you -- often as I drive the local roads. It's hard not to think of genealogy when I drive -- the names of many of the roads can be found above in my list of surnames.

As for me, I am a Psychologist married to Systems Analyst. We have a daughter, Tamara, age 13, who is interested in her family history and goes to many local historical society events with me. My husband keeps the computers going, so all I have to do is use them. I am fortunate to live 200 feet away from the local LDS Family History Center and within reach of a multitude of excellent local history and genealogy library resources. In addition, I recently encountered a local SYSOP who has been kind enough to obtain a lot of genealogy conferences for me to use.

Best regards to all -- Bev Crifasi

TERENCE LEE DAY

Terence Lee DAY was born 7 April 1938 in Pasco, Franklin, Washington, to Lyle Keith DAY and Eva Lorraine Willis, who was raised under the name, Pettit. His family lived in Kennewick, Benton, Washington, but he was born in Pasco because that was the nearest hospital. Terry was raised on a small farm on the outskirts of Kennewick and graduated from Kennewick High School in 1956. He served in the Washington State Army National Guard 1954-1956 and in the U.S. Air Force 1956-1960. He saw duty in California, Illinois and Japan. He married Norma Ruth THOMPSON, of Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 24, 1962. The couple are parents of six now adult children and have seven grandchildren. Terry stumbled into journalism in Rawlins, Carbon, Wyoming and worked on daily newspapers in Wyoming, Utah and Washington for 11 years before joining the Washington State University faculty in 1972 as a news writer. He has received his professional society's highest award for professional excellence and in 1994 received two national writing awards. In February, Terry will make a one-hour presentation at a meeting in Tuscon, Arizona, on on-line newspapers In addition to his university work, Terry writes a genealogy column for the Salt Lake Tribune and for the Tri-City Herald. The latter newspaper is in Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, Washington. Terry's genealogical research emphasizes (1) collecting information on living generations, (2) original research to push back his DAY and BARNES lines, (3) researching and writing family history, especially a book on the Civil War experiences of Theodore Barber DAY, and (4) collecting, collecting, collecting--anything and everything he runs across on any of his lines. The BALLs fall in this latter category. Terry keeps his genealogy in Personal Ancestral File from which he prints forms and reports via Ancestral Quest, which works off the PAF database. He subscribes to ROOTS-L and cruises the World Wide Web in search of genealogical information, as well as many other interests. Terry's home computer is a Gateway 2000 P5-60. At the moment he flies on a 14.4 baud modem, but a 28.8 is on order and should be delivered around the first of February.

JANE R. ELLIOTT

I was born in Newark, NJ and lived in Maplewood, NJ until after I graduated from college in 1956. My mother, Frances Gardner Burnett, was born in the house her father built at 623 Prospect Street, and we lived there during World War II with my Grandmother Burnett. I attended Tuscan School through the fifth grade, and then was sent to Kent Place School in Summit as my mother had been. I graduated from KP in 1952 and then went to Mt. Holyoke College in S. Hadley, MA. After graduation I taught at the Gorse Child Study Center for 4 yrs., then in elementary schools in Amherst until 1969. During this time I received my M.Ed. from UMass. I married Louie C. Elliott in 1969, moved briefly to Stillwell, OK, and then to Newport, NH, where I had two sons, William and Thomas. I returned to teaching in 1983, and am presently winding down my teaching career at Unity Elementary School. I have ridden since the "good old days" at Watchung Stables, and still own horses. The showing days gave way to college tuitions, but retirement may bring them back ! I also raised German Shepherds and Cocker Spaniels, and boarded and trained dogs.

L)AWRENCE H)ILER

I am president of C)hip L)evel D)esigns (hence the 'cld' on my email), a software/hardware company specializing in development tools for video game design (Nintendo/Sega/Sony). I'm 31 years old; no wife, no kids, no pets (no time!). Born in Locarno, Switzerland, moved to the English Channel Islands (Alderney), moved to the US in 1973. Grew up in Warrenton, Oregon, at the mouth of the mighty Columbia River. Moved to Phoenix, Arizona to attend college. Quit school and moved back to Oregon after 3 years to co-found a computer software company with a friend (best decision ever - but don't tell kids in school that!). Now live in a suburb of Portland, Oregon (go Blazers...). Started genealogy research on Oct 1, '95. Never had much interest in it, since I thought it would ential hours of searching through musty old books, and writing countless letters, then waiting months for replies that seldom come. A friend had recently started his family tree project, and told me he was using his computer, CDROM databases, the internet, and the phone to do his research. Well, within three months he had over 1400 relatives charted; all decending from three German immigrant brothers. This sounded better to me! Called some relatives and asked them to send what they had, this I used as a starting point. Decided to start on my HILER surname. Now I'm involved with the BALLS, GARRIGUS', SHIPMANS, ECKMANS (Northumberland Co., PA), FORRESTERS (same), GULICK (same), and various spellings of my name: HUYLER, HYLER, HEILER, HYLOR, HEYLER... Little did I know how hard/fun/interesting this hobby is! I've had great luck in finding the BALL group here! The best part is I now know so much about the history of my fathers family - including that three, and maybe all four, branches fought in the Revolution to make this country. Plus I just found out that my Italian uncle may have that side of my family already done... back to the 1100's! Genealogical programs: Family Tree Maker (Win) 3.01 deluxe.

