Journeys past and present

As I began this genealogy journey a few decades ago, I never thought that I would be retracing the steps of my grandparents, Bill and Mary Ball.  Back in late 1961, Grandad and Nana embarked on a round-the-world cruise on board a freighter. One of their last trips before returning to Canada was to Wales to visit Grandad's Welsh cousins in Dinas Powys.  Just over 50 years later, little did I know, I would be making a similar journey to connect with my family in South Wales.

It had always been a dream of Grandad to sail - he had always lived near the coast growing up in British Columbia.  Captain Bob Thomas, the husband of his cousin, Gwen Charlotte (Ball) Thomas, was a mariner and had visited with Grandad and Nana many times on his visits to Vancouver and Victoria.  Grandad loved the sea. I will always remember his beloved telescope in the big living room window of his Parksville home that overlooked the Strait of Georgia. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of ships, flags, and cargoes, having worked at the Shell Oil refinery in Vancouver.

When Grandad retired, my grandparents decided to fulfill a dream and sail around the world, in a freighter, no less.  They flew to Los Angeles, boarded a working ship and sailed to Hong Kong, Malaysia, and through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, and finally out onto the Atlantic to France and then onto London. Nana always recalled fondly having dinner at the captain's table and the friendly and hardworking crew that worked on the freighter.  From London, they drove to Dinas Powys to visit with Gwen and Bob Thomas and onto the south of England. They sailed to Montreal from Southampton and then drove across Canada, back to Parksville and the west coast.

My grandparents managed to get lost in Dinas Powys and finally stopped at a corner shop to ask for directions. When Nana spoke to the shopkeeper, he smiled and said "You must be the cousins from Canada" and gave her the directions to the Thomas' (which was coincidentally, just around the corner from where they were). They had a lovely visit with Gwen and Bob. Nana wrote to Gwen on 10 Apr 1962 from Leominster, Herefordshire and noted they felt that "we have known you all for ages". (Gwen's grandson kindly sent me a copy of Nana's letter).

Welsh brass figure.
 My Nana, Mary (McPhee) Ball, is in the framed
 photo to the right - London, April 1962

Of all the trinkets that Nana brought home from her trip, one was a brass bell of a woman in traditional Welsh dress. After Nana passed away in 1997, my mother gave me that brass bell as a keepsake. I think that she knew that I would, one day, make that connection with Wales again. And I did - happily, in late July of this year.

John and Ruth (Thomas) Ball - Headstone

I've been caught up the past few weeks doing some research on my Dad's baseball and university career and have regrettably have been away from the blog, but I hope to remedy that by getting back into the swing of things.

I wanted to update the burial information for John and Ruth (Thomas) Ball at St. Andrew's in Dinas Powys. John was an older brother to my great-grandfather, Thomas Huxtable Ball.

John is buried with wife, Ruth Thomas, and their children, Nelson and Gwendoline. The headstone at St. Andrews Major Church reads as follows:

In loving memory of JOHN BALL died May 4th 1928 aged 68 years
And his dear wife RUTH BALL died December 28th 1959 in her hundredth year.
Also their son NELSON BALL, beloved husband of Linda, died June 2nd 1963 aged 60 years.
Also their daughter GWENDOLINE CHARLOTTE died September 19th 1986 aged 85 years, beloved wife of Captain BOBS THOMAS.

The blog post about their final resting place can be found here.

Cheers, K.

John Ball (1861-1928) in the 1911 Census

According to the 1911 Census of Wales, John and Ruth Ball were living at Ty Gwyn in St. Andrews-Dinas Powis. John is noted as age 50, and the operator of a dairy farm, while Ruth is noted as "married". Their children, Gwendoline Charlotte Ball, age 11, and Nelson Ball, age 8, are both noted having been born in St. Andrews and attending school. There is also a "cowman", named Edward Williams, in the home. Presumably, he was working for John on the farm.

Ty Gwyn still exists today in St. Andrews. "Ty Gwyn" is translated as "White House" in English. This is where the house is located:


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And this is what the house looks like from the back (notice the small sign that reads "Ty Gwyn"):


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This is a view of the house photographed in 2010 from the field at the front of the house:

I am told that John Ball rented the home and farm of approximately 50 acres from the Wenvoe Estate in 1884.

Many thanks to Matthew for the use of his photo of the house and the information on Ty Gwyn.

Cheers, K.

John Ball, 1861-1928 - Family and 1901 Census

In the years following their 1895 marriage, the family of John and Ruth Ball grew. Ruth gave birth to a daughter, Dorothy Ruth in 1896. Baby Dorothy`s birth was registered in the 2nd quarter (Apr-Jun) of 1896. Tragically, she only lived for 16 hours and was buried in St. Andrews Major on 15 Jun 1896.

A second daughter, Stella, was born in 1897. She was followed by another daughter, named Gwendoline Charlotte, who was born in 6 October 1899, in St. Andrews, Dinas Powis.

The 1901 census shows John, age 40, with an occupation of farmer, living in St. Andrew, Dinas Powis. Ruth is shown as 40 years of age, with Gwendoline L. Ball, age 1. I suspect that the middle initial "L." is likely a transcription error. Living with the family are the following people: Elenor Thomas, age 33, sister-in-law to John (Ruth's younger sister), whose occupation is shown as 'Dressmaker' and birthplace as Gower, John Howells, age 19, servant, whose occupation is farm labourer, and birthplace was Cardiff, and Eliza J. Wade, age 22, a domestic servant, from Somerset.

Where was Stella in 1901? I am not sure, but do know from a family member that Stella was not well and lived away from the farm. She later turns up with her aunt Eleanor in Cardiff in 1911 - but more on that later. If I do come across Stella in my travels, I will be sure to post.

A son, Nelson, was born in late 1902.

Cheers, K.