Dinner, Driving and Discovery

After our visit to Dinas Powys, we braved the roads and returned to Cardiff  - mind you, not by the route that we had intended to take. We never seemed to take the same road twice - driving on the opposite side of the road completely turned around my sense of direction and orientation. After a few missed turns and exits, we made a hasty retreat to our hotel to change and to meet another set of my cousins and their mother for dinner in Cardiff Bay.

Luckily, we chose to walk - so my map skills were back on track.  It was a lovely, warm and sunny evening, perfect for a walk and another adventure. When we reached the forecourt of the Millenium Centre, we stood for a moment scanning the crowd milling about.

Wales Millenium Centre - Cardiff Bay

Much to my delight, I saw my cousin waving to us. We had been found! After hugs and introductions, we walked over to a  wonderful Italian restaurant  and ate dinner on a balcony overlooking Cardiff Bay. We talked like old friends and it really felt like being 'at home' again. The meal, like the company and conversation, was perfect. To this day, my husband still talks about the spaghetti carbonara that he had that night. After a drink at a nearby pub, we said our good-byes and headed back to the hotel.

Originally, we had planned on driving to South Molton and Filleigh to visit the home of my Ball ancestors in Devon as a day trip. I soon realized that there was so much to see in Wales and decided to go to the Gower for the day to explore the area where my great-grandfather had been born.  The day started out rainy and wet, but after a stop in Mumbles, the sky started to clear. I loved the windy narrow roads, but always jumped when we rounded a corner and passed vehicles going in the opposite direction. We landed at Rhossili just after lunch as the sun was coming out.

The area was, in a word, breathtaking. The view of the bay and Worm's Head was spectacular. It truly is an "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty".

Worm's Head, Rhossili

We walked along the promontory taking it all in - we even got to some sheep grazing on the cliffs and hills in the park.

On the way home, we stopped in Scurlage, the birthplace of Thomas, my great-grandfather (1875-1941) and I had a quick walk around, trying to imagine what life would have been like in the late 19th century Gower.

Scurlage

We also passed the road to Reynoldston, the home of William James Ball (1858-1922), the eldest son of William Huxtable (1837-1927), whose life had a tragic end in the Brigend Asylum.  Every bend in the road told a story and the place names seemed all very familiar.

As we neared Swansea, we managed to get lost in rush-hour traffic, but eventually made it back to Penarth. We dropped by the home of my cousin (with whom we had dinner the night before) and he gave us a fascinating tour of the town where our family lived. The clouds had rolled in again, lending a perfect sombre backdrop to St. Augustine's Church where my 2x great-grandparents, William and Charlotte Ball are buried.

St. Augustine's Church, Penarth

We walked along the beautiful Penarth pier (which was still under renovation) and saw many more sight where family lived, worked and played. Knowing my fascination with the BBC series, Gavin & Stacey, my cousin happily pointed out several exteriors and landmarks which appeared in the show, including a church hall in which his mother's aunt had been married. Our evening ended with a quick visit with my cousin and his family and yet another unknown route back to Cardiff.

Penarth Pier

All in all, another perfect day.

Cheers, K.

Charlotte Balment - Life in Wales with a growing family

Sometime between after March 1858 and early 1861, Charlotte and William moved from Bray Town, Devon to Scurlage, Llanddewi, Wales. It must have been a big change to moved household across the Bristol Channel and to settle in a new place. What pushed or pulled them? The lure of a job, better home, family, friends or a tradegy? If I ever come across the answers, I will be sure to post.

Following their move to Gower, Charlotte gave birth to John (1861), Henry (1863), Elizabeth (1865), Charlotte (1868) and Thomas (1875). The family lived in Scurlage Castle as late as the 1881 census, before moving on to Penarth.

What was life like for Charlotte with 6 children with 17 years between the youngest and eldest? Very busy, I would suspect.

Cheers, K.

Thomas Ball - Laid to Rest Notice - 10 Nov 1941

I wanted to wish everyone all the best for 2012. Thanks for following the Ball Bureau. If you have information to share or would like to comment, please feel free. If you wish to contact me off the blog, please do so at oldbookgal[at]gmail.com.

