USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Milford > History of Milford, Massachusetts, part 2 > Part 5
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WALTER G., b Mil., Feb. 4, 1857; m. Oct. 17, 1877.'
EDWARD M., b. Mil., Aug. 5, 1858.
D. ALTON, b. Upton, Feb. 11, 1861; d. young.
EVA, b. Upton, April 2, 1867; d. young.
The family have res. in Mil., Worthington (O.), Upton, Westboro', etc. BAILEY, THOMAS BUCKLIN 3 (William,2 Eliphalet 1), b. Aug. 12, 1832; drug- gist, "Mil .; m. Mary Jane Carpenter in Dudley, March 15, 1859; cer. by Rev. Henry Pratt. She was a dr. of Dea. Charles Carpenter and Polly (Perry), his wf., formerly inhabitants of Dudley, and was b. there Oct. 20, 1839. Their chn. were, -
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
FREDERICK IRVING, b. Dec. 19, 1859.
ARTHUR CARPENTER, b. March 17, 1863; d. Feb. 24, 1864.
JENNIE AMELIA. b. April 12, 1866; d. April 17, 1876.
EVERETT ARTHUR, b. April 16, 1870; d. April 15, 1876.
THOMAS WENDELL, b. April 27, 1877.
Dr. Bailey has been too long and well known in town as an enterprising apothecary, fancy-goods dealer, and citizen, to need characterization on this page; as also his wf. in the domestic and social circles.
BAILEY, JAMES DEWING 3 (Eliphalet,2 Eliphalet 1), b. Mil., Dec. 1, 1825; mr.'s maiden name, Miranda Bowker; m. Abigail R. Tyler, dr. of Daniel and Ellen Thusa (Polly) Tyler, b. 1830; cer. Hopedale, June 6, 1849, by the writer. Issue : -
JAMES OSCAR, b. Mil., March 6, 1850; m. Mary Lizzie Bowers, Oct. 20, 1875.
EDGAR L., b. Mil., Jan. 15, 1852; m. Eva Ellen Jewell, July 26, 1876.
EZRA HUNT, b. Mil., Dec. 25, 1853; m. Lorrette Benson, Jan. 18, 1879.
Industrious, intelligent, enterprising, and orderly people.
BAILEY, CHARLES AUGUSTUS 3 (William,2 Eliphalet1), b. April 5, 1827; mr.'s maiden name, Ann Homer Tilton. He has a wf., but no chn. Occupation, bootmaker. No record recd. from him.
BAILEY, HENRY J., a descendant, I presume, of Eliphalet,1 a painter by trade, and boards with T. E. Morse. No record handed in.
Prob. several others of the name have, at various times, res. more or less transiently in town.
BAILEY, JOSEPH, son of Thomas and Rachel, b. Trowbridge, Eng., Dec. 1, 1825; came to America in the summer of 1842; res. at Webster till 1844, then at Winstead, Ct., till 1848, then at Millville a few months till June, 1849, and then set. at Hopedale; an ingenious mechanic in the line of cabinet-joining, etc., - a useful and worthy man. His wf. was a dr. of Joseph and Sarah Paul, Barford, St. Martin's, Eng., where she was b. Jan. 28, 1827. She came to America, and the bridal pair were m. at Hopedale, Jan. 16, 1854; cer. by the writer. Their chn. are, -
JOSEPH HERBERT, b. in the " Old House," Sept. 5, 1856; now in Colorado. SARAH GEORGIENA, b. in the " Old House," Sept. 26, 1861.
Mrs. Sarah d. instantaneously, in an epileptic fit, May 8, 1880.
BAILEY, GEORGE WILLIAM, merchandise broker; b. March 24, 1826, in New- ton Moor, Cheshire, Eng. ; son of James and Mary Ann (Lee) Bailey ; m. Harriet Carter, dr. of Edward and Mary (Livingston) Carter, b. Manches- ter, Eng., March 22, 1827; cer. at Mottram Old Church, Cheshire, Eng., Nov. 9, 1845, by Rev. D. Seddon, vicar. Their chn. : -
HENRY JAMES, b. Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, Eng., Dec. 26, 1846. MARY ELLA, b. West Medway, Mass., Nov. 9, 1849.
Both these chn. married; to whom not reported ; 1 child each.
The parents have res. in this town since 1858.
