My mystery man - William Henry Ball

In going back over some research notes, I came across William Henry Ball, son of Henry Ball and Anne Evans. Given the propensity to hand down names in the Ball family (especially, the name 'William'), I was particularly flummoxed in my early days of research with sorting out which William was who. (I should be honest and say that the legacy of repeating names is not purely a Ball tradition. I am named after my mother's sister, who named one her daughters after my mother - my poor Grandma never got my name right on the first try - I learned to answer to both names - it just made life easier for her...)

William Henry Ball was born on 7 November 1892 in Newton, Brigend, Wales, in the area near Porthcawl:


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His father, Henry, was a dairyman. His mother was Ann Evans. Henry's address was given as 52 Windsor Road, Penarth and it is noted "as per Declaration dated 21 December 1892". William Henry's birth was registered on 28 December 1892, almost 2 months after his arrival in Newton.

Sorting out his identity from of his cousin, William Spickett Ball, was bit of a tangle as they both often appeared in the census as "William Ball". They appear to have worked together in the Evans (a relation to William Henry's mother, Ann, I suspect) bakery in Whitchurch, Cardiff in the 1911 census.

Family lore had it that William Henry had died in the Great War or by tragic circumstances, at a young age. He turned up as the informant of the death of his father, Henry, on 8 December 1931. There's a William Henry Ball listed in the 1937 Western Mail Directory for Cardiff, living at 8 Bridgend Street, Splott, one of the four inner city suburbs of Cardiff, born of the industrial revolution.

Recently, I came across a marriage registration for William Henry Ball, of 96 Plassey Street, Penarth, dated 26 Dec 1921. He was married to Matilda Kate Bowcher, who lived at 34 Plymouth Road, Penarth. The marriage took place in the Parish Church in Penarth. Interestlingly, the witnesses to the marriage were William Spickett Ball, Henry's cousin and Arthur William Bowcher, Matilda's older brother.

I have not yet been able to find a death for William Henry Ball - but now know that he had been married. My next steps are to trace down any possible children and Matilda's death or second marriage. I will be sure to let everyone know if anything turns up.

Cheers, K.

Mabel Charlotte Ball, 1882-?

Mabel Charlotte Ball was born to William James Ball and Mary Shepherd in the first quarter of 1882 in Gower. Mary's age at the time of Mabel's birth would have been 37-39 years old, given the range of birthdates given for her in the censuses. Mabel was likely born in Reynoldston, where her father was a postman.

Roadside near Reynoldston
Image and copyright - Jeremy Bolwell and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
Mabel first appears in the 1891 census as a 9 year old scholar (or student), with her parents in Reynoldston, Glamorgan. In 1901, she appears as dressmaker, age 19, living with her parents.

Mabel next appears in the 1911 census, in Penarth, and is living with her grandfather, William Huxtable Ball, at 18 Railway Terrace. She was also living with her aunt Charlotte (Ball) Down, uncle (by marriage) William Down, and cousin, Charlotte Down in the same household. She is listed as dressmaker. At this same time, her father, William James Ball, was living in the Glamorgan Asylum at Angleton, Bridgend. I always wondered if she ever visited with her father in hospital or mother, who still lived in Reynoldston, on her own. What I do know is that Mabel was the informant on her father's death certificate in January 1922.

My research on Mabel Charlotte Ball, regrettably, ends here. I have a few leads to follow and will update the blog on my new findings.

Cheers, K.

Charlotte Ball, motherhood and the 1911 census

Charlotte and William Down welcomed the birth of a baby girl, Charlotte Agnes Down, in the third quarter of 1901. The birth was registered in the Cardiff district.

I've always wondered from where the name Agnes came - and have recently learned that it may have been related to Charlotte's paternal great-great-grandmother, Agnes (Painter) Ball, who died in 1844. However, more research will need to be done to confirm if this is a probable connection. There is also William's side of the family to investigate.

