Johann Jacob Ball UEL (aft. 1733 - 1810)

Born after 1 Mar 1733 in Berne, Albany, Province of New York

Ancestors

Husband of Maria Elisabeth (Mann) Ball — married 4 Nov 1753 in Schoharie, Albany, New York

Descendants

Died 8 Feb 1810 before age 76 in Grimsby, Niagara Twp, Lincoln, Upper Canada

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Brenda Rutherford [send private message] and Doug Smith [send private message]

Biography

Jacob Ball was a United Empire Loyalist.
UEL Status:Proven
Date: Undated

Johann was born in 1733. He is the son of Johan Peter Ball and Anna Margaretha Ballin.^[1][2]

Jacob lived at Renssealer's Manor (20 miles from Albany, NY). He had l00 acres for which he paid l/10 of profits instead of leasing. He cleared land, built a frame house, a barn and a potash works. Jacob was a United Empire Loyalist (UEL). This meant he was a supporter of the British Crown during the Revolutionary War. ^[3] He stayed on the farm until 1778, although subject to fines and imprisonment. In 1778 he left the farm and joined Butler's Rangers as a Lt. If it had not been for Colonel Butler and his Rangers, Canada might have been part of the new United States of America. Information on Butler's Rangers. Fort Niagara, on the east side of the Niagara River,was held by the British and served as a rendezvous for Loyalists civilians and Rangers alike. From that point, they eventually crossed the river to Niagara, then known as Butlersburg. Before 1776 Niagara Township had been settled by a very few white men and numerous Mississauga Indians; but in the next four years many UEL crossed the river on rafts made from their wagons. They removed the wheels, caulked the floorboards and slid them into the river, thus transporting the wheels, families and what possessions they still had to the west side, called Upper Canada. Some, who had been aristocrats before the war, became poor, hard-working pioneers here. Their journey from their homes in the Mohawk Valley to Fort Niagara was hazardous, not only because of the treaty of rebels ready to kill them as traitors, but also because of unfriendly Indians. Land was acquired from the Mississaugas by the Crown and allotted to the UEL's. Butler's Rangers were disbanded in 1784. Jacob was given about 1000 acres at Niagara.

Jacob's wife and son, during the revolution, were bound by a Bond of 200 pounds to quit the premises (Renssealer's Manor) by June 1784.The lands he had in Schoharie 'was some he had from his elder brother who is now in possession'.Jacob Ball Sr. went on to state that in Niagara he had 200 acres on the 4 mile and 3 mile creeks, Newark (Niagara), also 600 acres in Grantham and in 1787 was praying for the 1200 acres remaining due to him.He had a wife and six children.He was granted land in Grimsby Twp., Caistor Twp. and probably other townships.^[4] Jacob would file a Loyalist losses claim after the war which totalled 1862 New York pounds, a large sum at the time.^[5][6] The land in Grantham was in concession X, -- lotss 6, 7, 10, ll, 14, 15. Other lands were: Thorold Twp. lot 3 = 100 acres 1802 Caistor twp. lot 9 con 7 also lot 11,20,21 Caistor Twp. lot 15 con 7 1797 Niagara Twp. lot 335 & 333 and 862 acres.

In 1795 in the district of Nassau (Niagara), Jacob was a Justice of the of Peace.^[7]

During the war of 1812 Locust Grove (the family estate at Ball's Mills) was devastated. On May 27, 1813, the American forces invaded and captured Niagara, and one of the engagement was fought on Ball's field, with the ladies looking on from the windows of the house. The house, stables and barns of both Jacob and Peter Ball were completely destroyed. Also, a quantity of valuables which had been sent there for safe-keeping was lost. Loses included also the potash works valued at 700 pounds, fifteen horses, thirty head of cattle, and thirty hogs, besides the farm utensils. Mrs. Ball fled on foot to Thorold carrying a child and a small bundle of food and clothes. After the war, they claimed 946 pound sterling from the US for losses etc. He received 452 pounds sterling. Locust Grove was rebuilt by Jacob's son, George in 1820.

Jacob helped establish the Niagara Library along with John Young, John Wilson and many more.^[4] "He and his wife Maria Elizabeth Mann lie buried at their Niagara Farm 'Locust Grove' (then moved to St. Marks church in Niagara on the Lake where they currently reside)"^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records from Selected States, 1660-1926, New York, Schoharie, Church Records of Niskayuna and Schoharie, Book 36, pg. 171 of 207.
2. ↑ "New York Births and Christenings, 1640-1962", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2CQ-4HM : 20 January 2020), Jacob Ball, 1733.
3. ↑ United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada. http://www.uelac.org/Loyalist-Info/detail.php?letter=b&line=58
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Miller, Harold. Ball family of Schoharie and Berne NY. 20 November 200. https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/ball/4752/
5. ↑ Canada, Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835, The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; American Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835; Class: AO 13; Piece: 027, AO 12: American Loyalists Claims, Series I, (027) Evidence, New York, 1787, pg. 223-225 of 230.
6. ↑ Canada, Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835, The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; American Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835; Class: AO 13; Piece: 011, AO 13: American Loyalists Claims, Series II, (011) New Claims A. B. C., New York, pg. 188-190 of 766.
7. ↑ Carnochan, Janet. History of Niagara. William Briggs: Toronto, 1914. at Google.com/books https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_Niagara_in_Part/lRY1AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=History%20of%20Niagara%20by%20Janet%20Carnochan pg. 9

See also:

• Palmer, Gregory. Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution. Vol. 2 Meckler: 1984. at Google.com/books https://www.google.com/books/edition/Biographical_Sketches_of_Loyalists_of_th/BHURAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1
• Sabine, Lorenzo. Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution. Vol. 1 Little, Bown:1864 at Google.com/books https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/QjUNAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi50KPAptnyAhUdIjQIHV7sDtoQ7_IDMBZ6BAghEF8
• Annuls of the Forty. Grimsby Historical Society · 1950
• Regehr, Anne Marie Brennan. My Ancestral Tree. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. : [publisher not identified], 1980.
• Reid, William. The Loyalists in Ontario: The Sons and Daughters of the American Loyalists of Upper Canada. University of Michigan: 1994.
• The St. Catharines Standard, St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. 29 Nov 1986 p 15 col.3
• Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 16 February 2021), memorial page for Jacob Ball Sr. (10 Mar 1733–8 Feb 1810), Find A Grave: Memorial #136909882, citing St. Mark's Cemetery, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada ; Maintained by The Closet Skeleton Genealogical Society (contributor 47115530) .
• Clan Wadell entry for Capt. Jacob Ball

Acknowledgements

• Rae Ball.
• WikiTree profile Ball-1122 created through the import of Ed_s tree 2008-10-18_2011-07-29.ged on Jul 29, 2011 by Connolly-194 Alexis Connolly.
• Ball-6683 was created by Doug Smith through the import of Doug Smith.ged on Jan 22, 2015.