The John Ball Plantation Account Book, 1812-1834, is an indexed account book kept by overseers at various plantations owned by the Ball family. Overseers named are John Cox, Arthur McFarland, Samuel Lynes, Alexander McKnight, Britton Bunch, John Dickson, Thomas Fincklea, James Coward, and John Page. Of particular interest are two different accounts, one with William Deas, referred to as a "Mulatto" and the other "Free Nancy," a free black woman at Limerick Plantation who was buying and trading rice and sugar.
Miscellaneous Inventories, 1813-1817, is a bound volume kept by or for a member of the Ball family. The volume includes inventories of furniture, kitchen ware, clothing, and other household decorations such as candlesticks, bookcases, shades, looking glasses and crockery. The volume also includes a list of enslaved men, women and children divided by families.
John Ball's Office of Discount Deposit Book, 1803, is a bound volume kept by John Ball Sr. recording finances for various persons including members of the Gadsden, Prioleau and Ball families.
The Account Book of John Ball Sr., 1788-1812, is an unbound book containing financial accounts for clients such as Hyde Park Plantation overseer David Franklin and the freedman Robin. The account book also makes various references to enslaved persons named Almanza, Caesar, Daniel, Hercules, Mauney, Plimoth, Sampson and Terror.
The Household Account Book of John Ball Sr., 1805-1817, is an account of expenses for household services and needs of the family and servants such as childcare, allowances, the services of a wet nurse, and a pulpit subscription to the Circular Church.
The Register of Enslaved Persons and Blanket Book, 1804-1821, is a bound volume kept by or for a member of the Ball family. The register contains lists of enslaved men, women and children given blankets at Midway, Limerick, Quinby, Hyde Park, Backriver and Jericho Plantations. Information also includes lists of enslaved children born on the plantations, the name of their mother, date of birth and date of death.
The Ball Family Blanket Book, 1835-1840, is a bound volume kept by or for members of the Ball family. The volume includes yearly lists of blankets given to enslaved persons. Blankets are sometimes noted as being "first quality" or "second quality."
The Orderly Book of Col. Daniel Horry, 1779, is an orderly book of Commander Col. Daniel Horry's SC Light Dragoons kept by John Ball Sr. during the Revolutionary War. The volume includes information pertaining to the appointing's of military officers such as Major Hezekiah Maham, notes on military drills and roll calls, notes from the camp at Stono and various names of sergeants and lieutenants.
The Memo Book, 1821-1824, is a bound volume kept by or for a member of the Ball family. The volume lists crops at Hyde Park, Limerick, Jericho and Quinby Plantations as well as specifications for a rice mill at Limerick Plantation. Dried, pressed tree leaves are compressed throughout the blank pages. Also found within the volume are a list of enslaved persons given plough lines at various plantations. The names of the enslaved persons are Hercules, Jingo, Linus, Mathias, Mill Natt/Natt, Paul, Sam, Simon, Tim, Toby, Tom and Tycho.
The John Ball Memo Book, 1850-1851, is a bound volume listing crops at Hyde Park Plantation and the Villa as well as miscellaneous accounts for corking a dock, grass for cows, seeds for the garden, blue denim cloth, tobacco, ticking, shoes, molasses, tea and other household items. Also included is a list of men defaulting on militia duty and patrol service for January, March and April of 1851.
The Travel Expenses Book, 1806-1810, is a bound volume kept by John Ball listing expenses for his travels to New York, Boston, Cambridge, Montreal, Quebec, Philadelphia, Bowling Green, Washington, Alexandria, Trenton, and other locations. Expenses are kept for food, clothing, lodging, and hiring servants. Notes indicate Mr. Ball's rating for service and fare at hotels and taverns in various locations.
The Account of Enslaved Persons and Various Stories, 1831-1844, is kept by or for a member of the Ball family. The first half of the account book contains various lists of enslaved men, women and children owned by John Ball at Comingtee/Stoke, Kensington and Midway Plantations in Berkeley County, South Carolina. These lists include enslaved persons given first or second quality blankets, cloth, clothes and osnaburg fabric as well as lists of pregnant enslaved women or enslaved infants given clothes.
The second half of the book contains stories retold by various persons on topics such as an eyewitness account of the Steamship Pulaski Disaster in 1838, stories of enslaved persons including the execution of an enslaved man, stories about the family of George Chicken, eyewitness accounts of the British occupation in Charleston during the Revolutionary War, numerous ghost stories and an account of the first settlers of Charlestown.
1770-1779, 1760-1769, 1740-1749, 1750-1759, 1720-1729, and 1730-1739
Description:
The Ball Family Account and Blanket Book, 1720-1778, includes lists of purchases, expenses, blankets given out to enslaved persons, and names/ages of enslaved persons at Midway, Limerick, Comingtee and Kensington Plantations. The book includes a loose list of enslaved men with their place of birth and ages, ca. 1750, currently on exhibit at the South Carolina Historical Society Museum.
The Foaling Register, 1745-1777, is a bound register kept by Elias Ball II recording the selling and purchasing of horses, mules and mares and the births of colts at Kensington and Limerick Plantations.
