Please contact the contributing institution: The Lilly Library or Indiana University Digital Library Program
The Ball mss., 1873-1981, consist of the correspondence, family papers, and items collected by George Alexander Ball, 1862-1955, his wife, Frances Emily (Woodworth) Ball, 1872- 1958, and their daughter, Elisabeth Woodworth Ball, 1897- 1982.
Biographical materials include those for Elisabeth Woodworth Ball, Lall G. Montgomery, and Dugald Stewart Walker. With the biographical material in a folio folder is a bookplate drawing for Elisabeth Ball in 1918 by Walker.
Additional materials include a journal of a trip to Panama in 1913, miscellaneous (items) including a child's school slate, miscellaneous - "About Books" (about the Ball Book Collection), miscellaneous art pieces including glass lantern and rotary slides, Chinese cut-outs, and an exotic scrapbook of the 18th century, miscellaneous subjects collected on adventures/travels, bells, rides, and trees (chiefly printed), notebooks (catalogs of the Ball Book Collection), photographs, printed (book sale catalogs), and writings of Elisabeth Woodworth Ball.
In 1901 Mr. Ball received from James E. Pierce a set of photographs entitled "All Aboard for Colorado." In the album were mounted 46 photographs of a railroad journey via the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River and the Royal Gorge and thence by horse and wagon to White Cross and Tobasco Mill, Sherman and Black Wonder Mill, and Sapinero, now largely ghost towns.
Late in 1913 Elisabeth Ball kept a journal of the voyage which she, her mother, and other family members made on the S.S. Stephano of the Red Cross Line to Panama via Bermuda, Port Antonio, Kingston, the Canal, Colon, and Havana from January 29 to the end of February. Consisting of 103 pages, the journal entitled "To Panama" was illustrated with postcards (32), other prints (45), snapshots (14), theatre programs in New York City (5), the ship's passenger list, and a holograph menu for the Ritz-Carlton dated 26-2-13. Three days were spent in Cuba before sailing for New York City. Upon her return to the City, Miss Ball attended the Armory Show at which was displayed the "Nude Descending the Stairs" by Marcel Duchamp.
The Ball family, concerned about the condition of the war orphans in Europe during and after World War I, made contributions to their welfare through the Comite Franco- Americain Pour La Protection Des Enfants de la Frontiere, Children of the Frontier, French Relief Fund, War Orphans Committee, and Near East Relief, Constantinople. Letters of thanks came from the French children and one Turkish child, sometimes with photographs. Other letters about official activities of the War Orphans Committee arrived from Mary Ella (Lyon) Swift (Mrs. Lucius Burrie Swift of Indianapolis, Indiana), in two instances (Feb. 25 and Mar. 16, 1921) accompanied by stories of her visits to the orphans in France. The letter from the Turkish youth (June 1, 1922) included a lace doily made by one of the children.
Letters from 81 boys at the Indiana Boys School at Plainville were sent to Mr. Ball in grateful appreciation for his contribution to their Christmas observance in December 1920. Some of the letters bear the Boys School letterhead and on the verso the printed rules for parents and visitors and a schedule of letter-writing for 1920.
In the 1920's and the 1930's Mr. Ball conducted a search among dealers and acquaintances for prints and poems related to William Cowper's John Gilpin, Izaak Walton's Compleat Angler, The Legend of the Bell Foundry and St. Basil, and literature on bells in general. The latter brought letters from Ernest Morris of The Midland Counties Association of Change Ringers, Leicester, England. It was during this time that Mr. Ball forwarded a copy of a letter by Edward Lambert, dated February 13, 1754, about glass manufacturing in Massachusetts to George Skinner McKearin who was working on a comprehensive book on glass.
In later years Miss Ball responded to many requests reflecting interest in her children's book collection (many of which are now in the Lilly Library), such as letters from Peter and Iona Opie of Alton, Hampshire, England.
The notebooks (in black notebook covers) include a catalog of children's books in the Ball Collection prepared by D'Altâe‚ Welch and two scrapbooks of holograph and printed items in alphabetical order about the Ball Collection.
The writings by Miss Ball include The Child Discovers Its World Through Books of Travel , delivered at the University of Texas at Austin, and printed in Library Occurrent in 1944.
Manuscripts index in the Lilly Library includes entries at item level.
