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Descendants of William Ball, Lord of the Manor

Generation No. 10

11. MOSES BALL¹⁰ (SR.) (JOHN⁹ BALL, RICHARD⁸, WILLIAM⁷, CAPTAIN WILLIAM⁶, JOHN⁵, JOHN⁴, WILLIAM³, ROBERT², WILLIAM¹) was born May 2, 1717 in Fairfax Co., Va., and died September 3, 1792 in Clarendon, Fairfax Co., Va.. He married NANCY ANN BRASHEARS June 23, 1745 in Stafford Co., Overwharton Par., Va., daughter of ROBERT BRASHEARS and CHARITY DOWELL.

Notes for MOSES BALL (SR.):
Moses' name, wife and children's names and dates are in the Ball Bible which has been given to the Historical Society of Virginia in Arlington.

Moses and Nancy Ann lived on Four Mile Run adjoining that of George Washington, Also, according to existing records, they did surveying together and had business dealings. General Washington mentions Moses Ball in his diary several times. Friday, April 22, 1785, he states: "Took an early breakfast at Abbington and accompanied by Dr. Stewart and Lund Washington and having sent for Moses Ball, who attended, I went to the corner of the above land." Here follows a description of a survey in which one of his servants, William, a chain carrier, fell and broke his knee pan and there was much difficulty in getting him home.

In another diary entry, dated May 16, 1786, Washington states: "When I returned home found Moses Ball and his son John and William Carlin here; the first having his effects under execution wanted to borrow money to redeem them; I lent him Ten Pounds for this purpose." When making his will, Moses didn't forget this loan.

                     WILL OF MOSES BALL, SR.

Fairfax County, Virginia
Will Book F, No.1, p. 176
15, December 1786
                            15 October 1792
       In the name of God, Amen, fifteenth day of December, in the year of Our Lord God, One thousand seven hundred and eighty-six, I, MOSES BALL, being in perfect memory, thanks be to Almighty God, and calling to remembrance the uncertainty of this transitory life and that it is appointed once for all men to die, do make, constitute and ordain this to be my last Will and Testament in manner and form following, revoking and disannuling by these presents all and every other Will or Wills heretofore by me made and declared either by word or writing and this only is to be taken for my last Will and no other.
       And first I recommend my soul unto the hands of God in whom and through the merits of Jesus Christ I trust and beleive assuredly to be saved and to have full remission of all my sins and that my soul with my body at the general day of resurrection Shall rise again with joy.
       Firstly, I recommend my body to the grave to be decently buried at the discretion of my executors hereafter named, and as for the settling of my temporal Estate and such Goods, Chattles, and Debts which it hath pleased God to bestow upon me, I do order, give and dispose in manner and form following:
       That is to say, First, I give and bequeath unto my well beloved son, JOHN BALL, twenty five acres of land, beginning on the south side of Four Mile Run at the White Oak of General Washington's, thence with Washington's line to Alexander's line and the meanders of Long Branch Westwardly until the quantity of twenty-five acres is made then with a Southerly line from the Long Branch to said line of Alexander.
       Secondly, I desire that the remaining part of my land may be in the possession of my dearly beloved wife, ANN BALL during her natural life to be at her discretion during her widowhood but in case she marries, then the said land is to be disposed of at the discretion of my Executors, and the profits arising therefrom to be equally divided among my surviving children after my just debts is paid (my son JOHN excepted).
       Thirdly, I desire that my Executors as soon as possible pay to his Excellency, General Washington, the sum of ten pounds with interest, a sum I borrowed from him and William Carlin, security for which to secure Mr. Carlin I had to give him an Instrument of Writing mentioning two Cows and Earlings, the only intending the sum said of ten pounds to be made out of the aforesaid cattle in case he (Mr. Carlin) should be obliged to pay General Washington, th above mentioned sum of ten pounds.
       Fourthly, I give and bequeath to my well loved daughter SIBILA BALL, one bed and furniture as it stands at the decease of her mother agreeable to the conditions of the land.
       Fifthly, and lastly I desire that my son, JOHN BALL and Mr Joseph Birch, to be the only and sole Executors of this my Last Will and Testament, and I do by these presents revoke and disannul all and every other Wil or Wills, Legacy or legacies heretofore by me made or done, acknowledging THIS AND NO OTHER to be my last Will and Testament; as witness I have here unto set my hand and seal the day and year above written.

       (Signed) Moses Ball (Seal)

       Signed, Sealed and Acknowledged in the presence of
       Elijah Wood
       William Culberhouse
       Chloe Culberhouse (X) her mark

       At a court held in Fairfax County, Virginia, 17th September 1792, this Will was presented in Court and proved by the Oath of Elijah Wood. And at a Court held for the said county 15th October 1792, it was further proved by the Oath of William Culberhouse and ordered to be recorded.

       Signed, F.W. Richardson, Clerk

       Children of MOSES (SR.) and NANCY BRASHEARS are:

13.

