RICHARD BALL
RICHARD BALL
Richard Ball, 5' 6", fair complexion, brown hair and gray eyes, served in both the 3 month and the 3 year organizations of the 1st W. Va. Infantry, and then transferred to the 147th Co., 2nd Battalion Veteran Reserve Corps. He was born in England on 26 Dec 1843, the son of Richard Ball and Sarah Gray, both born in England. By 1850, the family was living in Maryland. The ages and birth places of the children give an indication of when the family moved from one place to another.
1860 Census Marshall County, W.Va.
BALL (2119)
Richard...46-wm...button maker...England
Caroline...34-wf...England
Richard...19-wm...button maker...England
Mary M...10-wf...MD
Rosanna...8-wf...MD
Charles A...5-wm...MD
Caroline...3-wf...MD
Sarah V...2/12-wf...VA
Theodore Shriver...70-wm...button maker...Saxony
Richard Ball, Sr., served in Company "L" of the 6th W.Va. Infantry. He died in General Hospital at Grafton, Taylor County, W.Va. on March 13, 1863; cause unknown. He is buried at Mt. Wood Cemetery, Wheeling. - Audra Wayne's "Civil War Soldiers of Ohio County, W.Va." mistakenly states that this Richard was in the 1st Infantry. Of course, it was this man's son who served in that regiment. - Richard Sr.'s wife, Caroline, is also buried at Mt. Wood. Caroline may have been the second wife of Richard Sr., based on her age in the 1850 census. Also, Richard Ball Jr.'s mother was Sarah Gray.
Following the war, Richard Jr. apparently went west.
Two marriages of Richard Ball occurred in Arapahoe, Colorado.
The pension application from the National Archives shows that Richard was first married to Clara F. Norton. She was the daughter of Dr. S. B. Norton, as shown in the 1880 census. Richard and Clara had one daughter, Bertha, about 1878. They divorced on 16 Aug 1878 and Clara was given custody of the child. No children are listed for Richard and Jennie.
Richard Ball died of organic heart disease on 3 Aug 1905. His occupation is listed as "miner." In one pension document he stated he was a "Gas Fitter." The person giving the information for the death certificate was "Mary J. Ball" so perhaps that was Jennie's real name.
Richard is buried in the historic Columbia Cemetery in Boulder, Colorado. This information was provided by Jack R. Box, a volunteer at the cemetery. Jack works to restore the graves and headstones and has a website about the Soldiers Buried In Columbia Cemetery. Jack presents additional information about Richard Ball, as well as a photo of his headstone.
In 1910, widow, Jennie, is a servant, 56, in the home of Benjamin and Hattie Williams in Boulder, Colorado. The census shows that she had given birth to 3 children but none was living.
