BFHA-RC-000040
WILLIAM BALL, JR.: William, Sr. There has not been found a record identifying the mother and the date and exact location of William Ball, Jr’s birth. In all probability he was born and raised in St. Johns Parish, Berkeley County, South Carolina. His father lived there and died there and William, Jr. died there also. “MEMORANDUM that on this present fourteenth day of April Anno Dom 1729 Personally came and appeared before me Peter De St Julian Esqr one of his Majesties Justices of the Peace for Berkeley County Rene Ravenol John Gignilliat Henry De St Julien Joseph De St Julien and Samuel Du Bourdieu being five of the appraisers appointed and by the within warrant of appraisement were sworne on the holy Evangelists of Almighty God to make a full and perfect inventory and appraisement of all such Goods of William Ball Junr. Late deceased as should be shown to them by Hugh Butler Esqr. Admin.
Of all and Singlular the goods Rights and Credits of the said deceased and to cause due return to be made of the same (signed) Peter De St. Julien. Sworn before me this 14th day of April 1729.” Inventory of William Ball, Jun’r. South Carolina, April the 15th 1729. A Full and perfect inventory and appraisement of all and singular the goods, chattels rights and credits of William Ball, Jn’r, late deceased, as they were shewn (by Hugh Butler, Esqr.; Adm’r of all and singular the goods, rights and credits of the deceased) unto us the appraisers by and sworn pursuant to a warrant of appraisement as follows: One Negro man named August $ 75- One ditto boy named Prince 150- One ditto child Codjo 35- Four cows and calves at $8 32- Sixteen yearlings at $4 64- Five steers 3 years old at $8 40- 8 ditto 2 years old at $6 48- 3 cows at $6-10 19- 10- 2 iron pots 3- 10- 2 old narrow hows 1 old broad ax 1- 5- 1 old dish 5 plates 1- 10- 1 old coat wescoat and breaches 6- 3 shirts 1- 10- 153-1/2 bushels of rough rice at 10/ 76- 15- 4 bushels of corn at 12/6 2- 10- ------------------ 556- 10- 0 Rene Ravenel, John Gignilliat, Henry De St Julien, Joseph De St Julien.
Recorded 25th April 1730: Char. Hart Secty.”1 There were two Ball families living in St. Johns Parish, Berkeley County between 1700 and 1754. The family of Elias Ball of the Comingtee Plantation and William Ball & family. The William Ball family had all moved to Craven County prior to 1754 without issue. During those years, only two men lived there with the given name William, and they were William Ball and his second son, William Ball, Jr., father and brother of Sampson and Bartholomew.143
William died in 1727 and William Ball, Jr. died in 1729. The Elias Ball family did not have a male to be named William until 1786.2 The one to determine the relationship between William Ball, Jr. and the William Ball family might be George Ball. It has been proven that William Ball was his grandfather and Sampson Ball was his uncle. Bartholomew could not have been his father, because George was born not later than 1729 and Bartholomew did not marry until 1733, so Bartholomew was also George’s uncle. George’s father had to be William Ball, Jr. or a brother of Sampson, Bartholomew and William, Jr., unknown at this time, which is not likely.
Sampson was the elder of the three sons, but who was the elder of Bartholomew and William, Jr.? There was a naming of the children custom of that day and time that was not always adhered to by some, but was generally followed as close as was allowed by the gender of the new born or the name preference of the parents. That custom or pattern was to name the first male after the paternal grandfather; the second male after the maternal grandfather; the third male after the father; the fourth male after the mother’s elder brother, and so on. The females were named in like order, but starting with the maternal grandmother for the first female.
In the case of the three sons of William Ball, with the naming custom strictly adhered to, William Ball’s father was named Sampson Ball; for the second male born, the maternal grandfather was named Bartholomew; for the third male born, he was named after his father, William Ball, and was therefore named William Ball, Jr3. There is no clear cut record that shows that William Ball, Jr., was a son of William Ball, but the above evidence indicates that he was.
NOTES AND REFERENCES
1. Book 62A, page 129, Probate Court of Charleston, South Carolina, Letter of Administration, dated 14 April 1729; Inventory of Estate dated 15 April 1729, recorded 25 April 1729. 2. Pedigree of Elias Ball’s family from the book Recollections Of The Ball Family Of South Carolina And The Comingtee Plantation, page 178; by Anne Simons Deas. 3. The Researchers Guide To American Genealogy, by Val. D. Greenwood, page 34. Chapter five of the book Genealogy As A Pastime And Professional, by Donald Lines Jacobus, 2nd edition, revised.144