BALLS of Humbleyard

[cdnsctgirl]

Is anyone researching the BALLS family? I have a Mary Anne BALLS, born c1832 in Humbleyard, Norfolk (according to the 1881 census). She married William HOCKLEY c1859 in London and had 4 children. I have no information about her siblings or ancestors.

Thanks,

Sarah

[Geoffers]

Is anyone researching the BALLS family? I have a Mary Anne BALLS, born c1832 in Humbleyard, Norfolk (according to the 1881 census). She married William HOCKLEY c1859 in London and had 4 children. I have no information about her siblings or ancestors.
Sarah

Hello Sarah
No connection with this family. I've tried seacrhing the 1851 Norfolk Census for Mary (Ann) Balls and anything similar (e.g. Maria Marian, Maryan, Maryann) but without success; I'd guess that she may well have moved to London by then.

Humbleyard is quite a large area, it's the name given to a Hundred and subsequent District in Norfolk, from memory it's about 29/30 parishes. I think you'll need to get the marriage certificate in order to see who the father was - and then search census returns to try and narrow down the parish, whose record you can check for her baptism.

You might also try the Norfolk Surnames List
http://freespace.virgin.net/isabel.easter/Norfolk/Surnames.htm
to see if anyone else is researching the name in the same area.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[cdnsctgirl]

Geoffers,

Thanks for trying. I have ordered her marriage certificate now, so hopefully that will shed some light on the mystery. I agree that if she wasn't on the 1851 census in Norfolk, she had probably already moved to London or somewhere near London (I wasn't able to find the family in the London census indexes for 1861 or 1871).

Thanks for your help!

Sarah

[cdnsctgirl]

I found a possible match in the 1851 census index (not the actual census). There is a Mary A. Balls living in Wandsworth, Battersea (London). She's 19, which matches with what I know of my ancestor. Could SKS please look up this person and tell me where she was born (and her exact location and occupation in 1851)? The piece number is 1577, folio 164a.

Thanks,

Sarah

[Geoffers]

Sarah
I'd suggest you also post the request on the London census forum - if someone has access to teh information you need, they may not have a research interest in Norfolk and so miss your request. Sorry I can't help with a look-up for you.

Geoffers

[cdnsctgirl]

I finally got my copy of the marriage certificate for Mary Ann BALLS and William HOCKLEY. After finding out her father's name (James), I was able to find the family on the IGI (one of the family names was passed down through a couple of generations, so I think I got the right family).

It's so exciting to find a new lead! :D

Sarah

[Geoffers]

[I finally got my copy of the marriage certificate for Mary Ann BALLS and William HOCKLEY. After finding out her father's name (James), I was able to find the family on the IGI (one of the family names was passed down through a couple of generations, so I think I got the right family).]

It's pure curiosity, but having seen your original posting, what parish in Norfolk did they come from?

Also, use the IGI as a (very good) pointer, but do double-check the original parish registers. There are mistakes on the IGI and it does not contain all the information to be found in original parish records.

For example, if Mary Ann Balls was born about 1832, the register will include the occupation of the father. Pre-printed registers were in use at this time and the local Vicar/Curate just filled in the blank spaces. Just ocasionally though, you get someone who was more thorough than was required; some record the date of birth, others the maiden name of the mother.

In the registers from c.1780 to 1812, a fair bit of detail is often recorded including the date of birth, maiden name of mother (and whether she was previously a spinster or widowed); it's quite rare, but some vicars also recorded the father's occupation.

Also, some vicars made personal notes in registers about local life (Frettenham between 1847 and 1852 is a good example see: http://www.genealogy.doun.org/transcriptions/documents.php?register_id=225&district_id=19 )

If you are a member of the NFHS and you know the parish where they lived, you might also ask the help team at Norwich to check the Land Tax Returns 1798 for entry/ies relating to the Balls family. The tax paid is a good indication of wealth and is useful to compare against the later records of the Tithe Commutation Act which can often be used to pinpoint houses (or where they stodd) in which ancestors lived in the 1830's.
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In the registers from c.1780 to 1812, a fair bit of detail is often recorded including the date of birth, maiden name of mother (and whether she was previously a spinster or widowed); it's quite rare, but some vicars also recorded the father's occupation.

