We know there were at least two William Ballards residing in Caroline County, Virginia in the early decades of the 18th century.  It is difficult to distinguish the families; the names of their wives are obvious clues, but other records lack that key indicator, so while we study the allied families associated with them, we set those records aside, for now.

We believe the William Ballard who married Sarah ____________ was a sibling of Richard, Thomas, John and Bland Ballard.  Another William Ballard who married Mary ______________ belongs to Lineage Group III and was a different family.

William Ballard and Sarah _______________ first appear in the Caroline County records on 13 March 1740/1 when they acknowledge a deed endorsed to John Chiles.¹

On 8 August 1743, “William Ballard of Caroline County” acquired 400 acres in Lousia County from John Red of Louisa County, and in 1750 sold this land to the Thomas Ballard (“whereon sd. Ballard is now living”) who left a will in Albemarle County in 1783.  Note that there is no relinquishment of dower by a wife; if it were this William, his wife Sarah would have to consent, and if the other William, his wife Mary; this suggests that the grantor to Thomas is either his widowed father or (if an entirely different family, a brother), given that Thomas was in possession.² 

The next record is the most compelling related to William, for it documents a conveyance in 1743/4 by Richard Ballard, Mary Ballard, William Ballard, and Sarah Ballard; the wives acknowledge their dower interest in the transaction.  There are several ways to look at this; the land being conveyed belonged to the brothers; or perhaps the brothers may have married sisters, and this is land that they inherited.  In either case, it documents a family connection between Richard Ballard and William Ballard.³

The records note that on 8, 5 [July] 1749, Sarah, wife of William, was received by request at Cedar Creek.⁴

This Sarah may have been the Sarah Ballard identified in 13, 9 [September] 1755 when Sarah, Elizabeth, Judith, Sarah and Ann signed the Cedar Creek women’s book as a token that they were members of this Monthly Meeting.⁵  On 8, 11 [November] 1755, William Ballard and family were granted certificate to North Carolina, but fails to identify their destination; there is no record at Cane Creek or New Garden Monthly Meeting of their arrival.⁶ On 12, 2 [February] 1756, “Sarah and children” are granted certificate to Cane Creek Monthly Meeting in North Carolina⁷ (in what is now Alamance County), however, whatever record there may have been of their arrival has been lost, or perhaps they did not travel.

Next we see that William and Sarah Ballard had conveyed land to John Almond in 1755 or 1756.  We do not know the date of the transaction, since the deeds have been lost, but proof of the transaction resides in the Order Books. The transaction was proven by Richard Bradford in May, by William Brumskill in June, and John Montague in July 1756. This last record is very significant because John Montague is probably the John Montague who was the brother of Clement Montague; Clement Montague’s daughter, Isabella, married James Ballard, the son of Benjamin Ballard of Spotsylvania County (the son of Bland Ballard of Spotsylvania County).  Given that relatives of the wife likely served as witnesses to ensure her interests were protected, it is possible that Sarah was a Montague (or Brumskill or Bradford).⁸

Apparently John Almond failed to pay a note on the property, because in 1759, William Ballard obtained a judgement against him for £3.15.9 current money with interest from 11 May 1757.⁹

This William is most likely the William Ballard who removed to Rowan County, North Carolina circa 1757.  William is described as of “Rowan County” when his children, Ann and William, return to Caroline County in 1757 and 1763, respectively, to marry.¹⁰

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Indeterminate Records

Below are Caroline County records we have not been able (to date) attribute to one or the other William Ballards of Caroline County.

13 May 1737. Moses Kid acknowledged his deeds of lease and release of land indented to William Ballard.¹¹

11 December 1749. William Hunter against William Ballard ordered to pay plaintiff £1.15.¹²

12 April 1759. Road Order: Laying a road from Burk’s Bridge to the Three Notched Road, & Benja. Hubbard & William Johnston, Gent., two that were appointed to view the same having made report … ordered that the old road by the old Ivy Church be cleared & that Eusebius Stone, Gent., be surveor of the road from the forks of the road below Colo. Baylor’s to the bridges by the said old church & to have John Taylor Jr, William Parker, Armistead Quarter, Col. Baylor’s Mill Quarter, Ben: Gatewood, Willm. Ballard, Joseph Ballard, John Brown, John Eubank, Abraham Wood & his own people to assist him in keeping the road in repair, & that James Bell be surveyor of the other part of the road from the Three Notched Road to the bridge …¹³

11 May 1759 Road Order: Eusebius Stone, Gent. Is appointed overseer of the road from John Baylor Esq. to the fork of the road by the Ivy Church & to have the following hands, Colo. Baylor’s home house & mill quarter, Jno. Bowin, Ben: Gatewood, Jos. Bullard, John Walden’s quarter, Willm. Ballard, Armistead’s quarter, John Eubank, Abram Wood, & William Poe to assist him in keeping the road in repair.¹⁴

12 April 1765. John Richards, Gent., agt. James Weymouth. In case. This day came the plaintiff and the defendant came not. It is considered by the Court that the plaintiff recover of the defendant and William Ballard, his security, his damages, but because they are unknown, it is ordered that the Sheriff summon a jury to inquire thereof.¹⁵

