Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-26
A RELATIVE OF WASHINGTON.
Coi. Il. B. Ball, of Washington, will
Parade on Bartholdi Day.
From he INetp York World.

From tho Yet1 York World.
One of the features of the grand mill
tary and civic parade on the day of the
unwilling of the statue Of Liberty Will be
the presence OF Col. EbeneZer Burgess
Ball, Of the Washington Continentals,
Washington, ID. C.. Col. Ball is the near
est living relative Of George Washington
and bears striking resemblance to the
first President. Col. Ball belongs to one
OF the oldest families Of Virginia, from
which Washington's father selected Mary
Ball to DE his wife. He is 20 years old
and wears his silver gray hair after the
continental style, his clean shaver fea-
lures resembling in general contour those
OF his iliustrlous ancestor. The uniform
OF the Washington Continentals is SINH
lar to that OF the old Continental army.
Col. Ball has had somewhat venture
some life. He left his home in Virginia
when he was 26 years old, and became a
clerk in the largest dry goods store in
Washington. Here he met the then IA
miliar faces OF Clay, Calhoun, Webster,
Gales and the early Presidents, who were
regular customers at the store. firing
OF the uneventful life OF a clerk, Col. BAH
soon left the national capital and settled
on the banks of the Usage river, in Mis-
souri,, then thInly settled country. Still
having thirst for adventure he sold his
log cabin, and taking only his
rifle and supply of ammunition he
Joined the first company that settled
in the Rogue River Valley. The place
was swarming with Indians, and it was a
continual fight for self-preservation until
the outbreak OF the war, when he enlisted
and served until it's close. Following
the miners in their explorations West
Col. Ball became a trading agent and
drove through the unsettled country with
! pack of mules laden with provisions,
tobacco and ammunition. During the
late war Col. Ball lost all his savings,
and later applied for position as watch
man of the Washington monument. Fail
ing to obtain this he rented stall in the
Pension Department, where he is now
engaged.
Col. Ball is the grandson of Col. Bur-
CESS Ball, who served with distinction in
the revolutionary war. He was related
TO Washington not only through the lat
ter's mother, Mary Ball, but married
WashingtOn's niece, Frances Washing
ton. There are now living only three of
the direct descendants OF Col. Burgess
Ball and Frances Washington. They are
George Washington Ball, of Fauquier
| county, Va, and Mrs. Kitty Littleton, of
Loudoun, Va.-cousins OF the present Col.
Ball. The chain of relationship is, there
fore, from two sources in the case of Col.
Ball, who is directly descended from the
niece OF George Washington. Col. Bur-
CESS Bail, his grandfather, was very near
to the first President, being a relative, a
member Of the military family, and then
marrying his kinswoman. He was a
colonel, and won the admiration Of his
commanding officer by raising troops for
the Continental army at his private ex-
pense. The genealogy of both the Ball
and the Washington families have been
traced by Col. Ball's cousin, 6. W. Bail,
| and it is remarkable fact that both fami-
lies have become almost extinct.