BAKER. Only a few transient dwellers in town of this name. Among these were, -
BAKER, ELBRIDGE GERRY, tinsmith, Hopedale, 1844 or 1845; wf., Charlotte H .; and inft. son, Clinton H., b. in Taunton, April 27, 1843. Went to California in quest of gold, and is said to have d. there.
BAKER, LYMAN, came to Hopedale from Westminster a widower, with young dr. Lucinda; afterwards emigrated to Minnesota. No further traced.
549
BALL FAMILIES.
Peter and Josiah Ball, bros., were natives of Watertown. In 1731, June 5, they purchased and took a deed, from William Brewer of Boston, of several adjacent parcels of land in the No. Purchase, cast of Maspenock Pond, alias Long Pond, bordering northerly on Hop. line. All the parcels amounted to 199 aes. 112 rods; to which belonged a mansion-house, and also a 2-ac. right in the town's common lands after the 8th division. For all this estate they paid Brewer £180. At that time the No. Purchase road towards Hop. was an im- perfect bridle-path. But the selectmen of Meudon laid a three-rod way that very yr., Oct. 5, which commenced at Hop. line, and extended as far south as the Ellis Sumner place, perhaps a little this side. There it was suspended for some yrs. Peter Ball, who, by division with his brother Josiah, owned the north-easterly portion of the lands bought of Brewer as far north as the Haven place, finally sold out to different purchasers, and located himself in Southborough. There he became the progenitor of all the Ball families in that region of towns. I think Hon. Phinehas Ball of Worcester and Rev. George S. of Upton are among his descendants; also, through one branch, the celebrated Inusical chief, Eben Tourjée.
Josiah Ball, sen., gradually absorbed into his possession parcel after parcel of adjacent land, till he must have owned several hundred acres, which he settled on his chin. But I am told that none of it now remains in the hands of his descendants, at least in the male line. I may here commence his family tabulation. The old ancestral immigrant was John Ball, from Wiltshire, Eng. He was admitted freeman in 1750, had a son John, he a son John, and he a son Joseph, who was the father of our Josiah, sen. All these were of Watertown, except, perhaps, the first John. So I proceed.
BALL, JOSIAH, sen.5 (Joseph,4 John,3 John,2 John 1), b. March 2, 1712-13; m.
Rachel, dr. of Dr. John and Mehetabel (Holbrook) Corbett, b. Aug. 1, 1717; cer. July 3, 1733, by (prob.) Rev. Joseph Dorr. Their chn. : -
JOSIAH, jun., b. April 13, 1742; m. Sarah Palmer, July 5, 1770; 2d, Sarah Claflin, June 16, 1799.
ELIJAH, b. Feb. 1, 1743; in. Joanna French, Dec. 19, 1770.
MARY, b. March 2, 1749; m. Jonathan Jones, 3d, May 7, 1767.
LAZARUS, b. March 19, 1751 ( ?); physician; m. Lydia Cleveland ; date not found.
Mrs. Rachel d. Dec. 18, 1751. The hus. m., 2d, wid. Sarah White; cer. Oct. 23, 1758, by Rev. A. Frost. Josiah, sen., d. Oct. 28, 1791. He was a man of influence in his day, and left a large est. to his chn. Josiah, jun., inherited the main homestead, and succeeded reputably to his father's enterprise and wealth. Elijah emigrated to Orange, and set. there. Lazarus studied medicine, and practised for some years in Weston and vicinity, but does not seem to have been very successful in his profession, or in the acquisition of worldly substance. Josialı, sen., owned one slave, whose name was Andrew Dewner, sometimes written Duno. This slave was presented to him by a friend in Boston, when a baby only 4 weeks old. He brought the little fellow all the way from Boston on horseback, nourishing him at intervals out of a nursing-bottle. It was after bedtime when he reached home, and, finding his wife asleep, he carefully laid the sleeping babe on her bed, while he cared for his tired horse. Before he returned, little Andrew awoke, and, by his lusty cries, frightened Mrs. Rachel half out of her senses, she being utterly surprised by the mysterious demon- stration. But her husband presently appeared for her relief, and explained the phenomenon. Andrew grew up a faithful and trustworthy servant, received
·
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
his freedom at 21 yrs. of age, and a nice horse for a present. That horse he exchanged for a slave-girl in Marlboro', whose name was Rose, and whom he made his wife. (See his family record in its place.) Josiah, sen., gave Andrew a little homestead, comprising 12 acres of land and a small dwelling-house. There he was still dwelling in old age when I first came in to town, 57 yrs. ago .*
BALL, JOSIAH, jun.6 (Josiah, sen.,5 Joseph,4 John,3 John,2 John 1), b. April 13, 1742; m., 1st, Sarah Palmer, b. in Upton, March 15, 1744; cer. July 5, 1770, by Rev. A. Frost. Their chn. :-
RACHEL, b. Friday, March 15, 1771, 9 o'clock A.M. ; m. John Despeaux, July 5, 1807.