GEORGE¹¹ BALL, b. 1752, Fairfax Co., Va.; d. December 24, 1825, Lee County, Va..

14.

ii.

JOHN BALL, b. July 25, 1746, Fairfax Co., Va.; d. December 14, 1814.

15.

iii.

MOSES BALL, b. Abt. 1748, Fairfax Co., Va.; d. December 15, 1831, Beech Creek, Hawkins Co., TN.

iv.

ROBERT BALL, b. April 10, 1750, Fairfax Co., Va.; d. October 12, 1776.

BAZIL BALL, b. Abt. 1754; d. Bef. 1835, Alexandria, Va..

vi.

JAMES BALL, b. 1755; d. 1783.

vii.

ANNE BALL, b. October 26, 1757, Fairfax Co., Va.; d. July 19, 1812.

viii.

SABILLA BALL, b. Abt. 1759; d. January 4, 1817.

12. MARY¹⁰ BALL (JOSEPH⁹, RICHARD⁸, WILLIAM⁷, CAPTAIN WILLIAM⁶, JOHN⁵, JOHN⁴, WILLIAM³, ROBERT², WILLIAM¹) was born 1708, and died 1789. She married AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON.

Notes for MARY BALL:
Mary Ball Washington

The stories of George Washington's youth are well documented. The stories of Mary
Washington's life are less so. Mary Ball was born in 1708 to Joseph Ball and Mary
Johnson. Her father died only a few years after his daughter was born. Soon after, Mary
Johnson Ball married Richard Hewes. Mary Ball grew up learning those lessons every lady should know--sewing, knitting, and cooking. Her mother also instilled in her the lessons of the Church. By the time Mary Ball was thirteen, both of her parents died.

Mary spent the next nine years dividing her time between Elizabeth Bonum, her half sister from a previous marriage and Colonel Eskridge, her guardian. Little is known of these years, but Mary Ball may have been tutored in some studies with the other children on the Eskridge plantation.

Family tradition tells that Mary Ball travelled to Stratford-by-Bow just outside London
when she was about twenty years old. During her visit with her half brother, Joseph Ball,
she became better acquainted with Augustine Washington. Washignton lived in the
same county and was visiting in London at the same time. The two were married in 1730
in Virginia.

The Washingtons made their home at Pope's Creek Plantation on the Potomac River. The
new Mrs. Washington undertook to raise her husband's three children from a previous
marriage. On February 22, 1732 Mary gave birth to a son who she named George after
her guardian. Mary and Augustine Washington had two other children Betty and Samuel.

In 1738, Augustine Washington purchased Ferry Farm on the banks of the Rappahannock
River, south of Fredericksburg. Four years later Augustine Washington died leaving Mary
to raise the children.

The relationship between mother and son is one that is disputed, but Washington did care
for his mother in her later years. In 1772, George Washington purchased the house in
Fredericksburg and moved his mother there to be closer to her daughter Betty. Mary
Washington was sixty-four years old and a house in town meant her needs could be
looked after. Because of its location on the Post Road, communications were easy to
maintain in Fredericksburg.

Mary Ball Washington lived to see her son elected President. He is said to have visited
her prior to his inauguration in 1789. Mary Ball Washignton died later that same year.

Description of Mary Ball Washington directly from the pen of Lawrence Washington, half brother of George as follows:
"Of the mother, I was ten times more afraid than I ever was of my own parents. She awed
me in the midst of kindness, for she was truly kind. And even now when time has whitened
my locks, and I a grandparent of the second generation, I could not be hold that Majestic
woman without feelings it is impossible to describe. Whoever has seen that aweinspiring
air and manner, so characteristic in the Father of His Country, will remember the matron
as she appeared when the presiding genius of her wellordered household, commanding and being obeyed."

Child of MARY BALL and AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON is:

GEORGE¹¹ WASHINGTON, b. February 22, 1731/32, Wakefield, VA; d. December 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, VA; m. MARTHA DANDRIDGE.

Notes for GEORGE WASHINGTON:
GEORGE WASHINGTON. Many United States presidents are honored for their great work, but two stand above all others George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln is remembered for his great human qualities. Washington is beloved as the "father of his country."
Washington was a "father" in many ways. He was commander in chief of the American forces in the American Revolution, chairman of the convention that wrote the United States Constitution, and first president. He led the men who turned America from an English colony into a self-governing nation. His ideals of liberty and democracy set a standard for future presidents and for the whole country.
Over 6 feet tall, Washington was a handsome man, whose portraits fail to do him full justice. He was slim-waisted and big-shouldered, with a powerful body and a well-shaped head. He rode well and walked with a firm, vigorous stride.
His mind was equally strong. He learned quickly and put his learning to good use. In giving orders to farmers on his plantations or to soldiers in the field, he was exact, methodical, and complete. He was slow in giving commands, but once his mind was made up, he held to his decisions.

