Elizabeth (Pierce) Ball (1624 - 1665)

Born 11 Apr 1624 in Norwich, Norfolk, England

Ancestors

Wife of John Ball — married 1643 (to 1665) in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 1 Nov 1665 at age 41 in Watertown, Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

Elizabeth (Pierce) Ball immigrated to New England as a child during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).

Elizabeth Pierce was born April 11 1624, daughter of John Pierce and Elizabeth Trulle.^{[citation needed]} The following christenings have been associated with her,

Christening:

Date: 21 APR 1624

Place: Ogbourne St. Geo,Wiltshire,England

Church Register of Christening: Elizabeth Pearse Gender: Female Christening Date: 21 Apr 1624 Baptism Place: Ogbourne St George, Wiltshire, England Father: Johanis Pearse ^[1]

Baptism:

Date:

Place: Saint Edmund, Norwich, Norfolk, England ^{[citation needed]} as cited on Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65568485/elizabeth-ball: accessed 23 January 2023), memorial page for Elizabeth Pierce Ball (11 Apr 1624–12 Mar 1665), Find a Grave Memorial ID 65568485, citing Worcester Rural Cemetery, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Bryan Huston (contributor 51169811).

She was the first wife of John Ball by whom she had four children. ^[2]

1. John Ball b. 1644.
2. Mary Ball b. ____.
3. Esther Ball b. ____.
4. Abigail Ball b. at Watertown April 20, 1658 and died soon.

Bond (1860) claims that she was insane in 1660 "and probably had been thus for some time. She gave much annoyance to her family and neighbors. (See [Watertown] Reg. of Deeds, vol. iii, p. 81)." She died.

She became violently insane and her children were apprenticed out.

1. Elizabeth's marriage to John Ball was very difficult because of his extended trips to Lancaster as that town was developed. She was convicted in 1657 and 1658 in the Middlesex County, MA County Court of "disorderly cariages" toward her neighbors and husband, and for a fist fight with her elderly father. The judges warned her that her "distempered mind" posed dangers to the community which must be vigilant to thwart "Sathan's temptaccion." Elizabeth countered that the problem was caused by her husband's neglect and admitted beatings - beatings which went unpunished.^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

Sources

1. ↑ Wiltshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812. Image 52 by subscription https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61187/images/47284_263021009496_2662-00052?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=8cce7be4a94edd5c466fd8198126b0d5&usePUB=true&_phsrc=UMv25&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=3105117
2. ↑ Henry Bond, Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, Boston, 1860. p.11
3. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8979-SKF?cc=2061550&wc=Q4DW-N36%3A353350601%2C353362601%2C1006229001 : 20 May 2014), Middlesex > County records > County court records 1649-1663 vol 1 > image 80 of 169; citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston.
4. ↑ Middlesex MA court papers folio 18
5. ↑ Middlesex Court Papers Folio 16
6. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L979-SVG?cc=2061550&wc=Q4DW-N36%3A353350601%2C353362601%2C1006229001 : 20 May 2014), Middlesex > County records > County court records 1649-1663 vol 1 > image 96 of 169; citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston.
7. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8979-SNL?cc=2061550&wc=Q4DW-N36%3A353350601%2C353362601%2C1006229001 : 20 May 2014), Middlesex > County records > County court records 1649-1663 vol 1 > image 102 of 169; citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston.

• Genealogy: a journal of American ancestry, Vol. 2, Weeks, Lyman Horace, ed., p 213, downloaded 3/23/2018, from: https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?from=fhd&dps_pid=IE2020107

See also:

• http://files.usgwarchives.net/ma/middlesex/towns/watertown/Ball,%20John%20of%20Watertown.txt
• New England Historic and Genealogical Society (NEHGS), New England Historic and Genealogical Register (NEHGR), (Quarterly, 101, Newbury Street, Boston, MA), 1894, Vol 48, page 215.
• New England Historic Genealogical Society, "New England Ancestors (NEHGS)," Established 1845: Spring 2006 Vol 7, No. 2, pages 54 and 55.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, IGI, British Isles, v3.06 - 5.0, (FamilySearch(tm), (c) 1999-2005 by Intellectual Reserve Inc.), Batch C048241 (baptism); Parish registers, 1538-1946 Church of England. St. Clement with St. Edmund Church (Norwich).
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65568485/elizabeth-ball