ASENATH, b. Sat., June 6, 1772, 10 o'clock P.M .; m. Daniel Carter, May 23, 1814.
SARAH, b. Wed., Nov. 15, 1775, 2 o'clock P.M .; d. July 14, 1791.
ZENAS, b. Sund., July 12, 1778, 1 o'clock A.M. ; m. Mary Sumner, June 12, 1806. HANNAH, b. March 19, 1781; m. Isaac Holmes, Hop., May 1, 1803; d. Aug. 21, 1818.
ABNER, b. March 24, 1784; d. Feb. 19, 1805.
Mrs. Sarah d. July 6, 1791. The hus. m., 2d, Mrs. Sarah Claflin of Hop., wid. of Ebenezer; cer. June 16, 1799, by Saml. Jones, Esq. This 2d wf. d. June 19, 1824. Josiah, jun., d. March 11, 1835, a. 93 yrs.
BALL, ELIJAH6 (Josiah, sen.,5 Joseph,4 John,3 John,2 John 1), b. Feb. 1, 1743; m., 1st, Joanna French, dr. of Dea. Abijah and Joanna French, b. here Aug.
22, 1752; cer. 19, 1770, by Rev. A. Frost. Set. in Orange. Their chn. :-
Prudence, Fordyce, Nancy, Josiah, and Lucinda, Dates of birth not ascer- tained.
Among the few facts of this family record that have come to my knowledge are the following: that Elijah Ball was in. to his 2d wf., Prudence Rice, Feb. 20, 1786; that in 1793 he quit-claimed to his bro. Josiah, for £52, his portion of real estate bequeathed in the will of their father; that his dr. Lucinda was m. to Dr. Joseph Gilbert, April 29, 1799; that his son Fordyce, by wf. Phebe, had b. to them five chn., viz., Levi Thurston, May 7, 1811; Elijah, Jan. 17, 1813; Hyderally, Jan. 21, 1815; Joseph Gilbert, May 20, 1817; Joanna French, May 20, 1820; and Lucinda Maria, July 28, 1823; and that his son Josiah, by wf.
Another version of the slave-babe story comes to me from another branch of the Ball lineage. It varies a little from the one first given me, and so I insert it that my readers may take either or both. "One somewhat amusing incident, coming down from our ancestors, is connected with Mr. Josiah Ball. He was one of the first settlers of Milford, having built the second house in town, occupying the site upon which Mr. Richmond Stone now lives on Purchase St. It is as follows : He used to go regularly to Boston to market in the old-fashioned market wagon. At that time Mass. held slaves. Mr. Ball had just buried a nursing babe. One day, when at Boston, a black woman gave him her little babe. He took it home, arriving at the midnight hour, and, find- ing his family all in bed and asleep, he stepped in quietly, and deposited the little ebony bundle in bed with his wife, without arousing her. He then went to the barn to attend to needed duties. Having performed those, and returning to the house, he was not over-surprised to find the whole house astir. He availed himself of the privilege the uncurtained window gave to witness the surprise, fear, and anxiety of the family. Every little while one, more bold than the rest, would venture to lift the bed-clothing, which would bring forth a fresh outcry, and back they would start. He soon went in, and explained matters. He brought up the boy, and he was called Duno. He became an earnest Christian. Mr. Ball gave him a white horse, which he exchanged for a black woman in Westboro'. Mr. Ball called him at twenty-one, and told him he was free. He burst into tears, saying he must stay with Massa." The last descendant of old Duno died at Milford Poor-house, - Mrs. Judy Smith, -a few years since.
551
BALL FAMILIES.
Hannah, had b. to them three chn., viz., Nancy M., July 28, 1824; Polly L., July 4, 1826; and Josiah Joseph Gilbert, June 19, 1828. When the 1st wf. d., what chn. she left, when he d., whether the above-named were his only chn., when his 2d wf. d., etc., remain untold.
