Person Page - 2666

     William Ball was born circa 1836 at NY.¹ He was the son of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe.¹ William Ball married Susan S. (????)²
     Comment by DGB: There is a cemetery marker in the Hopewell Cemetery, Hopewell, Muskingum Co., OH for a William Ball that died 24 Nov 1876 with a birth date of 23 Jul 1836 that some think are this William Ball, but that location is away from Cleveland OH and may well be a different William Ball. End of comment.³

     Leland Fessenden Ball was born in March 1837 at NY.^1,3 He was the son of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe.¹ Leland Fessenden Ball married Alice A. (????) circa 1857.⁴

     Margaret A. Ball was born circa 1840 at NY.² She was the daughter of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe.² Margaret A. Ball died on 31 March 1909.¹ She was buried at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., OH.¹
     Her married name was Rouse.¹

     Douglas W. Ball was born circa 1842 at NY.² He was the son of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe.² Douglas W. Ball married Frances Downing, daughter of Jane (????), circa 1867.³ Douglas W. Ball married Josephine (????) circa 1885.¹

     Charles Wright Ball was born on 16 December 1845 at Jordan, Onondaga Co., NY.¹ He was the son of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe.² Charles Wright Ball married Rosa M. Furman, daughter of Gale Furman and Eliza Pope, in December 1869.³ Charles Wright Ball died on 29 July 1930 at Cuyahoga Co., OH, at age 84.⁴ He was buried at Knollwood Cemetery, Mayfield Heights, Cuyahoga Co., OH.¹

     Sarah Maria Ball was born on 30 April 1848 at Jordan, Onondaga Co., NY.¹ She was the daughter of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe.² Sarah Maria Ball married William E. Huggins, son of William Huggins and Bessie Elliott, on 15 October 1872 at Cuyahoga Co., OH.^3,4 Sarah Maria Ball died on 28 November 1925 at Chardon, Geauga Co., OH, at age 77.¹ She was buried at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., OH.⁵
     As of 15 October 1872,her married name was Huggins.

     Mary Ball was born circa 1850 at NY.¹ She was the daughter of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe.¹

     Benjamin Franklin Ball was born in January 1852 at Jordan, Onondaga Co., NY.^1,2,3 He was the son of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe.¹ Benjamin Franklin Ball married Charlotte M. McChesney, daughter of Samuel McChesney and Sarah (????), circa July 1872 at Cuyahoga Co., OH.^2,3,4 Benjamin Franklin Ball married Mary Smith, daughter of Thomas A. Smith and Jane Briggs, on 17 September 1918 at Cuyahoga Co., OH.² Benjamin Franklin Ball died on 16 March 1924 at Cuyahoga Co., OH, at age 72.^5,6

     Edward Ball was born circa 1855 at NY.¹ He was the son of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe.¹

     Ernest Adelbert Ball was born circa 1858 at NY.² He was the son of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe.² Ernest Adelbert Ball married Anna Maria Kockers, daughter of Matthias Kockers and Catharine Binges, on 31 December 1877 at Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., OH.³ Ernest Adelbert Ball died on 17 September 1879 at OH.^1,4 He was buried at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., OH.⁴

     Frances Downing was born circa 1846 at OH.¹ She was the daughter of Jane (????)¹ Frances Downing married Douglas W. Ball, son of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe, circa 1867.¹
     As of circa 1867,her married name was Ball.¹

     Charles Ball was born circa 1868 at OH.¹ He was the son of Douglas W. Ball and Frances Downing.¹

     Maud Ball was born circa 1869 at OH.¹ She was the daughter of Douglas W. Ball and Frances Downing.¹

     Her married name was Conroe.²

     Douglas Ball was born circa 1872 at OH.¹ He was the son of Douglas W. Ball and Frances Downing.¹ Douglas Ball married Nellie Park circa 1902.²
     May have been the Douglas G. Ball b. 1872 that died in Cuyahoga Co. OH 2 December 1958.