Also, some vicars made personal notes in registers about local life (Frettenham between 1847 and 1852 is a good example see: http://www.genealogy.doun.org/transcriptions/documents.php?register_id=225&district_id=19 )

If you are a member of the NFHS and you know the parish where they lived, you might also ask the help team at Norwich to check the Land Tax Returns 1798 for entry/ies relating to the Balls family. The tax paid is a good indication of wealth and is useful to compare against the later records of the Tithe Commutation Act which can often be used to pinpoint houses (or where they stodd) in which ancestors lived in the 1830's.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[cdnsctgirl]

The marriage certificate was from Shoreditch (Middlesex), but the IGI had a Mary Anne BALLS in Dunston, Norfolk. The census listed her as being from Humbleyard (Dunston is apparently in that district).

What makes me think it is the correct Mary Anne BALLS is that she had a daughter named Ellen Skipper HOCKLEY. The mother listed for this particular Mary Anne BALLS was a Catherine... and then I found a James BALLS who married a Catherine SKIPPER in Dunston at around the right time. I know that this is all conjecture and I could end up being wrong, but it seems like a fairly solid lead (and I have to start somewhere!).

Do you know if Dunston was a parish, or if it was a larger area made up of smaller parishes?

Thanks,
Sarah

[Geoffers]

[The marriage certificate was from Shoreditch (Middlesex), but the IGI had a Mary Anne BALLS in Dunston, Norfolk. The census listed her as being from Humbleyard (Dunston is apparently in that district).]

Yes, that's correct

[What makes me think it is the correct Mary Anne BALLS is that she had a daughter named Ellen Skipper HOCKLEY. The mother listed for this particular Mary Anne BALLS was a Catherine... and then I found a James BALLS who married a Catherine SKIPPER in Dunston at around the right time. I know that this is all conjecture and I could end up being wrong, but it seems like a fairly solid lead (and I have to start somewhere!).]

Exactly, use the information as a starter and then try to prove/disprove it.

The 1841 census show the family - and rather helpfully inlcudes the relationships within the family (though these were not required and have been crossed out later):

HO107/777/05 f2 p11
Dunston
James BALLS, 50, farmer, bn Nfk
Catherine Balls, 45, wf of farmer, bn Nfk
James Balls, 10, son of farmer, bn nfk
Catherine Balls, 13, daughter of farmer, bn Nfk
Mary Ann Balls, 10, daughter of farmer, bn Nfk

The 1835 Poll Book does not record a James Balls in Dunston, so I would guess he was a tenant farmer

The 1851 census then records:

HO107/1818 f176 p10
Markshall & Dunston
James BALLS, Head, Mar 65, Farmer of 12 Acres, Wrentham-bn Sfk
Catherine BALLS, Wife, Mar 59, Famers Wife, Shottesham-bn Nfk
Catherine F05 f2 p11
Dunston
James BALLS, 50, farmer, bn Nfk
Catherine Balls, 45, wf of farmer, bn Nfk
James Balls, 10, son of farmer, bn nfk
Catherine Balls, 13, daughter of farmer, bn Nfk
Mary Ann Balls, 10, daughter of farmer, bn Nfk

The 1835 Poll Book does not record a James Balls in Dunston, so I would guess he was a tenant farmer

The 1851 census then records:

HO107/1818 f176 p10
Markshall & Dunston
James BALLS, Head, Mar 65, Farmer of 12 Acres, Wrentham-bn Sfk
Catherine BALLS, Wife, Mar 59, Famers Wife, Shottesham-bn Nfk
Catherine BALLS, Daur, Unm 22, Farmers Daughter, Dunston-bn Nfk

There is a Mary Ann Balls shown born in 1831 in DUNTON. There is another parish called Dunton in Norfolk - but possibly this is a a transcription error for Dunston (there are no other Balls' shown bon in Dunton) - you would need to check the original census to confirm the birthplace:

