William gets married 1857

On 5 August 1857, William Huxtable Ball married Charlotte Balment in the parish of High Bray, Devon. According to their marriage certificate, William and Charlotte were married in the Parish Church. William's age is listed as 21, bachelor, his rank/profession is shown as "blacksmith" with a residence of High Bray. His father is listed as John Ball, Tailor. Charlotte's age is shown as 22, spinster, with the occupation "single woman" and residence in High Bray. Her father is shown as William Balment. His profession is difficult to read, but my best guestimate is "Farmer". William and Charlotte were married by banns. William signed the certificate, while Charlotte signed with an "X", meaning that she likely was not educated. The witnesses to the marriage were Louisa Jane Ball William's younger sister) and William (name indistinguishable, but begins with a B).

To learn more about High Bray, click here to read about the village on GENUKI. High Bray is located west of Barnstaple and north west of South Molton:


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This is a link to an image of All Saints Church the parish church for High Bray.

Cheers, K.

William Huxtable Ball - England Census 1851

In the 1851 England census, William is shown as age 14 (birth year noted as 1837). His occupation is shown as "Working home as a Tailor", which likely means that he was an apprentice to his father, John, who is shown as "Tailor and Draper". Living in the household are his father, John, age 54, tailor and draper, his mother, Elizabeth, age 53, his brother John, age 25, "Cabinet Maker, French Polisher" and sister, Louisa, "Scholar", which would have meant that she was attending school. The family is shown as living in Stags Head, South Molton, Devon.

Cheers, K.

William in the 1841 England Census

According to the 1841 England census, William was living in the hamlet of Stags Head, in the parish of South Molton, Devon, with his family. His father, John, age 40, is listed as a "taylor". Also in the household are his mother, Elzabeth, age 40, sister, Elizabeth, age 12, and younger sister, Louisa, age 1. William's age is shown as 4, with a birth year of 1837 - which seems to be the birth year most commonly used for him in later documents, despite the 1836 baptism entry from the Filleigh Index on GENUKI.

To get an idea of where the Balls were living click here to see a 1950's map of the area from oldemaps.co.uk. Stag's Head is located between Filleigh and South Molton. The Stags Head Inn still exists and is operated as a pub/restaurant/B&B. This inn is definitely on my must-see list!

Cheers, K.

William Huxtable Ball's Siblings

Born to John Ball, tailor of South Molton and his wife, Elizabeth Huxtable, were the following siblings of William Huxtable Ball, 1835-1927:

Ann Huxtable, daughter, baptized 27 Oct 1822, John, son, baptized 24 Jul 1825, and Susanna, daughter, baptized 5 Sep 1830,

according to the Filleigh Baptism Index 1813-1837 on GENUKI.

I was able to find two other daughters: Elizabeth, born ca. 1828, who was named as an exectrix in the will of John Ball Sr., and Louisa Jane, born 1839, who appears with William in the 1841 census.

Research on these individuals and their families continues. When I have more information on them, I will be sure to post.

Cheers, K.

William Huxtable Ball, 1835-1927

William Huxtable Ball was the father of Thomas Huxtable Ball. William was born in the area of Filleigh or South Molton, Devon, England.

This is a map of the area of around Filleigh:


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and South Molton:


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Filleigh and South Molton are east of the city of Barnstaple, in the county of Devon.

His year of birth is given 1835 or 1837 in various documents. Since his birth predated civil registration in the UK, the actual date has been difficult to pin down. However, it is likely 1835 as he is shown in the Filleigh Baptisms Index 1813-1837, which appear in GENUKI, a "virtual reference library of genealogical information of particular relevance to the UK and Ireland." William appears in the Filleigh Indexes as being baptized on 6 Nov 1836, the son of Elizabeth Huxtable and John Ball, Tailor of South Molton.

Cheers, K.

British Columbia City Directories

The staff of the New Westminster Public Library pointed out this great resource for British Columbia city directories online. The British Columbia City Directories site is a genenalogical and historical resource at the Vancouver Public Library. City directories, dating from 1860 to 1940, are available online, with the exception 1930 and 1932. Happy searching!

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.