[Since the foregoing was written, Mr. Henry Arthur Ball, son of Adin B., has received letters in answer to inquiries sent out from Mrs. Eastman of Marlboro', a gd. dr. of Elijah Ball, and Capt. Joseph J. G. Ball of Winchendon, a gd. son of Elijah, containing additional facts. The following are the most important of these: 1. Elijah Ball had a son Elijah, who became a physician, set. and m. in the State of Georgia, had two sons and three drs. there, and is survived by Col. James Ball, a wealthy citizen of Atlanta. 2. That Fordyce Ball has two sons res. in Cambridge, grandsons of the first Elijah. 3. That of Elijah's drs. only Nancy left issue, and she only the aforesaid Mrs. Eastman of Marlboro'. 4. That Josiah, son of Elijah, sen., m. Hannah (Albee) Smith, and had Nancy Maria, b. July 26, 1824, d. Feb. 18, 1856, unm .; Polly, who d. a. 2 yrs; Joseph Josiah Gilbert, b. June 19, 1828; and that the fr., going West to locate, d. of cholera at Alton, Ill., in 1832. 5. That the common tradition of the Balls is that they are of Scotch descent.]
BALL, Dr. LAZARUS € (Josiah, sen.,5 Joseph,4 John,3 John,2 John 1), b. prob., amid conflicting dates, Jan., 1754; physician ; m. Lydia Cleveland, ptge., etc., not found; b. Dec. 12, 1755; date of mge., etc., not found. ¿ Their chn. : -
ORRILLA, b. prob. Weston, 1780; d. unm., Mil., Oct. 31, 1801.
BETSEY, b. prob. Weston, 1786; trace not found.
HENRY, b. prob. Weston, Dec. 1, 1788; m., 1st, Betsey Claflin; 2d, Betsey Lincoln.
CLARISSA, b. (date not found) ; m. Jabez Hill of Vt.
It has been found impossible to give Dr. Ball's family record with com- pleteness and certainty, for want of reliable data, or the story of his career in life. He d. poor, in this town, Jan. 14, 1827, a. 73 yrs. His wf. d. Dec. 21, 1832, a. 77.
BALL, ZENAS7 (Josiah, jun.,6 Josiah, sen.,5 Joseph,4 John,3 John,2 Jolin 1), b. July 12, 1778; m., 1st, Mary Sumner, dr. of Ebenezer and Keziah (Albee)
Sumner, b. April 29, 1785; cer. Jan. 12, 1806, by Rev. D. Long. One child :- ABNER SUMNER, b. April 13, 1807; m. Sally Loomis, Hop., 1829.
Mrs. Mary d. June 12, 1807. The hus. m., 2d, Betsey Tilton, dr. of Abra- ham and Hannah (Homer) Tilton, Hop., of honorable descent in one of her. parental lines from the celebrated John Alden; cer. March, 1812. Their chn. :-
MARY SUMNER, b. Nov. 4, 1813; m. Alvan Robbins, March 22, 1835.
LORENZO, b. Aug. 13, 1815; m., 1st, Lucy Clark, 1839; 2d, -.
SARAH PALMER, b. Aug. 13, 1817; m. David Beal, June 13, 1838.
HOMER TILTON, b. Oct. 19, 1819; m. Maria L. Sherman, Nov. 12, 1840.
ELIZABETH ANN, b. May 24, 1821 ; d. Sept. 9, 1832.
WILLIAM EUSTIS, b. June 1, 1823; m. Caroline. L. , Loomis of Hop., 1847. Family all dead.
JOSIAH, b. June 1, 1825; d. in infancy.
ZENAS EDWIN, b. Nov. 27, 1827; . m. Catherine Long, May 24, 1857.
FRANCIS MARION, b. June 30, 1832; m. Rosetta A. Scammell, Nov. 30, 1854: HORATIO NELSON, b. Jan. 28, 1837; d. young.
Zenas Ball inherited the old homestead, a handsome landed patrimony, but hardly the enterprise of his progenitors. He d. April 1, 1861, in his 73d yr. Mrs. Betsey, his 2d wf., a woman of much domestic. energy, d., date not given.
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
BALL, HENRY7 (Dr. Lazarus,6 Josiah, sen.,5 Joseph,4 John,3 John,2 John 1),
b. Weston, Dec. 1, 1788; m., 1st, Betsey Claflin of Hop., ptge., birth-date, etc., not found; cer. April 4, 1811, by Rev. D. Long. Their chn. : - SUSAN, birthplace and date not found; m. Whiting Eames.
