New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
Ball Homestead.
Where Washington
Visited, Is Sold
New Owners Seek to Pre-
serve Historic House on
n. J. Mountain Built bv
Cousin of General i'm l743

The old Timothy Ball House" on
Ridgewood Road, South Orange Town
ship, including about four acres of
ground, has just been sold to a group
of New York and Maplewood men. This
house was built in 1743 by Timothy
Ball, third cousin of General Wash
ington, who frequently visited his rela-
tlves there during the Revolutionary
War.
The house is located on the slope of
the mountain, between South Orange
and Maplewood, in full view of several
battlefields where the British and
American armies camped for many
months during the war. The section
was formerly known as Jefferson viii
lage, nearby street now being known
as jefferson Avenue, and it was the
centre of a settlement consisting of
farmhouses, etc. The Rev. George w
Clark, of Hightstown, N. j., a great
grandson of Timothy Ball and his
torian of note in his day. writing for
the "Keuka College Record" many years
ago, furnished the following data:
"The black walnut tree in front of
the house by the wayside the writer
remembers as quite large over sixty
years ago. In the front chimney, above
the peak Of the roof. is a stone in
scribed Il & f l743' (Timothy and
Esther BALD, the date of the building.
Another interesting feature is a small
square aperture in the front wall of
the house which leads to an old-fash-
ioned built-in bed, which for purposes
of warmth adjoins the huge chimney.
Timothy Ball, a grandson of Edward
Ball, of Newark, son of Thomas Ball,
near Tuscan Hall was born in 1711,
and was married to Esther Bruen about
1743. They are said to have lived in a
house clog, probably a few rods to the
northeast, just over the brook that
divided Orange from Springfield. Wish
ing to dig we'll, a diviner came along,
and by use of stocks pointed out where
water could easily be found on the
southwest side of the brook. This
located the more permanent house
which Mr.. Ball was about to build on
that side of the brook.
THE new house was built largely of
stone, and required much time and
labor in Quarrying and preparing the
stone. 1t was commodious and sub
stantial house for those days. But Mr..
Ball enjoyed it only fourteen years. In
the winter of 1757-'58 the smallpox was
prevalent in New Jersey, and Mr.. Ball
was inoculated, and as result died in
1853
"a few weeks later President Jonathan
Edwards died in the same way at
Princeton. The house and farm were
left to be managed by the wife and two
daughters. Five children had been
born in the new house, all then under
twelve years of age, three of them boys,
John, Usal and David. The latter was
the grandfather of the writer, and in
due time located about fifty rods away,
fC,t orI Tol lad
near Boonton and Usal occupied the
homestead. All three were among the
New Jersey troops in the War of the
Revolution. During the war, while
Washington had his troops stationed at
Morristown, he frequently came to the
top of the mountain to witness the
movements of the British near Eliza
bethtown and Staten Island, which could
be seen in the distance. On some of
these occasions he visited Usal Bali. and
there H. passed nights, and more than
once as a precaution he stabbed his
horse in the kitchen, which had a stone
floor. At the battle of Springfield, in
1880, he ordered removed the young
wife of David Ball with her infant
child, Esther, three months old, to a
place of safety on the top of the noun
tain, h. himself passing the nights at
his house. The name Balls Bluff
which is ascribed to this day to an
eminence on top of the mountain, un-
doubtedly traces back to the early mem
bers of this family
in 1899 Usal Ball died, and his son
Enoch, the grandfather Of Aaron O.
homestead and occupied it for forty
years AT his death he left two sons
and two daughters. The house and
part of the farm fell to the youngest
son, Jonathan, who occupied it for a
short time. 1t then passed out of the
family"
There have been but few transfers
OF this property since Revolutionary
times. 1t is the hope of the new own
crs that sufficient interest will be
shown by the various patriotic and
historical societies in New Jersey to
warrant them in preserving this old
landmark for future generations.
Any one In possession of authentic
information as to additional facts con
cerning the history of this old building
IS asked to communicate with Frank
J. Parsons at 80 Woodland Road,
Maplcwood, N. I.
The purchase of the Ball tract is in
conjunction with the acquisition of the
Freeman tract adjoining, comprising
something over seven acres and also
a portion of the Osborn property, the
three plots having a frontage on Ridg-
wood Road of approximately 600 feet,
and on Cedar Lane of over 9OO feet.
The new owners of the old house
propose to give it proper setting bv
creating around it an attractive re-
stricted residence park, to be known
as Washington Park. 1t is planned to
put IN streets, sewers, water, gas, cleo
trio lights, etc, to lay out the tract in
lots. with 75-foot frontage.
The sale of these two properties was
negotiated through j. G. Trusdell
Moore, OF East Orange, and the j.
Charles O'Brien & Co, of South Or
ange and New York.