Seventh Generation

102. Benjamin BALL was born about 1704. He died on 23 April 1769 at the age of 65 in Bristol, RI.¹⁶⁷ Was Benjamin born 3 Feb 1729 in Weymouth, MA? Seems doubtful, given that he and Hannah Simmons were having children in the 1730's.

Benjamin and Hannah came from Swansea, MA. They were married by John Usher.

Five of the Balls' children (minus Betsy) were baptized in St. Michael's in 1753, 1756, and 1776. Benjamin and Hannah were baptized April 8 and December 19, 1741 respectively.

A child of Benjamin died December 20, 1741 and another child of Benjamin died 1766 (RI Vital Records, Bristol, p. 115.)

He witnessed Thomas Oldridge's will Feb. 7, 1763, in Bristol.

An Ezekiel Ball was a church member in Bristol in 1701. There was an Ezekiel Ball b. in Newark, NJ, son of Edward Ball 1644-1724 of East Haven, CT, and his wife, Abigail Blachley.

A Benjamin, son of Benjamin, b. July 16, 1718.

Francis Ball, assigned to adm. of estate of Jonathan Ball of Bristol, mariner, dtd. Sept. 20, 1737, "one of the sons of said Francis Ball." There was also an Amos Ball mentioned in court records of the time. A son of John Ball died in Bristol 13 Dec 1743. A Francis Ball died in Bristol 26 Aug 1745. His wife, Sarah, was buried 18 Aug 1743. This Francis Ball was born 21 Dec 1669 in Dorchester, Suffolk Co., MA, the son of Francis Ball 1636-1691 of Dorchester and Abigail Salter 1631-1708. And this Francis Ball is said to have a son, Benjamin, b. 9 Feb 1677 in Suffolk Co. who married Mary Brewer or born 30 Aug 1675 who married Mehitable Maxwell, but in either case Benjamin would have had to have been born before he was 10. Another lists the children of Francis and Sarah as Benjamin d. 1769, m. Hannah Simmons and Sarah Jenkins (our Benjamin), Jonathan, and Abigail.

Elizabeth Ball married John Glover in Bristol 17 Mar 1751.

Check the following sources:

- Benjamin named his first son Jonathan. Could it be after his father? A Jonathan Ball was born 25 Mar 1680 in New Haven, CT, or Middlesex, MA, died 1727 in Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA (if it was the same Jonathan), wife was Sarah Whitney married 5 Jun 1710,, parents were John Ball and Sarah Bullard. But the latter are also listed as the parents of Jonathan James Ball, b. 7 Mar 1670 in Waterton, MA, who m. Elizabeth Fiske.

- A John Ball was among those helping Plymouth Colony in Narragansett Bay during King Philip's War. He served on the sloop Swan under Samuel Woodbury of Swansea, which would seem to indicate he also was from Swansea. (Or sloop Brigandyne?)

- See printout of Ball genealogy by Nicholas Ball.

- See Dow, Ball, Eaton, and Allied Families by Grace Ann Ball Dow, 1951.

- Check John Ball 1644-1722 of Waterton, MA, m. Sarah Bullard, had son Benjamin, five other children. Benjamin had a son Benjamin b. December 17,1704, Brookfield, MA. 7 male children, one Benjamin. Thomas, the only line followed in the genealogy, had son born February 12, 1752.

- A Benjamin Ball b. Aug. 30, 1675 of Francis Ball and Abigail Salter of Dorchester. A Benjamin Ball b. October 25, 1749 of John and Margaret in Hopkinton, MA. There was a Benjamin Ball and a Benjamin Ball, Jr. in Lebanon, CT, 1735-1741.

- Francis Ball d. August 26, 1845, in Bristol, as did his wife, Sarah, d. 17 August 1843, buried there the next day. Parents of Benjamin?

- Ezekiel Ball was in Bristol September 28, 1701, became member of church.

Source for Benjamin Ball being the father of Betsy Ball is Peckham Genealogy. Peter Peckham is #101 in that genealogy. Sally, dau. of Peter and Betsy, is #217.

Some genealogies have Benjamin the son of Nathaniel Ball and Mary Brodes, but no evidence to back it up. The first genealogy on ancestry.com that put together all the facts separately collected was dmunch381's Thomas Reuben Smith tree.
Sarah JENKINS and Benjamin BALL were married on 20 October 1751 in Bristol, RI.¹⁶⁸

103. Sarah JENKINS was born in 1721. She died on 9 February 1807 at the age of 86 in Bristol, RI. Assuming she was from Swansea, the Jenkins in Swansea at that time were John and Deborah, m. prior to 1686, had children John, Deborah, and George, no further record.

Record of death in Bristol states she was 86 years old.

Children were:

	i.	Lydia BALL was born about 1752 in Bristol, Bristol Co., RI. She died on 14 October 1826 at the age of 74 in Bristol, Bristol Co., RI. Did she marry Benedict Tew and have a daughter, Susannah Tew, b. 27 Sept. 1780?
	ii.	Ann BALL was born before 9 September 1753.
	iii.	Susannah BALL was born in 1755 in Bristol, RI. She died on 9 May 1840 at the age of 85 in Bristol, RI. She died at the asylum at the age of 85.
51	iv.	Betsey BALL.
	v.	Phebe BALL was born in 1764 in Bristol, RI. She died on 10 December 1834 at the age of 70 in Bristol, RI.
	vi.	Jonathan BALL was born before 26 June 1766 in Bristol, RI. He died on 27 June 1766 at the age of 0 in Bristol, RI.