John Ballard, the eldest son of Thomas Ballard of Albemarle County, Virginia, married Mourning __________. He pre-deceased his wife and father, for only she is named in his father’s will dated 30 June 1779.

The existence of the will (now lost) of John Ballard, son of Thomas and husband of Mourning  is proven by the following record from Buncombe County, North Carolina:

Know all men by these presance that I Samuel Ballard of the county of Buncombe and the state of North Carolina do hereby bargain, sell, convey and transfer unto Robert Patton of the said county and state for and in consideration of the sum of two hundred and fifty Spanish Mill dollars to me in hand paid by the said Robert Patton the receipt where of is here by acknowledged for all my right title and claim to all that legacy or heirship left or bequeathed to me by my father John Ballard by his last will and testimony which legacy is to become due to me at the death of my mother Morning Ballard. I do hereby vest said Robert Patton and his heirs with full power and lawful authority to ask, receive, sue for and recover and to appropriate to his own use or to the use of his heirs all that estate or legacy with real or personal bequeathed to me by my father John Ballard by his last will and testimony and to all intents and purposes I do place said Patton and his heirs in my room and sted as heir to that whole legacy to me bequeathed by my father in as full and as ample a manner as I myself am or could be by virtue of sd last will and testimony or by virtue of law & further suit all claim sd legacy warranting, defending it to sd Patton and his heirs from myself and my heirs, executors, administrators and assigns from all other person and persons claiming my right as heir to my devidend of sd estate, given under my hand this 20th day December 1798.  Test : Aaron Patton, George Newton

Recorded Buncombe Co. North Carolina Deed Book 3, p. 198.

Samuel Ballard and John Ballard both appear in the 1800 North Carolina Federal Census as being 26 to 45 years of age. Also in Buncombe County appears “a deed or letter of Attorney from John Ballard to Robert Patton for all that part of his father John Ballard’s estate that was bequeathed to him by the last will of John Ballard, deceased, was proved in open court by the Reverend George Newton, One of the subscribing witnesses thereto, and ordered to be registered.” January Court 1800, Buncombe Co. N.C. Probate of Deeds, p. 98.

The children of John Ballard and Mourning _____________ were:

SAMUEL.  Born c. 1770, Samuel Ballard removed from Albemarle County, Virginia to Rutherford, North Carolina before 1790, where he appears on the US Federal Census that year and is enumerated as a male over age 16 (born before 1774) in a household that includes two females.  1790 US Federal Census, Rutherford, North Carolina, Series M637, Roll 7, Page 133, Image 85.  He must have settled in that part of Rutherford that was cut off (along with part of Burke County) to form Buncombe County in 1791, for in 1800 he is enumerated in Morgan, Buncombe County as head of a household with a wife of approximately the same age (between 26 and 44), two sons under age 10, a daughter between 10 and 15, and two daughters under age 10.  1800 US Federal Census, Morgan, Buncombe, North Carolina, Series M32, Roll 29, Pag 163, Image 108.

Samuel’s brother John Ballard is likely also found in Morgan, Buncombe, North Carolina in 1800.  The Federal Census that year enumerates a male head of household age 26 to 44, and the household includes a female age 16 to 25, two males under age 10, three females under age 10, and one female over age 45 (born before 1755).  We are inclined to believe that the older female is Mourning, John and Samuel’s widowed mother.  1800 US Federal Census, Morgan, Buncombe, North Carolina, Series M32, Roll 29, Page 160, Image 105.

As noted above, on 20 December 1793, Samuel Ballard executed a quitclaim deed for his interest in his father’s estate to Robert Patton that was recorded in Buncombe Co. N.C. Deed Book 3, p. 198.  In  1799 (the deed fails to name the month: “This indenture made the 29th day in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety nine …” Samuel Ballard purchased from James McMahan “a certain tract of land lying and being in the county of Buncombe on a creek called Forgey’s Creek of Swanannoa …” (100 acres). Recorded Buncombe Co. N.C. Deed Book 3, p. 317, and acknowledged in January Court 1801 and recorded. Buncombe Co. N.C. Probate of Deeds, p. 135.  This same 100 acre parcel was sold by Samuel Ballard to William Edmunson (Edmundson) on 16 July 1802, recorded Buncombe Co. N.C.  Deed Book 7, p. 285, and acknowledged October Court 1802.  Buncombe Co. N.C. Probate of Deeds, p. 205.  Note that no wife joined in the conveyance; could she have died between 1800 and 1802?

