Putnam patriot., 1916-08-18
BALLARD REUNION
Held at Nichols GrOye, West, Thompson
Dinner, History for Year and Amusements

NtCuNiS kFONeAdt bOoh SuHSSQdA. Il seemed as if the Ballards had forgotten the day as there wete only,five peopl, .on the grounds. Few people, however wish to smisS good dinner and the company, numbering stifty-tive, soon gath6 red, The poor hay season pre- vented most of our farmers from being present.
 As we had no bridal couples of our own at hand we borrowed one foT the occasion, Mir. and Mrs. Joseph Robin. son of Rockland, Me, who were visit ing his sister, Nus. C. n. 'Hazelton.
 Newton Ballard acted as moderator and Mrs. W. B. Chase as secretary pro tenn. Mrs. Laura Child read the histo- " which hid been prepared by Miss Harriet Brown who was absent.
 The trustee of the cemetery fund re- ported that the cemetery would be cared for.
 Newton Ballard told of call he made recently on Aunt Elizabeth biuVti thS biutsh baltaiu hoW hNihS' She is now nearer to us and she is so glad to see her old friends. Although 92 years old she looks we'll and IL is. to her we have to refer for all Ballard In. formation.
 The following committees were eho- sen:
 Eranlr Ilnt,NGHni Winthrop Ballard, Earl Pierce.
 Amusement, Flossie Alton, Rosalie Tourtellotte, Mabel Richardson.
 Trustee of cemetery fund, Newton Ballard.
 The amusement committee deserve n vote of thanks for the fine games which they arranged.
 THE HISTORY
 The first Item is a belated record which was not reported to the histori- an at the time. There WAS born in Dudley, Mass, March 22, 1913, son, Harold Leonidas, to MT. and Mrs. Ro- bert H. Ballard. Since the last reun- ion seven babies have been added to the family, ,all girls. A daughter, Amy Ballard, was born September 20, l9lb, to sMr. and Mrs. Frank Ramsdell; a daughter, Sarah Amelia, November r, 1915, to Mir. and Mrs.. Winthrop Bal lard; daughter, Alice Lillian, Fehru- ary 9, 19l6 to MT. and Mrs. William D. Chase; daughter, Alice Marion, in February ito Mir. and Mrs. John Walk CT of Leele's Island; daughter, Bar bara Cunningham, March 20, to MT. and Mrs Paul Clifford of Quinebaug; n daughter, Esther Marion, May s, 10 MT. and Mrs. Fred Eddy; a daughter, Madeline Asenath, July 18th to MT. and Mrs Frank Tourtellotte. March in Los Angeles, Cal, Elizabeth Luf berry to MT and Mrs. Ralph Miller
 The historian has heard ofionly one wedding, that of Earl Pierce to Esther May on June II last. Mention should be made however of the celebration Of the 60th wedding anniversary of MT. and Mrs. Nathan Chase on the 18th of last March. It Is not often that man and his wife are spared To pass the 60th milestone of their marriage journey to- gether, and it was fitting that the fam fly should make festival of the event:
 LongfelIow sang:
 "There Is a Reaper, whose name Is
 Death,
 And with his sickle keen
 He reaps the bearded grain at breath
 And the flowers that grow between"
 The grim Reaper has done exactly those two things to this family this year in the two deaths which have been reported to the historian. He cut the fully ripened grain in the person Of MT. Esek $. Ballard, of Davenport, Iowa, who died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Leon M. Allen in Ken. ilworth, Ill.,, January 1, 1916, in the s6th year of his age. The "fioweret gayn transplanted to "bloom in fields of lightp was Bernice, one of the twin children Of MT. and Mrs. Herbert AL ton, who died in Dudley, Mass, March IS.
 From the Davenport Democrat Of January ,, quote the following about MT. Esek Ballard: "Early in life MT. Ballard was student at Bacon Acad- emy in Colchester, Conn.,, where he was trained as druggist. He later went to New York City where he be- came an apothecary for charitable institution, serving in this capacity for two years. His next change, took him to Cleveland, Ohio, and in 1857 he settled in Davenport. Here he contin. ued in the drug business remaining in | the same location for a period of Il | years. MT. Ballard retired from active | business pursuits in 1903 and devoted ! his latter years to horticulture on hi | spacious estate. Throughout his en tire life Mr. Ballard was a close obsery CT and lover of nature, and spent many hours enjoying it's beauty and grand ! eur. He was an ardcnt student ant l well geIsed in forestry, as likewise il genealogy, and devoted much time t' | his library of valuable works on th' subject.
 Mr. Ballard was a charter membe of the society Of the Sons of the Revo lution in Iowa, also of the Society o l Colonial Wars. lie WAS one of tn founders of the Runnemede and was member of the New England Histori cal Genealogical Society and the Dav enport Academy of Science. Since 1t