The following burial notice appeared for Thomas H. Ball in the 10 Nov 1941 edition in the British Columbian on page 5:

The pallbearers included sons-in-law, Jack Hynds and Hugh Sigismund, brothers-in-law, Albert Hewlett (husband of Annie Amelia's sister Sarah Elizabeth Turner), Richard Edward Steed (husband of Annie Amelia's sister, Edith Turner) and J. Hewlett - who is likely related to Albert and Sarah Elizabeth - and another mystery to solve.

Cheers, K.

Obituary - Thomas Huxtable Ball 1875-1941

In doing some more research on my great-grandfather, Thomas Huxtable Ball, I made an interlibrary loan request for the British Columbian newspaper. The Columbian covered New Westminster and the lower mainland of British Columbia. The film arrived in mid-December and I happily spent my morning off at work, trolling through the microfilm.

I was able to find the following obituary for Thomas in the 7 November 1941 edition (pg. 5):

The obituary helps to confirm that Thomas and Annie moved to White Rock in the late 1930's, which was was hinted in the city directories. I suspect that they may have moved in with daughter, Gwen Hynds and son-in-law, Jack Hynds, who resided in White Rock, but I will try to confirm.

The reference to two sisters in England is a bit puzzling. He did have two sisters still living - Charlotte Down and Elizabeth Ann Edwards - however, I believe that they were living in Penarth and Cardiff, Wales respectively. The reference to England may have been an error.

Cheers, K.

William Huxtable Ball's Will 1927

In my research, I was delighted to come across the will and last testament of William Huxtable Ball as it opened up several venues of research for me and let me know that my great-grandfather, Thomas, had not been forgotten after leaving for Canada over 21 years prior to his father's death.

The will was probated in the District Probate Registry of His Majesty's High Court of Justice at Llandaff on 21 December 1927. John Ball of Tygwyn Farm, Saint Andrews, farmer, and Henry Ball, of 96 Plassey Street, Penarth, grocer's vanman, sons of William, were named as executors. The net value of William's estate was given as 532 GBP. Witnesses to the will were David Davies, 4 Victoria Avenue and Isaac Thomas, 138 Plassey Street, both of Penarth.

William owned the homes at 140 and 141 Plassey Street. His daughter, Charlotte Down, was bequeathed the house and contents at 140 Plassey Street. Upon her death or that of her husband (as long as he didn't remarry), the house was to be sold and the net proceeds equally divided between William's grandchildren, William Spickett Ball and Charlotte Agnes Down. Charlotte Agnes was to also receive the furniture in the house. The grandchildren were bequeathed 10 GBP each upon William's death.

The house and contents of 141 Plassey Street were to be sold at William's death, and along with his savings at the Post Office, were to be equally divided, after payment of all outstanding debts, between his other 4 children: John Ball, Henry Ball, Thomas Huxtable Ball and Elizabeth Ann Edwards, and granddaughter, Mabel Charlotte Ball. The will also specified that if Elizabeth died before before her father, her share was to be equally divided among her siblings, John, Henry and Thomas. Interestingly, if Thomas died before William, his share was to go to his wife.

The will proved to be a gold mine of information. For the first time, I learned of the identity of Charlotte's first (and illegitimate) child, William Spickett Ball. There had been many family stories that she had a child out of wedlock (also mentioned in my great-aunt Gwen's note), but there had been many William Balls listed in the UK birth indexes, it was difficult to pin him down (and after having ordered a couple of wrong birth certificates, I had put aside that search). I also discovered a daughter of William and Charlotte, Elizabeth Ann Edwards, of whom I had no knowledge as she did not appear on any of the censuses with family members. This discovery opened up a new branch of the family to explore.

It was reassuring to see that Thomas was mentioned in the will - not for monetary gain, but for the fact that he had not been forgotten. Living so far away from the family in Penarth, Thomas was a world away with a new life, community and family who had never met their Welsh relations.

May peace, health and happiness be yours during this holiday season. Cheers, K.