No Samuel Ballard is found in North Carolina in the 1810 Federal Census, but a Samuel Ballard appears on a tax list dated 1805 in Anderson County, Tennessee.  After selling his North Carolina land, we believe Samuel Ballard removed to Anderson County, Tennessee.  Unfortunately Anderson County lost its Federal Census records for 1810 and 1820, so verifying this is problematic.  We found that he had settled in neighboring Knox County, and left a number of records there, and the names of his children indicate descent from this line.  See The Ancestry of Samuel Ballard of Cherokee Nation West (c.1802-1862).

John.  The index of deeds for Buncombe County, North Carolina show that a John Ballard on 25 November 1798 purchased from Joseph Dodson 200 acres on Bold Mt. Creek.  Recorded Buncombe Co. N.C. Deed Book 3, p. 246.  On 10 June 1805, John Ballard conveyed 50 acres on Ball Mountain Creek to a Richard Ballard.  Recorded Buncombe Co. N.C. Deed Book 10, p. 336.  We do not know the relationship of the John to Richard; likely father and son.  Richard Ballard purchased 238 acres on Bald Mountain from John Strother et. al. on 24 October 1805, recorded 1 April 1807 Buncombe Co. N.C. Deed Book A, p. 153.   A researcher notes:  “John Ballard lived in Roane County, Tenn from about 1826 to 1839, when he and his son Newton moved to Cooper CO, Missouri where they both appear on the 1840 Census. John is then listed as  70+ years old. The inspiration for the name Newton Ballard, apparently came from Rev. George Newton, the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Swannanoa, just east of Asheville in Buncombe County, and was also the founder of Newton’s Accademy in
Asheville. Rev Newton later moved to Tennessee.”  This needs investigation.

A researcher notes: “John Ballard lived previously in Burke County, where about 1794 Thompson Joseph James assigned a land grant to him.”  This assertion needs investigation.

Thomas, for an 1800 a British Mercantile Claim reported the whereabouts of a Thomas Ballard, son of John, then resident in North Carolina; the supplier of the information appears to be “Thomas Ballard of Albemarle, an uncle of Thomas Ballard, son of John.” The likely informant being Thomas Horace Ballard, to wit:

“Thomas Ballard, son of John, Albemarle. £7.9.0 by account. He removed to North Carolina during the time the Convention Troops of Gen. Burgoyne were stationed in Albemarle, which must have been about 1779 or 1780. He carried with him some slaves and other property and was generally reputed solvent. He lives near the hanging rock in North Carolina. Thomas Ballard of Albemarle is an uncle of Thos. Ballard, son of John.” British Mercantile Claims (cited in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 29, No. 4, p. 299).

On 1 August 1816 a Thomas Ballard purchased 290 acres on French Broad River from Jerremiah R. Pace.  Recorded Buncombe Co. N.C. Deed Book 11, p. 63.  On 25 December 1820, Thomas Ballard conveyed 50 acres on French Broad River to Charles Stewart.  Recorded 23 December 1831 Buncombe Co. N.C. Deed Book 16, p. 392.

There are additional deeds in Buncombe County that bear investigation, and they are noted here for future study.  The relationship of these men to the sons listed above is unknown to this compiler at the moment.  This information is extracted from Buncombe County, North Carolina, Index to Deeds, 1783-1850, by James W. Wooley (Greenville, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1983).

14 April 1827.  Joseph McKnitt Alexander et. al. to James Ballard, 400 acres, French Broad River.  Recorded 13 April 1832, Buncombe Co. N.C. Deed Book 16, p. 466.

29 November 1832.  State of North Carolina to Reuben A. Ballard, et. al., 200 acres, Mills River.  Recorded 22 August 1833, Buncombe Co. N.C. Deed Book 19, p. 77.

5 December 1831.  State of North Carolina #2947 to Reuben H. Ballard, 12 acres, Buck Shoals.  Recorded 28 June 1832, Buncombe Co. N.C. Deed Book 16, p. 501.

4 January 1841.  Seaborn M. Bradley to Thomas A. Ballard, 50 acres, Hominy Creek.  Recorded 30 September 1869, Buncombe Co. N.C. Deed Book 30, p. 265.