MARY BUCKLIN, birthplace and date not found; m. Martin Fletcher, April 12, 1834.
BETSEY CLAFLIN, b. Needham, 1818; m. William G. Holmes, Hop., 1834.
The mr. of these chn. d. June 10, 1825. The fr. m., 2d, Betsey Lincoln, ptge. and birth-date not found; cer. Sept. 21, 1826, by Rev. Thomas W. Tucker. Their chn. :-
ALZINA ANN, b. Dec. 7, 1827; m. William H. Bailey, Jan. 1, 1845.
ELLEN, b. Jan. 31, 1829; m. John Grigg, 1850.
SARAH JANE, b. April 23, 1833; m. S. P. Squier, Oct. 1, 1851.
HENRY, jun., b. Aug. 2, 1834; untraced.
ADIN BALLOU, b. Sept. 27, 1836; m. Elizabeth Angel, Jan. 4, 1858.
LYDIA ANN, b. July 16, 1840; d. Feb. 13, 1841.
Henry Ball was a worthy man and citizen, with wives and chn. no less worthy. He was a boot-manufacturer and farmer, residing mostly in Mil., but transiently in other places, particularly in Westboro', where he had a farm. His 2d wf. d. in Westboro', Dec. 9, 1873. He d. in Mil., April 1, 1877.
BALL, ADIN BALLOU8 (Henry,7 Dr. Lazarus,6 Josiah, sen.,5 Joseph,4 John,8 John,2 John1), b. Sept. 27, 1836 ; carpenter ; m. Elizabeth Angel, dr. of Alfred and Betsey (Despeaux) Angel, b. Holl., Feb. 11, 1840; cer. in Mil., Jan. 4, 1858, by Rev. J. M. Bailey. Their chn. :-
GRACE ATWOOD, b. Providence, R.I., Oct. 17, 1860; d. Nov. 17, 1865, a. 5 yrs. 1 mo.
HENRY ARTHUR, b. Mil., July 11, 1862; an accountant.
ELSIE LENA, b. Mil., June 22, 1864.
GERTIE ANNA, b. Mil., July 15, 1866.
EDITH CLARISSA, b. Mil., June 22, 1868.
WILLIE AUGUSTUS, b. Mil., Sept. 14, 1869; d. July 24, 1870, a. 10 mos. 10 ds.
ADIN ELWOOD, b. Mil., Oct. 29, 1870.
FREDDIE LESTER, b. Mil., May 1, 1873.
RUTH EVELYN, b. Mil., May 31, 1875.
FAITH ELIZABETH, b. Mil., June 6, 1878.
Here is a good old-fashioned family for size, and of solid worth for char- acter and usefulness, long and steadily res. in Mil.
BALL, ABNER8 (Zenas," Josiah, jun.,6 Josiah, sen.,5 Joseph,4 John,3 John,2 John1), b. April 13, 1807; m. Sally Loomis, Hop.
BALL, LORENZO8 (Zenas,7 Josiah, jun.,6 Josiah, sen.,5 Joseph,4 John,3 John,2 John1), b. Aug. 13, 1815; m., 1st, Lucy Clark of Cumberland, R.I., ptge., birth-date, etc., not found; cer. spring of 1839, particulars not ascertained. Their chn. :
ANN ELIZABETH, b. May 18, 1843; d. young, a. 6 mos. 8 ds.
FERDINAND E., b. Oct. 26, 1845; d. young, a. 2 mos. 16 ds.
NAMELESS SON, b. March 12, 1847; d. young, a. 4 ds.
HARRIET A., b. April 8, 1849; d. young, a. 2 yrs. 4 mos.
ANNA M., b. Aug. 14, 1851; d. young, a. 1 m. 7 ds.
Mrs. Lucy d. -. The hus. m., 2d, -
BALL, HOMER TILTON 8 (Zenas,7 Josiah, jun.,6 Josiah, sen.,5 Joseph,4 John,8 John,2 John 1), b. Oct. 19, 1819; boot-manufacturer; m. Maria L. Sherman,
553
BALL, BALLARD, BALLOU.
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dr. of John and Laura (Taft) Sherman, b. Westboro', March 16, 1821; cer. Mendon, Nov. 12, 1840, by the writer; res. Mil. always. Their chn .:- GEORGE HOMER, b. June 2, 1842; d. Nov. 19, 1847.