DALE ROBERT LUTZ, Ph.D.

I got started in genealogy when my son was born, because he still had 7 of his 8 great-grandparents living at the time. I started visiting the older relatives to gather information, stories, and photos before the knowledge was lost. It seemed especially important to keep some family ties then, because I was serving in the Navy in California at the time, and all of our relatives were in Illinois. Then I got very busy raising the children, and genealogy took a back seat for about 20 years. Now that my youngest is a senior in high school, I started back on genealogy last summer. I use the genealogy software Reunion 4.0 for Windows on an IBM-compatible machine at home, but my Internet connection is through a Power Macintosh at work. Thanks to all the members of the "Ed Ball of NJ" group for your help.

STEPHEN B. McNALLY

At the suggestion of Ellen Chambers, I am adding my name to the electronic mailing list though CS is the only aspect of which I can fathom. I use Roots3 and have been unable to use the upgrade Roots4 due to lack of RAM. The latter would permit me to use GEDCOM automatically -- I cannot understand Roots3 Gedcom. I am a retired lawyer, and my original Ball information is due to the generosity of Blaine Ball, Ellen Wilts, etc due to an ad in, I believe, the HELPER in about 1990 which contained an egregious error on my Ball line. The moral of the story is to make egregious errors and get prompt responses. I have corresponded before with John Myer but did not know before the copies sent by Ellen that he was educated in the prestigious institution Carleton College. I state this as a fact since I also attended that school commencing in 1940, in the class of 44. I attended 2-1/2 years before WWII interrupted Carleton days. After the war I attended UCLA and obtained by degrees there. Also John has RI connections which has taken much of my time in the past several years--Roger Williams (thru 2 of his children), Smiths (Christopher Smith being the source of the surname of my great grandmother) though other Smiths are in the line, Olney, Angell, etc. I plan to write Ellen by snail mail but shall get this mailed, hopefully, to note my existence. My best to the Ball family of researchers.

JOHN R. MYER

Lawyer, private practice. Just turned 50 years old immediately after birth of second son Peter, b. 10/10/95; other son, John O., born 12/92. Wife, Debby McCarty, is Commissioner of Parks and Recreation for City of Atlanta, before that appointment, served 16 years as elected member of Atlanta City Council. Born in Dodge City Kansas, grew up in Wichita KS, educated at Carleton College, Northfield MN and Univ. of Michigan Law School. I have been practicing law (sole practitioner, litigation) in Atlanta since graduating from Michigan Law school in 1969.

Genealogical interest kicked in about a year and half ago when I picked up genealogical information my brother had pulled together twenty years ago while he was in college. Had immediate great success in making direct connections via Compuserve, AOL, and Prodigy, so got bitten by the bug. Other names researching in addition to Ball: Myer (Peter, c. 1755, NJ >Alleghany Co, MD >Licking Co. OH), Reynolds (Arlington VT), Wright (Irish Quakers), Griffith, Faulkner, Ferree, Hollingsworth (Val.), Hawley (Joseph, 1603, of CT), Greene (Surgeon John of RI), Taber (Phil), Tillinghast, Parrington, McClellan, Beem (Michael, Sr), Drollinger/Trollinger, Isley, Vogan, Greenlee, Easton. Genealogical programs: Family Tree Maker(Win) and Family Origins (Win).

MICHEL ADAM METFORD PLATT

My interest in genealogy I blame on my aunt who said one day that someone should right down all the stories Papa, my maternal grandfather, said before they were lost with his passing. So at the grand age of 14, I started not knowing that 2 made 4 made 8 made 16 made 32 and so on. Papa was in his mid-70's then. This year he turned 95.

My father, David Platt, is of Lithuanian stock (Platt used to be Platukis, a flat bar over the "u"). My father's paternalgrandfather was a Lithuanian storyteller or "pasakojas" who 7 feet tall and died age 42 after dragging home a tree stump; he was a very strong man. My dad and I went to Lithuania last summer (1994) for the first time and found our last known living relative who waited 70 years to see us. She still spoke perfect English after all that time (she spent her childhood in the US) and sadly died a month after our departure. I have authored a book on that whole side of the family and we have found the gravesites of our ancestors in traditional forested graveyards near the wooden churches in the countryside. There are no more genealogical records to be found as everything else was lost during World War II.

My mother's mother was Pennsyvania Dutch. I have traced her line back to all the original immigrants who came to Pennsylvania before 1700. My mother, Mary Grace, is a member of the Metford family, "landed gentry" in England and having title up to her grandfather's departure to the New World in the 1890's. (I will eventually have a Metford Family Home Page complete with some 17th and 18th century paintings) It was in New Jersey that William Metford married into my Ball line as his wife was Grace Lyon Marsh, great-granddaughter of Rhoda Ball. Shortly after their marriage they came to Toronto. My grandfather, being born in NJ just before the move, was able to return to the US in 1927 to found his family in Lancaster County, PA. My parents met there in 1953 on a double date, each with someone else at the time!