13 June 1765. Ordered that Richard Edmundson serve as overseer of the new road from the main road by Capt. Dixon’s quarter into the road by Mr. John Taylor’s quarter and that he have besides his own people those at Colo. Baylor’s mill quarter, Mr. John Taylor’s quarter, Capt. Dixon’s quarters, Humphry Burdette’s, William Ballard’s, Fridler’s, William Newell’s, Thomas Brown’s, Francis Hale’s and James Johnson’s to assist in keeping the same in repair and they are discharged from working on other roads. But it is further ordered that the said road be cleared and kept up where it formerly went from Pendleton’s plantation to Francis Haile’s and not as it has been lately cleared.¹⁶

13 August 1767. William Ballard, haveing remained in the prison bounds upwards of twenty days charged in execution at the suit of John Richards, was brought before the Court by virtue of a warrant for that purpose. William subscribed and delivered in Court a schedule of his estate and took the oath for the relief of insolvent debtors. It is ordered that he be released out of custody and that the Sheriff make sale of the estate contained in the schedule and pay the money to the plaintiff towards discharging his execution.¹⁷

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Their children were:

Elizabeth, on 26, 11 [November] 1757, reported married to Thomas Person.¹⁸

Judith, on 27, 9 [September] 1766, Judith Gosset (formerly Ballard) disowned for marrying out of unity.¹⁹

Sarah, on 30, 10 [October] 1756, reported married to John Ozbun [Osborn].²⁰

Ann, b. c. 1736, married John Stanley. On 14, 5 [May] 1757 at Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting, Ann Ballard of Caroline County is reported married to John Stanley.  On 12, 2 [February] 1764, the Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting granted  Ann (Stanley) Ballard a certificate to New Garden Monthly Meeting in North Carolina.²¹

WILLIAM, b. c. 1741.

Mary, On 26, 1 [January] 1771, at New Garden Monthly Meeting, Mary Ballard is granted a certificate to the Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting in Virginia.²² She arrived by April, for on 13, 4 [April] 1771, at Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting, Mary Ballard is received on certificate from New Garden Monthly Meeting in North Carolina.²³  Later that year on 1, 9 [September] 1771, at both Camp Creek and Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting, Mary Ballard, daughter of William Ballard is reported dead.²⁴

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Endnotes

1. 13 March 1740/1. William Ballard & Sarah, his wife acknowledge their deed of feoffment with livery and seizin endorsed to John Chiles. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1740-1746, p. 19.

2. Deed dated 8 August 1743 from John Red of Lousia Co. to William Ballard of Caroline Co., for £25, 400 acres on both sides of Naked Creek … to John Rogers’ corner … on Maj. Henry’s line. Wife Mary relinquished dower. Recorded 8 August 1743. Louisa Co. Va. Deed Book A, pp. 97-98. William Ballard sold this same land to Thomas Ballard on 22 October 1750, for £50, 400 acres in Fredericksville Parish, Lousia Co., on both sides of Fishing Creek whereon sd. Ballard is now living, granted by patent to John Red 30 June 1743 … on John Rogers’ corner in Major Henry’s line. Witnesses: David Watts, Edward Lankford, Benj. Henslee. Recorded 23 October 1750. Louisa Co. Va. Deed Book A, p. 403.

3. 11 January 1744. Richard Ballard, Mary Ballard, William Ballard and Sarah Ballard, Mary and Sarah first being privately examined, acknowledged their deed of land indented to Thos. Watts. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1740-1746, p. 342.

4. William Wade Hinshaw, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. VI (Ann Arbor, MI: Edwards Brothers, Inc., 1950), p. 227.

5. Hinshaw, Vol. VI, p. 227.

6. Hinshaw, Vol. VI, p. 227.

7. Hinshaw, Vol. VI, p. 227.

8. 13 May 1756. William Ballard and Sarah Ballard’s deed indented to John Almond was proved by Richard Bradford. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1755-1758, p. 163.  10 June 1756. William Ballard and Sarah Ballard deed indented to John Almond was further proved by William Brumskill. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1755-1758, p. 167.  8 July 1756. William Ballard and Sarah Ballard’s deed indented to John Almond was further proved by John Montague. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1755-1758, p. 187.

9. 15 June 1759. Petition: William Ballard agt. John Allmond. Judgment is granted the plaintiff. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1759-1763, p. 52.

10. Hinshaw, Vol. VI, p. 227.

11. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1732-1740, p. 415.

12. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1740-1743, p. 188.

13. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1759-1763, p. 6.

14. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1759-1763, p. 16.

15. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1764-1765, p. 469.

16. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1765-1767, p. 4.

17. Caroline Co. Va. Order Book 1767-1770, p. 24.

18. Hinshaw, Vol. I, p. 524.

19. Hinshaw, Vol. I, p. 524.

20. Hinshaw, Vol. I, p. 524.

21. Hinshaw, Vol. VI, p.228.

22. Hinshaw, Vol. I, p.524.

23. Hinshaw, Vol. VI, p.228.

24. Hinshaw, Vol. VI. p. 227.