GEORGE HOMER, b. Sept. 17, 1848; grad. II. U. 1869; stud. law, and is now a promising member of the bar; res. in Worcester; m. Florence Gill, Oct. 29, 1878; one child, viz., Maria, b. Sept. 10, 1879.
BALL, WILLIAM EUSTIS 8 (Zenas,7 Josiah, jun.," Josiah, sen.,5 Joseph,4 John,3 John,2 John 1), b. June 1, 1823; m. Caroline L. Loomis of Hop., ptge., birth- date, etc., not found; cer. 1847, particulars not ascertained. Chn. :-
SARAH P., birth-date not given ; d. March 31, 1850, a. 2 yrs. 3 mos. 13 ds.
CARRIE L., birth-date not given ; d. Nov. 1, 1856, a. 2 yrs.
The hus. and fr. d. June 9, 1860. The wf. and mr. has also passed away, and the family is extinct.
BALL, ZENAS EDWIN, a younger bro. of the preceding, b. Nov. 27, 1827; m.
Catherine Long, ptge., birth-date, etc., not found ; cer. May 24, 1857; no fur- ther particulars. Chn .: -
WILLIAM EDWIN, b. Nov. 19, 1858.
JOSIAH, b. Aug. 15, 1861; d. Nov. 8, 1863.
EMMA JESSIE, b. Dec. 5, 1863.
EVA, b. March 3, 1867.
I understand Zenas E. to have res. always in his native town, and to be a boot-manufacturer. I solicited particulars of his family record; but he did not respond, and I have gathered the above sidewise. It may therefore be defective. BALL, FRANCIS MARION, youngest surviving son of Zenas and Betsey (Til- ton) Ball, b. June 30, 1832; m. Rosetta A. Scammell, dr. of Dr. Alexander and Ann A. (Partridge) Scammell, b. Nov. 12, 1836; cer. Mil., Nov. 30, 1854, by Rev. David A. Plumb. Issue :-
EMMA B., b. Mil., Nov. 12, 1859.
MAY T., b. Mil., Oct. 8, 1862.
Mr. B. and family have res. for some years in Stoughton. His principal business there has been hotel-keeping.
BALLARD, SYLVANUS, and wf. Judith seem to have res. in our Easterly Precinct at one period; but whence they came, or whither they went, I get no intimation. They are credited as the parents of two drs., and prob. had other chn. The two referred to were, -
MARY, b. Aug. 31, 1761; m. Jonathan Hayward, Dec. 21, 1780.
JUDITH, b. May 21, 1763; m. Adam Hayward, April 18, 1782.
BALLOU, ADIN 6 (Ariel,5 Ariel,4 James,3 James,2 Maturin 1), the author of this History, introduces his family record with a brief autobiography :-
I was b. in Cumberland, R.I., April 23, 1803, on a paternal homestead in- herited from James Ballou,3 my gt. gd. father. My gd. mother, on the paternal side, was Jerusha (Slack) of Wrentham. My mother was Edilda Tower, dr. of Levi and Mary (Whipple) Tower, and gd. dr. of Gideon and Mary Tower. My immigrant ancestor, Maturin Ballou,1 a French Protestant, as tradition says, first fled to England, remained there till he had formed a marriage connection, then came to Massachusetts Bay, and thence removed to Providence Plantations. There, about 1640, he joined the co-proprietors of Roger Williams. Jaines Ballou,3 grandson of Maturin, and my gt. gd. father, settled in what is now Cumberland, R.I., then called "The Gore," probably about 1700, on a part of whose patrimony Ariel 4 and Ariel 5 spent their lives.
I was always greedy of knowledge, and eagerly coveted a liberal education ;
554
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
but was obliged to content myself chiefly with common-school privileges. To make up for my privations in this respect, I have diligently applied myself to the acquisition of knowledge throughout life, to orderly mental discipline, and to such particular studies as seemed to demand my special attention. At eleven years of age I had an impressive religious experience whose influence on my character has never ceased. At twelve I was baptized by immersion, and joined "the Church of Christ in Cumberland, R.I.," belonging to "the Christian Connexion," so called. At eighteen I had an intensive spiritual vision, in which I understood myself to be called imperatively by God to preach the gospel. To this I finally yielded, much against my own will, and cherished worldly plans; preaching my first discourse, with no human training, at the age of eighteen years and three months, in the ancient Ballou meeting-house of my native neighborhood. The occasion was exciting and memorable for reasons not here necessary to explain. In Sept. of the same year, 1821, I was admitted as an approved minister into the membership of the "Connecticut Christian Conference," and preached in various places of my own general vicinity during the ensuing year. Meantime I wrote and published my first pamphlet, a "Review of Rev. Hosea Ballou's Lecture Sermon on the New Birth." On the particular points at issue its logic was better than its rhetoric. It led to much polemical discussion, and this finally, after a long and painful investigation, to a change of my theology respecting the final destiny of mankind; that is, from Destructionism to Restorationism.