The Surveyor's Notebook, 1767, is a bound volume kept by or for a member of the Ball family containing field notes, tables, conversions of liquid, cloth measures, and a description of rules of "three direct" and "three inverse."
The Account Book for Caroline Olivia Ball, 1812, was kept by Caroline Ball's father John Ball Sr. recording rent money received for a house given to Caroline Ball from Elias Ball.
Articles of Agreement between John Ball Jr. and Back River Plantation overseer Arthur McFarlane. The agreement includes that $250 is paid to McFarlane, reasonings for dismissal, that McFarlane and his family are allowed hogs, poultry, one horse and the milk of one cow, to have "a boy to wait on him and a woman to cook and wash for him." The agreement also includes McFarlane "taking care of the negroes; especially when sick-treating them when well with moderation and humanity-and is on no occasion to beat them with sticks-when necessary, always to correct them with switches."
Copy of the last will and testament of John Coming Ball naming John Ball of Kensington Plantation and Elias Ball of Limerick Plantation as his executors, giving the "negro man Nat his freedom and all my wearing apparel," the enslaved women Hagar and her daughter Charlotte their freedom and that Charlotte should be given an education and "placed out" as an apprentice when she comes of age, the enslaved driver Jackey (son of Lucy) his freedom, and bequeaths to Mrs. Wilson any "negro girl" among the enslaved females.
Articles of Agreement between John Ball Jr. and Back River Plantation overseer John E. Moreton. The agreement includes that $220 is paid to Moreton, reasonings for dismissal, that Moreton and his family are allowed one cow, one horse and access to the crops, allowed to raise hogs and to have one "wench" to cook and wash, and one enslaved male and female child to serve Moreton's family.
A receipt to Isaac Ball from Thomas Malcolm of The Charleston Courier for a year's subscription. A receipt to Isaac Ball from Thomas Malcolm of The Charleston Courier for a year's subscription. A receipt to Isaac Ball from Thomas Malcolm of The Charleston Courier for a year's subscription.
A receipt to E.J. Thomas of the Carolina Gazette for a year's subscription. A receipt to E.J. Thomas of the Carolina Gazette for a year's subscription. A receipt to E.J. Thomas of the Carolina Gazette for a year's subscription.
A letter from John Ball in Charleston, South Carolina to his son John Ball Jr. at Harvard College in Massachusetts discussing John's poor health, travel and Jane Ball's poor health. The letter ends with a notation that "the news of peace has put a stop to the selling of rice."
A letter from John Ball in Charleston, South Carolina to his son John Ball Jr. at Harvard College in Massachusetts discussing travel, john Ball Jr.'s health and John leaving school due to sickness.
A letter from John Ball at Kensington Plantation to his son John Ball Jr. at Harvard College in Massachusetts discussing John Ball Jr.'s poor health, education, and travel.
A copy of a letter from John Ball Sr. to financial agent George Lockey discussing the purchase of Lockey's Santee property, traveling to Georgia to see "the tide lands" for potential bargaining, and John Ball's son William.
A letter from Stoke Plantation overseer Thomas Finklea to John Ball in Charleston discussing enslaved runaways in the neighborhood, putting together a patrol of overseers and the enslaved persons Scipio and Ned to find these supposedly armed runaways. The letter goes on stating that the runaway named Morris tried to kill Scipio with a sword and the other runaway named Adam had a gun. Finklea ends with the death of the enslaved woman Amey and the poor health of various enslaved persons, that Morris was shot and injured and an inventory of cattle.
A letter from Stoke Plantation overseer Thomas Finklea to John Ball in Charleston discussing the plantation fields, the enslaved man Pompey informing Finklea about a location where sheep were being butchered, Young Daniel having been found guilty of the butchering and "flogged," having Daniel "in limbo" but flogging him each day and night until he confesses who helped him, notes about the enslaved persons Old Dido, Stoke Violet, Ben, "Jerico Jack," Sander, Tenah, and Young Primus, and an inventory of cattle.
A letter from Stoke Plantation overseer Thomas Finklea to John Ball in Charleston discussing a shipment of butter, the planting of slips, an issue with the carpenters Robert, Tom and Gabe, having Tom punish Gabe for lying, a list of enslaved persons who are sick and an inventory of cattle.
A letter from Stoke Plantation overseer Thomas Finklea to John Ball in Charleston discussing the harvest, the birth of an enslaved male child, numerous enslaved persons suffering from a fever, the poor weather, and the work of Jack, Rachel, Daniel and Sena.
A letter from Stoke Plantation overseer Thomas Finklea to Ann Ball in Charleston discussing the enslaved persons Rachel, Sena and Jack sending over supplies, the poor health of Old Nat and Sena, and having the enslaved person Gabe "switched."
A letter from Stoke Plantation overseer Thomas Finklea to John Ball in Charleston discussing the arrival of shingles, the plantation's crops, London's request for raw tallow and Vilet and Betty's shoe measurements.
A torn letter written by Edward Simons to his brother-in-law John Ball discussing his sister Lydia's desire to "call on" for her shoes and to have them sent up by the enslaved man Ben, sending "Mol" to purchase cakes, shipping papers and soap, and the wellness of other family members.
