Worcester
23.12.91
Dear Lesley
Many thanks for your letter and the photo (it made Marion's day) and for the card of good wishes.
As far as your queries are concerned - I can answer some of them - though a lot of my knowledge is incomplete. However, let's start with the Ball side first.
Thomas Ball (my Grandpa, your Great Grandpa) died April 13th 1871,aged 28 years.[1] He left a widow Priscilla Ball (nee Ross) who subsequently remarried 1. Brewin 2. Bell. I did know the man who was known to me as Grandpa Bell but I was very small at the time and all I remember was he let me accompany him in the back garden and pick kidney beans. However, he does not come into the picture. Brewin I did not know.
To get back to Thomas & Priscilla.[2] They had two sons, William & John. There were no children by her two later marriages. (Dan is incorrect) Priscilla died March 16th 1915 aged 72.
William - the elder - was a furniture remover and I suspect he had some knowledge of antiques. His wife - Esther -I think her surname may have been Hallman, a junk shop at St. Ann's Well Road, Nottingham. They had no children. With hindsight, I think that may have caused Esther some unhappiness. At least she was very fond of Daisy (my sister - Jack Steels mum - did you know her?) My recollections of them are about on a par with Jack Steels. I remember a huge stable behind the shop with a number of big horses and also a retriever dog which slept on the stairs and would not let me come down in the morning. William died May 18th 1921 (aged 58)
This brings us to John (my father - your grandfather) born 3rd February 1864 at 18 Havelock St., St. Mary's, Leicester. Mother shown as Mary Ball. What I've told you so far I've got documented. He married Emma Priestley on Christmas Day 1884 at St. Mark's Church Leicester. I think you're pretty well versed in their family. Let me know if there is anything else.
This brings us to somethings that I cannot prove and is based largely on things I remember being told. I cannot guarantee any of it.
Priscilla Ross had two brothers. One was named Isaac & was an engineer at Leicester Zoo! I did meet him once when I was about 18 he bounced into the office and told me he was my uncle. His son was with him. Otherwise he came as a complete surprise.
Now we come to the suppositions. I have in my possession the probate of the Will of John Ball Esquire. Also a record of the transfer of land to a William Haynes of Kibworth Beauchamp, Leics. Frankly, if I were doing research with the Ball side I should start in some of the villages around Market Harborough. I remember my father once telling me that his family once owned- the ground at Leicester on which the Midland Station was built and I have the idea that they may have been people of substance once upon a time.
As regards Mary Ball (Mother of John & William).[3] Her maiden name may have been Parramore. This is based on a walk I had with my father round Northampton Cattle Market. There was a big firm of transporters of that name who came from somewhere in Rutland (as it was). He said "my grandmother's name was Parramore". All this is most unreliable but I have a picture which purports to be her.
These are very old parchments going back to the early part of the last century.
As far as the Priestley side is concerned I do not know a great deal. My Grandfather Priestley was a needlemaker and his family originated in the Bristol area. I do not know his Christian name or that of his wife.[4] I do not ever remember seeing her though I saw him fairly often when I was very young. Her maiden name was Gilbert and I've been told that the Gilberts were a huge clan who kept village shops scattered all over Leicestershire.
Jack was right. There were eight in our family. Harold John (your father) Frank William (Tony's father) Daisy Lilian (Jack, Steel's mum) Bertram Cyril (m. Amy Geraldine Harrison (no children) and he died 22nd July 1926. She remarried and had a little girl who contracted pneumonia and died very young. Eric Basil, Kathleen Eveline, Lucy died shortly after birth,[5] Noel Edgar me. I had assumed you knew all this. Lucy who I never knew and I were named after the principals in "Lucia di Lamamoor". Grandma Ball had heard Sam Reeves in it shortly before we were born. Where she got Noel from is something I've never found out.
Fred Payne was Aunt Phoebe's son. He had a daughter named Alma and if you found him during the war you've seen him more recently than me. Aunt Phoebe was Granny Ball's sister. She had another son Billy and a daughter Edith. As far as the Priestley side is concerned the only two I saw much of were Harold & Clarence Priestley. Harold became a printer but was older than me and may not be alive any longer.
Am pleased to hear you traced Tony Ball. I think I've seen him about three times in my life. The address I have for him is very old and to be honest I should not recognise him if I saw him.
Hope this is what you want. If, there is anything else let me know.
Best wishes
N.
Note: The footnotes were not part of the original letter.
[1] Thomas Ball died from phthisis (tuberculosis). He was born in Eaton Street, Leicester 26 May 1843.
[2] Thomas Ball and Priscilla Ross were married at St Margaret's church, Leicester on 20 April 1862.
[3] The parents of John and William were Thomas Ball and Priscilla (formerly Ross). The grandparents of John and William were John Ball and Mary Ann (formerly Bunnay). John Ball and Mary Ann Bunnay were married at St Margaret's church Leicester on 26 October 1834. Their ages were recorded as between 35 and 40 at the census 6 June 1841; and 66 and 64 respectively at the census 2 April 1871. John Ball died 17 February 1875. Mary Ball died 27 December 1881.
[4] Emma Priestley's parents were William Fergus Priestley and Mary Ann (formerly Gilbert). William Fergus Priestley was born 27 March 1841 at Woodgate, Loughborough. Mary Ann Gilbert was born 21 April 1843 at Church Gate, Loughborough. They were married 8July 1860 at the Independent Chapel, Loughborough.
[5] William and John Ball had a younger sister Lucy who died young. She was born 7 September 1869, and died 13 September 1871 (six months after her father). The cause of death was phthisis (the same as her father Thomas Ball).