I was married Jan. 17, 1822, to Miss Abigail Sayles, youngest dr. of Smith and Abigail (Scott) Sayles, Smithfield, R.I .; cer. by Rev. Reuben Potter. During the summer of this year I became convinced that the Scriptures teach the final holiness and happiness of all human beings, and not the final destruc- tion of such as die out of Christ, which I had previously believed. An honest avowal of my convictions procured me an excommunication from the church to which I belonged, and threw me into the embracing sympathy of the Uni- versalist denomination; and this, in spite of the strong aversion I felt to the then already prominently developed no-future-retribution hypothesis, which afterwards drove me out of the denomination.
In 1823 I preached to several Universalist congregations in So. Mendon, Bellingham, and Medway, and later, for six months, to the First Universalist Society in Boston. I joined the "Southern Association of Universalists " during the summer, and was ordained at its annual session in this town, Dec. 10, 1823. I immediately solemnized the first of my numerous marriages in Boston. About the 1st of April, 1824, I became settled minister of the Uni- versalist Society in Milford, without installation ceremonies. After some years I accepted a call from Prince-St. Universalist Society, New-York City, and was installed as pastor there Sept. 26, 1827. I commenced while there my novitiate as an editor on a small semi-monthly periodical, called "The Dialogical In-" structor." Having accepted a recall to Milford, I' resumed my pastorate here on the 1st Sunday in July, 1828. I was bereaved of my worthy first wife, by quick consumption, soon after the birth of an infant daughter, Feb. 29, 1829. A year of trials, with one severe fit of sickness, followed. I was married to Miss Lucy Hunt, my present excellent wife, eldest dr. of Pearley and Chloe (Albee) Hunt, March 3, 1830, in the brick church, before a full congregation; cer. by Rev. Hosea Ballou, 2d.
I: preached that year under an arrangement to supply the Universalist pulpits of both Milford and 'Medway. . A sermon delivered at Medway in June
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was asked for the press; and my friends got it printed at "The Trumpet" office, Boston. It was on the text, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" In that sermon, while defending the doctrine of universal restoration, I plainly dissented from the no-future retributionists. It gave great umbrage to some of them; and Rev. Thomas Whittemore, then editor of " The Trumpet," the leading Universalist organ of that day, denounced it in strong terms as contrary to American Universalisin, and disrespectful to the elders of the order. He subsequently refused to print my defence in his paper. This so aggravated the schism between the small minority of Restorationists and their opponents, who then ruled the denomina- tion in New England, that the former seceded, and the next year formally organized an Independent Association. Meantime I started a religious weekly paper, entitled "The Independent Messenger," as the organ of the Restora- tionists; taking the responsibility of proprietor and editor. It was printed by Geo. W. Stacy, and the first No. issued about New-Year's Day, Jan., 1831, from the office of Ballou & Stacy, just opened in the shed-loft of William Godfrey, adjacent to the Parish Common. Hot and somewhat bitter controversy followed between the opposing parties for several years. A majority of the Milford Universalist Society, not over-pleased with the new movement, quietly voted to dispense with my services. Passed, Jan. 22, 1831; re-affirmed a week later, and a committee appointed to notify me. I was soon waited on by said committee, and the very same day by a committee of the First Congregational Parish in Mendon to have ine supply their pulpit. I was soon invited to take pastoral charge of said parish for one year, and in April removed my family thither; also our printing-office and "The Independent Messenger." There I had an open field for my cause, for reform, and for progress, in which were spent eleven busy and eventful years. I was formally installed in 1832; the congre- gation and church were greatly increased; the temperance reform was auspi- ciously inaugurated ; the anti-slavery cause promoted successfully, in spite of some bitter opposition; the principles of peace faithfully proclaimed, and fraternal association earnestly recommended. Practical religion and righteous- ness never had a livelier epoch in that parish than those eleven years.
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