Biography
Edward Ball was the second son of Henry Ball and Jane Winnard. He was born in Upholland in 1743 and baptized at St. Thomas the Martyr Anglican church on 4 March 1743. He was named after his father’s father.
When Edward was age 4 or 5, his father took up farming. Edward grew up on the family farm in Dalton, a tiny community on the northern outskirts of Skelmersdale. He was raised with five siblings, all boys except the youngest.
Edward became a farmer like his father, and probably spent his life in Upholland. On 23 November 1773, he married Ellen Hewet at All Saints church in Wigan. Edward and Ellen had three children—James, Mary, and Henry—between 1774 and 1779. All three children were baptized at St. Thomas the Martyr.
An unusual nine year gap ensued, during which Edward did not baptize any children at St. Thomas. There are several possible explanations for the gap. The family may have moved elsewhere and baptized their children in a different church, they may have had a string of pregnancies that did not produce viable babies, or there may have simply been a record-keeping error at the church. Ellen may have died during that period and Edward remarried, although there is no record of either event.
In any case, Edward Ball, a farmer living in Upholland, resumed baptizing children at St. Thomas in 1788 (Daniel) and 1793 (Ellen). Absent any evidence to the contrary, it is assumed this was the same Edward, and the mother was Ellen Hewet.
Edward Ball died and was buried on 29 March 1818 in the churchyard at St. Thomas the Martyr in Upholland. We have not yet tried to locate his grave, which may give us more information on his family.
Source Documents
Details
- Christening: 1743-03-04, St. Thomas the Martyr Anglican Church, Upholland;
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Occupation:
1779-05-16, Upholland;
Farmer.
Per Henry Ball’s Baptism Record.
- Burial: 1818-03-29, St. Thomas the Martyr Anglican Church, Upholland;