William Huxtable Ball in the 1881 Wales Census

According to the 1881 Wales Census, William H. Ball is 44 years of age, earning a living as a blacksmith. His birth year is 1837. Charlotte, his spouse, is listed as age 49, whose occupation is shown as "Blacksmiths wife". The following individuals are listed as living in the home: Charlotte, daughter, age 12, Henery (misspelling of Henry), age 17, rural messenger, and Thomas, age 6, scholar, which meant that he was attending regular (but not necessarily full-time) school or being home schooled (although it is doubtful that he was being taught by his mother Charlotte as she continued to sign documents with an 'X'). The family is living in Scurlage Castle, Llanndewi, Glamorgan, Wales.

This was the first census in which my great-grandfather appeared and was the first real indication in my research that the family had been in Wales. One of the first websites that I found was the Welsh Family Archive run by John Ball (no relation). John's kind words and encouragement when we connected through his website furthered my interest in discovering my Welsh heritage - which continues today.

Cheers, K.

Birth of a son, Thomas Huxtable, 1875

The last child of William Huxtable Ball and Charlotte Balment was my great-grandfather, Thomas Huxtable Ball. Thomas was born in 5 July 1875 in Scurlage Castle, Llanddewi, Glamorgan, Wales. The occupation of his father, William, is listed as a blacksmith.

You can find more information about Scurlage here from the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust.

I've found an Ordnance Survey map which shows Scurlage Castle, which was located between Knelston and Scurlage. You can view it here here. The OS reference is SS462882, if you need to re-enter the reference code.

Cheers, K.

Thomas and Annie Ball - Final Resting Place

Thomas and Annie Ball were buried in the New Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC. This is a map of where the cemetery is located:


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Their headstone reads: Ball / Mother / Annie / 1877-1947 Father / Thomas / 1875 – 1941 / At Rest. The "/" represents a new line of text on the headstone or marker. The staff of the New Westminster Public Library kindly provided the transcription.

Cheers, K.

Thomas' death in 1941

According to the funeral record for my great-grandfather, Thomas Huxtable Ball died, at home, in White Rock BC, on 6 November 1941. He and Annie must have moved sometime earlier in the year to White Rock. The staff at the Vancouver Public Library - Special Collections were able to confirm that Thomas did not appear in the 1941 city directories for Vancouver and the lower mainland of BC. I suspect that they may have moved in with friends or family. His daughter Gwen and son-in-law, Jack Hynds, were living in White Rock at time.

The Bowell Funeral Home record for Thomas Ball showed that he died at his residence, given as "Lee Street, White Rock, BC". Interestingly, the certificate states that he last worked in 1937. His death was sudden, likely due to occlusion of the coronary artery (arteriosclerosis).

The pallbearers were Hugh Sigismund (son-in-law and husband of Margery), Jack Hynds (son-in-law and husband of Gwen), Arthur Nursey (future husband to daughter Evelyn), J. Hewlett, R.E. Steed, and A. Hewlett (likely relatives on Annie's side of the family). Thomas was survived by 1 son (Granddad - William H. Ball), 3 daughters (Mrs. J. Hynds, White Rock, Miss Evelyn Ball, Vancouver, and Mrs. H. Sigismund, New Westminster), 3 grandchildren (Dad, Bill and Gwen's son), and 2 sisters in England (actually, Wales - but more about that later....)

Cheers, K.

Life in Burnaby, BC

The Great Depression brought about many changes for folk in Canada, including Thomas and Annie. In 1931, their address, in the Wrigley British Columbia Directory, is shown as 2017 Riverway, Burnaby BC. (The 1930 and 1932 directories for Greater Vancouver are not yet available). Riverway was renamed Marine Drive during the 1930s. This is an approximate location of their Burnaby address:


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and a current street view of their address:


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Annie and Thomas stayed at this address at least until 1940 (last available directory online).

In 1932, Thomas' occupation is shown as 'plumber'. In the 1933 directory, his occupation shown as a labourer at Shell Oil. While in 1934-1940, Thomas is again shown as a plumber, with no employer listed. Whether this meant that Thomas was self employed, I cannot positively determine without further research. Likely, the Depression meant work may have been less stable and secure for Thomas, as it was for everyone.

