Complex sentence: When their father became ill, the young Ball brothers "found a friend and confidant" in their uncle., and after the boys' father died in 1878, Uncle George provided them with financial support and some measure of stability.
Split into simpler sentences: When their father became ill, the Ball brothers "found a friend and confidant" in their uncle. After the boys' father died in 1878, Uncle George provided them with financial support and some measure of stability.