Acts of Genealogical Kindness Keep Me in Awe

St. George's Church, Reynoldston, Wales

After a particularly busy month at work and a frightening tumble down some stairs at home (no broken bones thankfully, only bruises and a few bumps on my head), I started catching up on my home email to find some lovely photos of William James Ball's church and home in my inbox.

The photos were sent by a very kind soul who had connections to Reynoldston as a child and contacted me after I posted the story of William's stay and death at the Glamorgan Asylum. She also attempted to find William's grave in the Church cemetery, but found that the headstone had sunken below the grass and was no longer visible.

I can't tell you how much the photos brightened my day.  Thank you, Vivienne. I am always in awe of the generosity and kindness of people in the genealogical and local history communities.  I promise that I will pay it forward.

Cheers,
K.

Wedding of William James Ball and Mary Shepherd - 1879-1880

One of the best things about writing this blog is that I get to meet (in the virtual sense) many kind and generous people. One such person is Vivienne. She had seen my posts about William James Ball and his stay in the Glamorgan Asylum. As a former Reynoldston resident, she contacted me and shared her childhoood memories of seeing William and Mary's former home on St. George's Terrace and the Ball burial plot in the local cemetery.

Vivienne also sent me a reference to a blog entitled "Dear George" written by Frances Bevan, which examines the correspondence between George Bevan, who left home at age 15 to begin an apprenticeship in his uncle’s ironmonger’s shop in Llandudno, and his family in Gower. Their correspondence carried on for over 50 years.

Vivienne pointed out that the marriage of William James Ball and Mary Shepherd was mentioned in the letters of late 1879 and early 1880. The first reference to the couple can be found in a letter dated 15 Dec 1879 The second reference to William and Mary's wedding is found in a letter dated 26 Oct 1880.

I was really excited to see the references and want thank Vivienne for all of her insight and memories of Reynoldston and Gower.

Cheers, K.

Death of William James Ball (1858-1922)

William's incarceration at the Angleton Asylum continued for many years. In early 1919, his wife, Mary (Shepherd) Ball, passed away in early 1919 in Reynoldston, Glamorgan, at the age of 75. She was buried on 27 Feb 1919 in the St. George Church cemetery in Reynoldston.

Was William aware of his wife's passing? Did his daughter Mabel Charlotte visit her father or keep in touch with the facility's staff? We may never know.

On 10 January 1922, in the County Asylum, William James Ball passed away. On his death certificate, his age is noted at 63, and his address/occupation was listed as "of 2 St. George's Terrace, Reynoldston, Gower, Swansea, C.B., a Pensioned Letter Carrier". The cause of death is given as " Bright's Disease, duration unknown, (Mania) P.M. Certified by D. Finlay, M.D.". The informant was Mabel C. Ball, daughter, 140 Plassey Street, Penarth. The death was registered on 14 January 1922, by Margaret Davies.

William was buried on 14 January 1922, presumably with Mary, at the St. George (Anglican) Cemetery in Reynoldston.

Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would describe acute or chronic nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys). It is typically denoted by the presence of serum albumin (blood plasma protein) in the urine, and frequently accompanied by oedema (swelling due to fluid retention in the body) and hypertension (high blood pressure). I suspect that Bright's Disease was a later diagnosis which hastened his demise. The exact nature of his mental illness is not discernible from his death certificate.

Such a sad end. I wonder how his father, William Huxtable Ball, would have felt to have lost a son. It must have been very sad.

Take care, K.