     Ernest Roland Ball was born on 21 July 1878 at Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., OH.² He was the son of Ernest Adelbert Ball and Anna Maria Kockers.^3,4 Ernest Roland Ball married Jessie Mae Jewett, daughter of William Arthur Jewett and Mary Adeline Moore, say 1903.⁴ Ernest Roland Ball and Jessie Mae Jewett were divorced circa 1911. Ernest Roland Ball married Maude Lambert circa 1911. Ernest Roland Ball died on 3 May 1927 at Santa Ana, Orange Co., CA, at age 48.⁴ He was buried at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., OH.⁴
     Composer Ernest Ball was trained at the Cleveland Conservatory. In 1905, Ball was already in New York City, he was given a few verses written by the then state Senator, James J. Walker, who later became famous as the Dapper Jimmy Walker, Mayor of New York City. He put one of the verse to music, and called it "Will You Love Me In December as You Do In May?", which became a national hit.

Beginning in 1906, Ball had a dual career, writing songs and also singing them himself on the vaudeville stages. At first he worked alone, but later shared billing with his second wife, Maude Lambert. In 1907 he was a charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and signed a contract with Witmark Music as a demonstrator and house composer.

Between 1907 and 1910, Ball wrote a number of popular songs including the first of his Irish ballads, "Mother Machree". He followed this in 1912 with "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling". Other highlights from the Ball catalog include "Love Me and the World is Mine", "Saloon", "Till the Sands of the Desert Grow Cold", "Dear Little Boy of Mine", "I'll Forget You", "A Little Bit of Heaven", "Let the Rest of the World Go By", "In the Garden of My Heart", "My Dear", "Who Knows?", "Goodbye, Good Luck, God Bless You", "Turn Back the Universe", "I Love the Name of Mary", "To the End of the World With You", "West of the Great Divide", "Ireland is Ireland to Me", "She's the Daughter of Mother Machree", "To Have, To Hold, To Love", "Mother of Pearl", "For the Sake of Auld Lang Syne" and "You Planted a Rose."

Ball has said that he became a successful composer when he learned to write songs that came from his heart, and were about things that he knew. He collaborated with several lyricists including Chauncey Olcott, George Graff, Darl MacBoyle, J. Kiern Brennan, James J. Walker, Arthur Penn, Annelu Burns and David Reed.⁵      Left photo courtesy of the Songwriters Hall of Fame; right photo from a passport application.⁵

     Susan S. (????) was born circa 1840 at MI.¹ She married William Ball, son of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe.¹
     Her married name was Ball.¹

     Grace Ball was born in April 1869 at OH.^1,2 She was the daughter of William Ball and Susan S. (????)¹ Grace Ball married George Gault on 24 October 1895 at Cuyahoga Co., OH.³ Grace Ball died on 21 August 1903 at Strongsville, Cuyahoga Co., OH, at age 34.^4,5 She was buried at Scranton Road Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., OH.⁴
     As of 24 October 1895,her married name was Gault.³

     Josephine (????) was born in September 1851 at OH.¹ She married Douglas W. Ball, son of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe, circa 1885.¹
     As of circa 1885,her married name was Ball.¹

     Rosa M. Furman was born circa 1852 at NY.² She was the daughter of Gale Furman and Eliza Pope.³ Rosa M. Furman married Charles Wright Ball, son of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe, in December 1869.⁴ Rosa M. Furman died on 18 July 1936 at Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., OH.⁵ She was buried at Knollwood Cemetery, Mayfield Heights, Cuyahoga Co., OH.⁵
     As of December 1869,her married name was Ball.

     Claude Benjamin Ball was born on 30 April 1875 at NY.^3,2 He was the son of Charles Wright Ball and Rosa M. Furman.⁴ Claude Benjamin Ball married Margaret Blanche (????) circa 1898.⁵

     William E. Huggins was born on 17 November 1847 at Ireland.² He was the son of William Huggins and Bessie Elliott.³ William E. Huggins married Sarah Maria Ball, daughter of Benjamin Ogden Ball and Mary B. Conroe, on 15 October 1872 at Cuyahoga Co., OH.^4,5 William E. Huggins died on 26 April 1921 at Chardon, Geauga Co., OH, at age 73.² He was buried at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., OH.³

     Elizabeth Delores Huggins was born in August 1873 at Newburgh Heights, Cuyahoga Co., OH.^2,1 She was the daughter of William E. Huggins and Sarah Maria Ball.² Elizabeth Delores Huggins married Jay Gould Hart, son of Lemuel Searles Hart and Lydia M. Gould, circa 1895.¹ Elizabeth Delores Huggins died on 14 June 1954 at Willoughby, Lake Co., OH, at age 80.¹ She was buried at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., OH.¹
     As of circa 1895,her married name was Hart.¹