The 1911 census showed little change in the Down/Ball household at 18 Railway Terrace, Penarth. Willian Down had his occupation listed as "Workman", age 44, while William H. Ball, Charlotte's father, was shown as a "Milkman", age 74 and a widower. Charlotte was listed as age 42, married for 12 years. Young Charlotte was student, age 9. William Ball's granddaughter, Mabel C(harlotte) Ball, was living with the family. She was 29 years of age and a dressmaker.

Cheers, K.

Elizabeth Ball and Robert Edwards - 1911 and Separate Lives

The 1911 census revealed some very dramatic changes in the Edwards household. Robert was living with son Leonard, age 22, occupation "tram conductor", daughter Elsie, age 18, single, no occupation given, and son Harold, age 14, no occupation listed. Robert and the children were living at 19 Meteor Street, Cardiff:


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This is a street-view of their neighbourhood:


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Notably absent is Elizabeth from the family home. Curious as to her whereabouts, I searched for her in the 1911 census returns, thinking that she could have been visiting with family on the day the census was taken. Much to my surprise, I found her living as a boarder at 11 Newport Road, Cardiff:


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This is a street view of the area mapped by Google as 11 Newport Road, Cardiff. The area has obviously been redeveloped in the years since 1911:


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The rather telling detail on the census return is that Elizabeth was living with May Thomas, widow, age 40, whose occupation was given as "Head of British Womans [sic] Temperance Assn", and Elsie Williams, single, age 26, no occupation given. May and Elsie are shown as the head of household. The rest of the boarders are single women, ranging in age from 16 to 24, whose occupation is given as "general servant". There is one widow, May Sullivan, age 39. Elizabeth was listed as age 44, dressmaker, born in Gower. While the address is not in Cardiff's "Temperance Town", the presence of May Thomas and Elizabeth's status as a boarder raises the question 'Was there a problem with alcohol in the Edwards household?" Did Elizabeth leave the family home as a result of Robert's drinking? Was her departure from the family home more of a manifestation of her devotion to the temperance cause rather than an indication of a drink problem in the home? I don't have the answers and perhaps it will never be known.

I have tried doing some online research on May Thomas, but have not found any information on her. I will keep looking and will post if anything is found.

Many more questions to ponder...

Cheers, K.

Henry Ball (1863-1931) ten years on...

The 1911 census of Wales (and England) was taken on Sunday April 2nd. By the time the census was taken, Henry and Anne had moved to 5 Railway Terrace, Dinas Powys, Glamorgan, a short distance west of Penarth (2.6 kms actually):


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This is an aerial view of the street where they lived:


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Perhaps they had moved to be closer to John's farm in St. Andrews or found that Henry's business interests had drawn them away from Penarth, I am not sure.

The census shows Henry to be a dairyman, age 47, Ann, housekeeper, age 43, Lily May, daughter, age 16, assistant in dairy, Lettice Charlotte, daughter, age 14, student, Doris Charlotte, age 13, student, Gladys Margaret, age 10, student, and a new addition to the family, Irene Winnie, daughter, also a student.

Ann's father, Henry Evans, a widower, retired, age 74, was also living with the family. William Henry, the eldest child, had moved out by this time - more on him later.

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.

William in the 1911 Wales Census

The 1911 census, taken on the night of Sunday 2 April 1911, did show some changes for the household of William Huxtable Ball of Penarth. William is shown as 74 years of age, still working as a milkman, and a widower. His address remained 18 Railway Terrace. He was living with son-in-law, William Down, age 44, workman, his daughter, Charlotte, age 42, and granddaughter, Charlotte Down, age 9, who was attending school. Charlotte's birthplace is listed as Penarth, so presumably, she was born and raised in her grandfather's home. Also with the family is Mabel C (Charlotte) Ball, a dressmaker, age 29, who had been born in Gower, Glamorgan. She was the daughter of William's eldest son, William James Ball. As to the reason why she appears in her grandfather's home in 1911, I will investigate further and post once information is available.

Cheers, K.