Barry County Missouri
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Feb 8, 1845 - Apr 28, 1875 & Sarah Elizabeth (Garrett) Ball Reed Feb 28, 1845 - February 3, 1936 |
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Sarah Elizabeth Garrett was born Feb 28, 1845 in Talladego Co., Alabama the daughter of Jasper Newton and Louisa Bridgeman Garrett. The family moved from Talladega County, Alabama around 1842 to 50 miles from Atlanta, Georgia. In about 1850 they moved to Grove Springs, Wright Co., Mo. It is believe Sarah Elizabeth Garrett married William Valentine Ball March 25, 1863. William Valentine was only 17 years old and needed his Mother's consent to marry which she wouldn't give. A Ball family researcher Georgia Ball Farwell relates that the law was, if a young couple was expecting a child they didn't have to have parental consent to marry. Therefore, their first children James Elbert Allen Ball was born a little too soon. The reason no marriage could be found for them in Wright Co., Mo was the courthouse had been burned and they had to go to a neighboring county to be married, Webster Co., Mo.
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It is said when they were first married they lived with Billy's mother.
As Billy was very young he didn't join the regular Army during the Civil
War but joined the Militia. He enrolled June 10, 1863 at Marshfield,
Mo., 6th Prov. Regt. Militia, Co. D and C by Major McMahan under General
Holland. This outfit was called Regt E.M.M. Co C later when Billy
was enrolled Oct 2, 1864 under Capt Wood at Leabanon, Mo and left the service
Nov 20, 1864. William Valentine Ball was assigned to other outfits
due to special assignments.
Between 1864 and about 1868 they moved to Arkansas maybe Benton Co., AR near Bentonville as their only daughter Nancy was born there. She died August 16, 1866 in Arkansas. It is thought that Billy had relatives there. Another child John Benjamin Ball was born March 29, 1868 in Arkansas.Between then and |
William Valentine and Sarah had begun to homestead some property in Barry Co., Mo and the best that can be found out is that it was in Township 21N Range 27 W Section 12. In a 1909 Atlas George Reed owned land in this section along with Ben Stansberry 80 acres, James Elbert Allen Ball 160 acres, James Wesley Reed 75 acres, George Custer 120 acres and Clay Dennis 40 acres. A section is 640 acres thus George Reed had 165 acres. The reason I point out George Reed's land in 1909, part of what he had was originally William Valentine Ball's. This land was near Reed Hollow or Pine Hollow off Roaring River not too far from the Munsey Cemetery at Eagle Rock, Mo. Sarah and William had settled there and was making improvements. They needed income so William had gone to work for a man named Adcock. William's brother James also worked for Adcock at Washburn, Mo. William loved to hunt and that is what he was doing when he hemorrhaged and died April 28, 1875. It is thought he had TB. He was buried in the Washburn Prairie Cemetery.
William's death left Sarah with 4 little boys and very little
on which to live. She managed as best she could by raising corn for
corn meal that they took to the head of Roaring River to the mill.
The first year after William died they raised a patch of rye. Their
sheep ran on the rye. In the spring she shut them off and when the
rye was ripe they would cut, clean, and take it to be ground for rye bread.
Sarah traded a feather bed to some people for a Jersey cow. They
lived the first winter on rye bread and milk. They managed on their
homestead until Oct 30, 1878 when Sarah married George Reed.
George Reed & Sarah Elizabeth (Garrett) Ball Reed |
A family research, Fredaline Cooper Horner told the story that George
Reed's wife Narcissus West Reed had died May 18, 1877 after having
a baby. George really needed help with the baby and the large family
he had and Sarah was having a difficult time as well. So they were married
Oct 30, 1878 and combined their families. George had 6 children
and Sarah had 4. George's small baby, Amos Reed that was born when
his wife had died, also died that following Jul of 1879. George's
daughter, Sarah Caroline Reed was the only girl and she died young.
When land was homesteaded for 10 years, a claim could make on it and legal papers made. So George and Sarah moved to Sarah's |
George and Sarah had three daughters together, Mary, Rachel and Martha. They prospered and were well thought of in the community. George became the Justice of the Peace for the area. They said Sarah worked hard and even took her knitting to church to work on while she listened to the sermon. As she gave away the mittens and gloves to the preacher, I guess he didn't mind. Her son John thought she gave the prettiest ones away.
George Reed was to die first on June 24, 1921 and was buried at the Munsey Cemetery with a military marker as he was in the Civil War, 24th Regiment Missouri Infantry. Sarah died at the old age of nearly 91 on February 3, 1936 and is buried beside George in the Munsey Cemetery near Eagle Rock, Missouri.
Sarah and William Valentine Ball's children:
1. James Elbert Allen Ball born Jan 16, 1863 m. Sarah Faulkner
Dec 2, 1884
2. Nancy Ball born May 26, 1866 died as infant
3. John Benjamin Ball born Mar 29, 1868 m. Dora Skelton Hopkins about
1888.
4. Finas Newton Ball born May 23, 1871 m. Dollie Jane Tucker Nov 7,
1892
5. William Silas Ball born Nov 9, 1874 m. Jennie Skelton Apr 24, 1894
Sarah and George Reed's children:
1. Mary Frances Reed born Febtuary 28, 1880 m. Thomas Plummer
2. Rachel Louise Reed born Feb 1, 1882 m. Dock Goins
3. Martha Reed born Dec 31, 1886 m. Orth Porter
Please do not publish any part of this article without the consent of the writer:
Darla Ball Marbut
HC81, Box 8356
Cassville, Mo 65625
gmarbut@centurytel.net
Sources:
Our Easleys page 26 through 39 published in 1972 by Faye Maloney Ball
and Darla Ball Marbut
Mrs Edward Ball (Some information was told to her by John Ben Ball,
Sarah's son.)
Georgia Ball Farwell
Patsy Ball Pettigrew
Jimmy Dale Ball
Letter from Martha Porter
Fredaline Cooper Horner
Return to Barry County
© 2001 Donna Haddock Cooper, All Rights Reserved