The Private and the Public Washington

Washington seemed somewhat cold and formal to the public. With his family and friends he often relaxed. He loved dancing, parties, and the theater and his dinner table was constantly surrounded by guests. He had a hot temper, held tightly in check. He seldom lost it and then only for good cause. He helped family and friends with gifts and loans, asking only that they would not reveal the donor. However, he was quick to say "no" when he felt imposed upon.
Washington's memory is held in honor by his fellow countrymen and by the world. The enemies and critics who attacked him in war and in peace are now largely forgotten. His name has become a byword for honor, loyalty, and love of country.

The New World Washingtons

John Washington was the great-grandfather of George Washington. He was an Englishman of good family who came to Virginia in 1657 and founded the American branch of the family. He obtained a grant of 150 acres in Westmoreland County on the Potomac River. He soon saw a future in the wilderness upriver. In 1674 he and a partner secured a second grant of 5,000 acres about 18 miles below the modern city of Washington, D.C. This was the site of Mount Vernon (see Mount Vernon). John Washington was well known as a planter, businessman, and military leader. The hostile Indians called him Conotocarius "destroyer of villages."
Little is known of John's son Lawrence, but his grandson Augustine left a clear record. He had many holdings farms, businesses, mines, and land. He was a man of great energy. He added to the Westmoreland plantation until it included the whole peninsula between Popes Creek and Bridges Creek, small streams emptying into the Potomac.
Augustine Washington had four children by his first wife. His second wife was Mary Ball Washington. Her family had been settled in Virginia in about 1650 by her grandfather, Col. William Ball. She was born in 1708 and was orphaned at 13. She inherited 400 acres of Virginia land, some slaves and riding horses, jewelry, and household equipment.
George was the eldest child of Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. He was born on Feb. 22 (Feb. 11 on the calendar used then), 1732, at the Bridges Creek plantation, later called Wakefield. His five younger brothers and sisters were Elizabeth, Samuel, John Augustine, Charles, and Mildred (who died in infancy). George's two half brothers, Lawrence and Augustine, were 14 and 12 years older than he, but the three boys liked and respected one another.

Washington's Childhood

When George was 3 the family moved to the larger plantation farther up the Potomac. It was called Epsewasson, or Little Hunting Creek, from the name of the stream it faced. Young George grew to love the estate with a passion that lasted all his life.
Some years later Augustine bought a farm on the Rappahannock, opposite Fredericksburg, and moved his family there. Ferry Farm (or River Farm) was the scene of boyhood adventures described by "Parson" Mason Locke Weems in 'The Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington'. This book was once much loved by boys and girls.
There, according to Weems, he chopped down the cherry tree, then admitted it to his father, stating that he could not tell a lie. There too he is said to have thrown a stone across the Rappahannock. Whether he performed such feats or not, he did live the normal life of a boy in the country. He galloped his horse across fields and meadows; he played at Indian wars with his brothers and sisters; and he dashed to the wharves when ocean ships came into the river port.
When George was 11, his father died. Ferry Farm was left to Mary Washington, to be given to George when she passed on. Epsewasson went to his half brother Lawrence; Wakefield, where George was born, was left to his other half brother, Augustine.
Lawrence had married a neighbor, rich and charming Anne Fairfax. He added to the house at Epsewasson and renamed the estate Mount Vernon, in honor of Admiral Vernon, under whom he had served in the West Indies. Augustine, a prosperous planter, had married also. George went to live with Augustine at Wakefield because Henry William's school, one of the best in the colony, was nearby.
Little is known of George Washington's schooling. He was probably tutored at home for a time, and he may have attended school in Fredericksburg before going to Henry William's school. At 15 he was ready to do practical surveying. He was good in mathematics; he was a neat penman; and he made accurate maps.
For a time his mother thought of sending him to sea to become a naval or merchant marine officer. However, she finally thought better of it and refused to let him go. At school he fell in love with a young lady known only as the "lowland beauty." To her he wrote sad, pompous poetry and grieved about his lost love.
In 1748 George went to live with his half brother Lawrence at Mount Vernon. There he found an interesting circle of friends and neighbors. One was Lord Fairfax, a cousin of Lawrence's wife and master of more than 5 million Virginia acres. Lord Fairfax took a liking to George and hired him to help survey his holdings beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains. The work was hard and dangerous, but George did it well. The surveys took more than a year. Then, partly through Fairfax's influence, Washington was appointed surveyor of Culpeper County, his first public office. He took the oath of office on July 20, 1749.
Like any young man on his first real job, Washington considered his pay as a surveyor very important. To a friend he wrote, "A doubloon is my constant gain every day that will permit my going out, and sometimes six pistoles." A doubloon was worth about $15, and six pistoles made a doubloon and a half very good pay for a youth of 17.
Between surveying trips Washington lived as a young country gentleman. In the outdoor life with its sport and adventure he was at his best. Tall, powerful, and erect, he took an active part in society. He loved good clothes, and he was constantly writing his London agents about his dress, his tableware, and ornaments for his drawing room. In a world at peace he might have continued to work hard and play hard with little thought of public service. The world was not to remain at peace much longer.
And the rest is in history books.

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