Friday, December 14, 2012

More BAD Genealogy on the Washington-Ball family

Today I got the following email from Geni.com:
The world's largest family tree

Dear Stiofan,

Did you know that you and George Washington, 1st President of the USA are related? George Washington, 1st President of the USA is your second cousin 7 times removed! Click on the link below to see your relationship path to George Washington, 1st President of the USA for FREE!

Click here to see how you're related to George Washington, 1st President of the USA![link removed]

On December 14, 1799, George Washington died in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Washington served as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and presided over the drafting of the American Constitution. Widely regarded as the "father of the country," Washington also served as the first president of the United States. After retiring from the presidency, he returned to his home in Mount Vernon to attend to his plantation. Upon his death, Washington freed all of his slaves in his will. George Washington is connected to over 66 million people in Geni's World Family Tree. How are you related?

View George Washington's Geni Profile[link removed]

- The Geni Team

The link they site is to John Ball of Stafford and Fairfax counties Virginia via Richard Ball of Maryland, son of Col. William Ball. This link is WRONG. This is shown by the article by Christopher Johnston, "A Forgotten Member of the Ball Family", serialised in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. VII, pp. 440-441 and vol. VIII, pp. 80-83 (1900), reprinted in Genealogies of Virginia Families, vol. 1, pp. 23-27 (1981), recounts how court records show Col. William Ball went to Maryland and probated the estate of his son Richard Ball. Richard had one daughter and NO OTHER CHILDREN.

Others have put forward Richard Ball and Elizabeth Linton as the parents of John Ball. The father of Elizabeth Linton was a Moses Linton of Lower Norfolk Co., VA. Richard Ball and Elizabeth with several Lintons moved to the Fairfax-Stafford county area from Norfolk Co. At this time, there is no known record evidence which links Richard Ball and Elizabeth Linton with John Ball.

In their book The Ball Family of the Potomac, 1654-2004, by Doris LeClerc Ball, Ph.D. George L. Ball, M.S., it is shown that DNA studies link John Ball of Stafford Co with a James Ball of Maryland.

The Ball DNA study has two descendants of Col William Ball in haplogroup I, kit #112926 and kit #13692. I have traced them back to a son of Col. William Ball using census, probate and land records. The descendants of John Ball are in Haplogroup R1b. They are NOT related.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I am related to the baileys, balls, tunnells and linebugh's of greene and hawkins county tn and can directly connect these families since my grandmother knew the names of her great grandmothers told me the bailey/smith, bailey/linebaugh, bailey/ball lineage. I am related to the balls on both sides and have tunnells on both sides as well as can directly prove my lineage. there are addditional people out there who haven proven their lineage.
Sandra in NC

Laughter From Litwalton said...

I am a volunteer at the Mary Ball Wshington Museum & Library in Lancaster, VA. Needless to say, we countless requests from patrons around the United Sates and as far away as New Zealand, thinking they are related to the Ball family of Lancaster County and therefore, to George Washington (who had no children). Some of them actually are, and most of them are not despite long-held "family tradition." A good many of these stem from the Moses Ball of Fairfax County, who was a NEIGHBOR of George Washington. I was thrilled to receive *Balls of the Potomac* which finally puts this red canard to rest. There is also a lingering belief in the New England Ball families (plural). The New England Ball project, also using DNA, has also laid those claims to rest too. Thank God for DNA.--Craig Kilby, Lancaster, VA

Unknown said...

Spencer Wayne Ball of Van Hill/Beech Creek, Hawkins county, TN is my Great Grandfather. His father is Wesley, his is Spencer H Ball, his is another Wesley Ball, his is Moses Ball Jr. These I am pretty sure of but the rest, Moses Sr, John and Richard I don't know for sure nad I have added more on Ancestry.com but now I think that is wrong. Can someone please tell me which one of these supposed brothers are my relation.

Unknown said...

I am descended from Moses Ball of Fairfax County. The family story I was told is that we were related to Martha, George's wife, not George himself. She was called a cousin but I do not know the exact details of how.

Sharleen said...

I am descended from John Ball (1640-1722) of Virginia. Does anyone know where I may find a copy of the above-sited "A Forgotten Member of the Ball Family", serialised in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. VII, pp. 440-441 and vol. VIII, pp. 80-83 (1900), and reprinted in Genealogies of Virginia Families, vol. 1, pp. 23-27 (1981). Please and thank you.
Sharleen Thomas Espedal