I do remember Dad telling me that Annie was always feeding someone at her kitchen table during the Depression and that Granddad and Thomas always worried about her safety and well being when the travelling poor came knocking at the door looking for a job or food. She always gave them a small job to do, usually in the garden, and fed them a meal, no matter how little was in the pantry for Thomas and herself. Dad said that she would say that the 'Lord would provide', and they managed to survive the Depression on the little that they had and shared with others. Dad recalled too that she had one of the most immaculate gardens in town.

Cheers, K.

Later years in New Westminster

According to the city directories, Thomas and Annie lived at 1223-5th Avenue from 1909 to 1923. In 1924, they moved to 2107 6th Avenue. The 1924 Wrigley Henderson Amalgamated British Columbia Directory showed their address as being 6th Avenue and 20th Street and in later directories, it is shown as 2107 6th Avenue, New Westminster. This is a Google map of the location:


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And this is a street view of the address nowadays (location is approximate as the house number 2107 does not appear to exist today):


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From the directories, it appears that Thomas and Annie and their family lived at this address from 1924-1930. During their time in New Westminster, Thomas and Annie had 3 more children, all daughters: Gwendolyn Muriel Ball born in 1909, Evelyn Edith Ball born in 1913 and Marjory who was likely born in the late 1910s or early 1920s. What was it like to have raised a family so far from home? Did they ever feel homesick? I have always wondered.

Cheers, K.

Thomas and Annie's Home in 1906 - 9 Renfield Grove, Leeds

When I posted about Thomas' plumber's registration card for 1906, I made a note to myself to find the address: 9 Renfield Grove, Leeds. As it was not listed in current maps of Leeds, I did some digging. The West Yorkshire Archive Service was kind enough to provide me with the following information: Renfield Grove was located in the Central Ward of Leeds and was part of the slum clearances of the 1960s and 1970s. It would have been very near the current Sheepscar Interchange, possibly located close to where you would find Nortech Close today.

Looking at a Google map, this is where Renfield Grove would have been located:


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This is a street view of the location:


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You may need to angle the camera down on the street view to see the road...it doesn't seem to want to cooperate for the link.

Many thanks go to the West Yorkshire Archive Service for all their help in locating this long lost street and last known residence for the Ball family in Leeds.

Cheers, K.

Cunningham Hardware

The city directories show that Thomas Ball worked as a plumber for Cunningham Hardware in New Westminster, starting in 1909 until 1929-1930.

Cunningham Hardware was a fixture in downtown New Westminster on Columbia Street. It was owned by Jim Cunningham (1834-1925), a local hardware merchant and real estate investor, who was helped to rebuild New Westminster after the 1898 fire which ravaged the Royal City's downtown core. Cunningham first came to British Columbia to mine the goldfields in 1860, and settled in New Westminster. He used his assets to invest in real estate in the growing city; and, in 1904, he was recorded as the 'chief taxpayer of the city'. He was prominent in local affairs, elected Mayor of New Westminster in 1873, and Member of Parliament in 1874-78. (Source:Cunningham Block and New Westminster News Leader).

These photos from the New Westminster Public Library photo database will give you an in idea of what Cunningham Hardware was like:

Exterior, 1903

And a store interior, possibly of Cunningham Hardware, 1900-1910:

Cheers, K.

Early years in New Westminster, BC

According to Greater Vancouver directories, Annie and Thomas lived at 1223-5th Avenue, New Westminster, BC from 1909 to 1923. In this 1911 photo, you can see my Granddad, William, his mother Annie, and sister Gwendolyn, in Annie's arms, standing in front of their house:

You can also notice the fence on the left, which might have bordered 13th Street. This is a Google map for the current address, which is near the corner of 5th Avenue and 13th Streets:


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and a street view of the house on 5th Avenue, near the corner with 13th Street, which bears incredible resemblance to the house of Thomas and Annie (with alterations,of course):


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Cheers, K.

