Eliphalet Ball (July 29, 1722 – April 6, 1797) was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister and an early settler in

Saratoga County, New York Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, representing a 7.2% increase from the 2010 popu ...

. The town of Ballston ("Ball's Town") is named for him.)

Personal

Ball was born on July 29, 1722, in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

, the son of John Ball, Jr. and Mary Tuttle. It has been said that his mother was a cousin of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

, but one biography states: "There is no known connection between this family and that of Mary Ball, the mother of President Washington." He studied

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in New Haven, where he graduated in 1748 and was "probably" licensed to preach. In 1750 he married Elizabeth van Flamen (or Fleming) of New York City. The couple had four sons, three of whom survived to adulthood: Cornelius (1750–1771), who died young,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

(1756–1838), Stephen (born 1759, and Flamen (1761–1816). They had two daughters, Mary (1753–1803), who married General James Gordon, and Elizabeth (1769–1784), who died at age 15. After the death of his wife, Elizabeth, Ball married Ruth Beecher of

Amity, New York Amity is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,185 at the 2020 census. The name of the town means "friendship." The Town of Amity is near the middle of Allegany County and is northeast of Olean. The county sea ...

, in 1783; the couple had no children.

Career

In 1754 he was chosen minister of the Presbyterian Church in Bedford, New York, in

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

. He was a sympathizer of the "New-Light" movement of

Henry Alline Henry Alline (pronounced Allen) (June 14, 1748 – February 2, 1784) was a minister, evangelist, and writer who became known as "the Apostle of Nova Scotia." Born at Newport, Rhode Island. He became a New England Planter and served as an itinera ...

, part of the

First Great Awakening The First Great Awakening (sometimes Great Awakening) or the Evangelical Revival was a series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its thirteen North American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. The revival movement permanently affecte ...

, which rejected the power structure and ceremonials of the established church. They rejected the idea of

predestination Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby G ...

, and taught that all people have free will and therefore can be reborn into a personal relationship with God. This brought him into conflict with his more conservative congregation. Among other charges they accused him of "imprudent levity and unguarded airiness of deportment." He requested and was granted a "dismission" on December 21, 1768. In 1769 he went to Saratoga County, which was just being settled, in 1770. He was granted (or ) of land for agreeing to serve as minister. A church was established in the hamlet of Ballston Center on September 22, 1775. Ball was not the first settler in the area. The McDonald brothers, Michael and Nicholas, had settled on the west shore of

Ballston Lake Ballston Lake is a lake that is located in the hamlet of Ballston Lake, New York in the town of Ballston. Fish species present in the lake include northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch, carp, pumpkinseed sunfish, walley ...

in 1763. According to legend, Rev. Ball bought the rights to name the town from the McDonalds for the price of a jug of rum. In 1784 Ball resigned as pastor in Ballston. Because of the disruption caused by the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

the pulpit at his former church in Bedford had become vacant, so that year he returned to Westchester and occupied the position until 1790. He returned to Ballston, bringing additional settlers, and died there in 1795. He is buried in the Briggs Cemetery in Ballston.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Eliphalet People from Ballston, New York Burials in Saratoga County, New York American Presbyterian ministers 1722 births 1797 deaths Religious leaders from New Haven, Connecticut People of colonial Connecticut American city founders Yale College alumni 18th-century American clergy