Our immediate branch of the Ball family is thus the only in the US (save that black sheep in CA), all the rest are now in Ontario, Canada. It was finally through a chance find of a few pictures we found at Papa's house that we were able to crack our relationship to the Ball family. What was written is found elsewhere on these WWW pages. We thought, as well, that our Ball family was the same as Geo. Washington's. We also have a daguerrotype of Rhoda Ball's son, Wm Harvey Johson, and his wife.

As for myself, I was born in 1964, baptized Catholic, which my mother corrected in 1979 converting me to her church, St. Stephen Reformed (UCC) Church, in New Holland, PA. My grandfather or "Papa", Dr. Ellis Hugh METFORD, started a bible class there in the 1930's which is still held right before church every Sunday. It attracts people of all religions (Catholic, Jewish and Protestants) from all over the county. The whole Metford family someday will find its resting place behind that church.

I have spent most of my life between Michigan and Quebec. I have also lived in Cape Town, South Africa. In short, my education leading me up to my Master's in Linguistics (in progress, forseen date Dec 1996) has been:

Bachelier es Arts, Linguistics -- Universite du Quebec, Montreal (1991)
French Summer School Immersion (certificat) -- Universite McGill, Montreal, Quebec (1988)
Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature. Minor in Film Studies and African Studies -- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1988)
Polish Summer School Immersion (certificat) -- Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, Krakow, Poland (1984)
McGill University, Montreal (1982)
High School Diploma (National Honor Society) -- Winston Churchill HS, Livonia, MI (1982)
Elementery School in Rosemere, Quebec

In my studies, I spent my first and last sessions at McGill University. In the meantime, I studied Polish in Poland (where else?) and learned several languages in my time. At the University of Michigan, I was in the Residential College which specializes in the individual approach of education. I speak fluently French and English as well as, to varying degrees, Spanish, Russian, Polish, German, Afrikaans-Nederlands and finally Lithuanian which I am using as a case study for my degree. Thanks to the Linguistics department, I have a part-time job with a law journal which studies the interface between law and society and demands absolute bilingualism. With them I have also learned my computer skills.

To my background of my genealogy book, I have also a few published papers/reviews in my field (very few right now!). Besides my university career, I am the caretaker of the Metford family (tracing them far back as records will allow in the early 1600's) and caretaker of all the heirlooms which have been passed down undivided over the generations. I am a social being. Oh, I think I forgot to say that I travel too much ... (just thought I would add that). I have spent the last three summers using Switzerland as a base and return to Africa every two or three years. It is all part of my person which responds to the question they ask you on census returns and job applications: "what is your race?" Human. I love our planet Earth and strive to make it a better place to live in every day.

MICHEL EXPLAINS HOW TO PRONOUNCE HIS NAME:

You pronounce it Michel (neither like Michael or Michele). Try something like: Mee-shell and not Mahshell. In French, you can tell the diff. between Michel and Michele/Michelle but not in English because we, in English, don't have a silent "e" at the end which is actually pronounced. French has three or four names where it is hard to guess gender (I at least get spelling differenciation):

Claude-Claude / Dominique-Dominique / Michel-Michele/Michelle / Frederic-Frederique

No one bats an eye in Canada about the thing, but am glad you asked. I also get Mitchell. The only thing I DONT like is MIKE. I'm getting shivers as I type. Due to people's view of gender, I use my middle name "Adam" when typing. I thought Mr. was just way to stuff for me. You can use any pronunciation you like (my friends, no matter which language, use the French pronunciation) and I even answer to, hey you! Yours, Cuz' Michel

RICHARD WEISIGER, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor/Researcher at UCSF Medical School, GI Research Lab. & Liver Center, 357 Medical Sciences, Univ. of Calif., San Francisco, CA 94143-0538 USA, 415-476-6422 , FAX: 415-476-0659

I became interested in genealogy through a wish to preserve old photographs of my ancestors that were rapidly crumbling and always in danger of fire or flood. I have now scanned and restored nearly 1000 family photos into my computer, including a number of Daguerreotypes and tintypes from the middle 1800's. I use Reunion to link the photos to my family tree. I have found that most family members are willing to let me borrow old picture albums long enough to make the scans and to help me in identifying the pictures. The only Ball photos I have are of my GG grandmother, Laura Ball Vanderveer (1840-1934), which I would be happy to share. If anyone has any other Ball photos, I could help make them available to the group. I have cataloged 82 direct line relatives and over 800 other relatives and have photos of more than 100 of these. I have not yet exhausted family sources, so have not yet started investigating libraries or databases other than through this group.

I grew up in Maplewood NJ and many of my ancestors were from the Newark and South Mountain area.

I am a Professor of Medicine at the University of California in San Francisco, where I teach, see patients and run a research lab. My research interest is hepatic transport physiology, and includes use of computers to mathematically model transport processes. My education includes an MD and a PhD in Biochemistry, both from Duke University in 1974. I am married to Jane Martin, Ph.D. and have three children.

I look forward to learning more about our common ancestors! Using REUNION 4.0 for the Mac

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