HO107/1826 f80 p23
Cranmer Hall, Sculthorpe
Willoughby JONES, Head, Unm, 30, Baronet High Sheriff Of Norfolk, Woolwich-Ken
Emma YARRINGTON, Serv, Unm, 58, House Keeper, Norwich-Nfk
Edward THOMAS, Serv, Mar, 44, Butler, Llancarfan-Gla
Mary Ann BALLS, Serv, Unm, 20, House Maid, Dunton-Nfk
Martha BASHAM, Serv, Unm, 22, Kitchen Maid, Sculthorpe-Nfk
James DROZIER, Serv, Unm, 26, GrooBALLS, Daur, Unm 22, Farmers Daughter, Dunston-bn Nfk

There is a Mary Ann Balls shown born in 1831 in DUNTON. There is another parish called Dunton in Norfolk - but possibly this is a a transcription error for Dunston (there are no other Balls' shown bon in Dunton) - you would need to check the original census to confirm the birthplace:

HO107/1826 f80 p23
Cranmer Hall, Sculthorpe
Willoughby JONES, Head, Unm, 30, Baronet High Sheriff Of Norfolk, Woolwich-Ken
Emma YARRINGTON, Serv, Unm, 58, House Keeper, Norwich-Nfk
Edward THOMAS, Serv, Mar, 44, Butler, Llancarfan-Gla
Mary Ann BALLS, Serv, Unm, 20, House Maid, Dunton-Nfk
Martha BASHAM, Serv, Unm, 22, Kitchen Maid, Sculthorpe-Nfk
James DROZIER, Serv, Unm, 26, Groom, Thornage-Nfk
Walter RICHARDS, Serv, Unm, 20, Groom, Shipton Moyne-Gls


[Do you know if Dunston was a parish, or if it was a larger area made up of smaller parishes?]

Dunston was a separate parish in its own right, with its own registers. 'tis a tiny place - use an online map to locate it - e.g. http://www.streetmap.co.uk/
or http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/

Old large-scale Ordnance Survey maps are available online. These date from c.1890, but Dunston won't have changed that much - there is a facility to view an aerial photo of the palce from this site.
http://www.old-maps.co.uk/welcome.htm

To find coverage of the registers, go to the Norfolk Record Om, Thornage-Nfk
Walter RICHARDS, Serv, Unm, 20, Groom, Shipton Moyne-Gls


[Do you know if Dunston was a parish, or if it was a larger area made up of smaller parishes?]

Dunston was a separate parish in its own right, with its own registers. 'tis a tiny place - use an online map to locate it - e.g. http://www.streetmap.co.uk/
or http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/

Old large-scale Ordnance Survey maps are available online. These date from c.1890, but Dunston won't have changed that much - there is a facility to view an aerial photo of the palce from this site.
http://www.old-maps.co.uk/welcome.htm

To find coverage of the registers, go to the Norfolk Record Office (NRO) website and scroll down to the table headed 'Information'. From there select "Parish Registers and Transcripts: summary" and then select Dunston. You'll find the coverage of the parish registers available

http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/leisure/archives//nroindex.htm

Good luck
Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[cdnsctgirl]

Wow... it is a small place, isn't it! I just had a look at the aerial photo.

Thanks for all the help with the censuses! It's odd that James's birthplace seems to change from 1841 to 1851 though ("Wrentham-bn Sfk"... I'm assuming this means he was actually from Suffolk?).

Sarah

[Geoffers]

Wow... it is a small place, isn't it! I just had a look at the aerial photo.

Thanks for all the help with the censuses! It's odd that James's birthplace seems to change from 1841 to 1851 though ("Wrentham-bn Sfk"... I'm assuming this means he was actually from Suffolk?).

Sarah
No idea what happened there. the census return should read

HO107/1818 f176 p10
Markshall & Dunston
James BALLS, Head, Mar 65, Farmer of 12 Acres, bn Wrentham Sfk
Catherine BALLS, Wife, Mar 59, Famers Wife, bn Shottesham Nfk
Catherine BALLS, Daur, Unm 22, Farmers Daughter, bn Dunston Nfk

So yes, James Balls was born Wrentham, Sfk according to the 1851 census. The 1841 census is often inaccurate - in my own family in 1841 a wife is shown as Ann and born in Norfolk; in 1851 the same chap's wife is shown as Elizabeth born Kirby, Essex. Inotially I thought the first wife had popped her clogs and he remarried. It turned out that he had only been married once to a woman called Elizabeth Ann who was from Essex.

Geoffers