Thomas' arrival in Vancouver, BC

Thomas Ball likely arrived in Vancouver, by train, in June 1906. I have been able to find him in the 1907 Henderson's City of Vancouver Directory, published in June of that year. His listing reads: Ball, Thomas, plumber, rms, 1016 Westminster Ave. The abbreviation "rms" stands for 'rooms'.

Annie and Granddad would not have likely arrived in Vancouver until mid to late June of that year, due to Granddad's hospital stay in Montreal.

I did check for Thomas in the 1906 directory. However, the publication date for the 1906 edition was given as April and he arrived at Montreal in June, he would not have made it into the directory.

Cheers, K.

Thomas and Annie's place of residence at the time of their marriage in 1899

In looking back over Thomas and Annie's records, I noticed that I neglected to mention where they were living at time of their marriage on 13 Oct 1899. According to their marriage certificate, they were married in the Baptist Chapel, Carr Crofts, Armley. The residence at the time of their marriage was given for both as 152 Tong Road, Armley. This is a current Google map of that address:



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And this is a street view of the address:


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Whether or not the 152 Tong Road mapped by Google is the same address of 1899, I do not know, but it is likely in the same vicinity.

I was a bit surprised to see the same address listed for Annie and Thomas. However, after doing some research, I learned that cohabitation in the 19th century was common. It is also possible that they both lived in the same boarding house.

Cheers,
K.

Thomas H. Ball sails to Canada 1906

Thomas left for Canada on 31 May 1906, aboard the S.S. Southwark, from Liverpool. He landed at the port of Montreal, Quebec on 9 June 1906. The passenger list for the ship's arrival in Canada lists him as a "plumber" with no stated destination. It also states that he was an Englishman from Yorkshire.

This is a photo of the S.S. Southwark, from Ancestry Library Edition, which sailed under the Dominion Line flag:

What pushed or pulled Thomas to go to Canada? I suspect that there may have been friends or colleagues or the promise of a job, which influenced his decision to leave for Canada. The choice of Vancouver, as a final destination, required Thomas to travel by train across Canada, a journey near as long as the sea voyage that brought him to Montreal. Who or what was there waiting for him?

Cheers,
K.

Thomas Ball's' occupation in 1906

Thomas Ball was a plumber and gas fitter by trade. He was apprenticed in 1891 to Joseph Samuel Shepton in Penarth, Glamorgan, Wales. This is his 1906 National Registration of Plumbers card:

Interestingly, Thomas' card is dated 18 Apr 1906. He left for Canada on 25 May 1906. It makes me wonder when were his plans to emigrate made? I suspect that he needed his plumbers' registration completed before leaving for Canada. Cheers, K.

Annie and Thomas' residence at the time of Granddad's birth, April 1903 - New Wortley, Leeds

On Granddad's (William Huxtable Ball, 1903-1971) birth certificate, it lists Annie and Thomas' address as 6-8th Avenue, New Wortley, Leeds. This is a Tracks in Time map showing 8th Avenue in New Wortley.

This Google Street View image shows Eighth Avenue as it is today:


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The school shown on the 1910 Ordinance Map appear to still be on the same property.

Cheers, K.

Thomas and Annie in Leeds 1901

Many apologies for the delay in posting. Work has been very busy (my library hosted a genealogy fair on 29 October 2011 in Kitchener and over 400 genealogy enthusiasts attended!) and I am still catching up on emails and requests.

I've also heard back from the Local Studies Department at the Leeds Central Library to have been able to confirm a location for Sultan Place, which no longer exists. Thanks go to the staff in the Local Studies Department for their help. Unfortunately, the Leeds Council websites are down today for maintenance, but I will update their links once they are back online.

Annie and Thomas Ball lived at 12 Sultan Place, Wortley, Leeds according to the 1901 Census of England. Sultan Place no longer exists, but its location can be tagged close to present day, Addingham Gardens, which is located slightly north and west of the junction of Whingate and Tong Roads and south of Wortley Road:


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This is a street view from Google Maps of Addingham Gardens to give you an idea of what is there now. Back in 1901 there would have likely been smaller row houses:


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More to follow.....