George Harvey Ball (1819-1907) was an American academic, pastor, writer, and founder of Keuka College in New York.

Early life and education

George H. Ball was born in 1819 near the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec to American parents from Massachusetts, William and Marcy (Harvey) Ball. In 1836 his family moved to Ohio. Rev.

Ransom Dunn Rev. Ransom Dunn, D.D. (July 7, 1818 – November 9, 1900) (nickname: "the Grand Old Man of Hillsdale") was an American minister and theologian, prominent in the early Free Will Baptist movement in New England. He was President of Rio Grande Coll ...

, a Free Will Baptist minister befriended Ball and introduced him to that denomination. Ball studied at

Farmington Academy Farmington Academy was a secondary school for boys which opened in 1812 in Farmington, Maine. Plagued by financial problems, the property became part of the State Normal School system in the 1860s. Merrill Hall is located on the site of what was th ...

and Grand River Institute and received a license to preach in 1843 and moved to Canada to preach and teach. In 1847 Ball graduated from the Baptist Bible School (later named

Cobb Divinity School Cobb Divinity School (also known as Bates Theological Seminary or the Free Will Baptist Bible School) was a Baptist theological institute. Founded in 1840, it was a Free Will Baptist graduate school affiliated with several Free Baptist institution ...

at Bates College), which was then located in

Whitestown, New York Whitestown is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 18,667 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from Judge Hugh White, an early settler. The town is immediately west of Utica and the New York State Thruway (Inte ...

. Bates College later awarded Ball an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

doctorate of divinity. After giving them a loan, George Ball's nephews, the Ball brothers, developed the Ball

canning jar A Mason jar, also known as a canning jar or fruit jar, is a glass jar used in home canning to preserve food. It was named after American tinsmith John Landis Mason, who patented it in 1858. The jar's mouth has a screw thread on its outer perim ...

and eventually founded

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...

with the proceeds from this successful investment.Charles Lachman , ''A Secret Life: The Sex, Lies, and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland'' (2011), pg. 177 https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1616082755 George H. Ball descends from an early colonial immigrant, Edward Ball, and several other founders of Newark, New Jersey.

Career

Ball married Maria L. Bensly and served as a pastor in

Chester, Ohio Chester is an unincorporated community in central Chester Township, Meigs County, Ohio, United States. It lies along the Shade River at the intersection of State Routes 7 and 248. It has a post office with the ZIP code 45720. History Ches ...

and principal of

Geauga Seminary The Geauga Seminary (also known as Western Reserve Labor Seminary) was a Free Will Baptist school in Chester Township, Geauga County, Ohio. President James Garfield attended the Seminary. History The school was founded in 1842 by the Western Reser ...

in Ohio where he taught future President James A. Garfield and future First Lady

Lucretia Garfield Lucretia Garfield ('' née'' Rudolph; April 19, 1832 – March 13, 1918) was the first lady of the United States from March to September 1881, as the wife of James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States. Born in Garrettsville, Oh ...

. In 1851, Ball started a church in Buffalo, New York and then became pastor of Roger Williams Church in Providence, Rhode Island. Ball also served as a Trustee of Storer College and

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private Conservatism in the United States, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan. It was founded in 1844 by Abolitionism, abolitionists known as Free Will Baptists. Its missio ...

. Ball was the founder of Keuka College in New York. He also served as an editor of the "Morning Star" and "Baptist Union." Ball returned to Buffalo and during the election of 1884 was known for his investigation of a scandal involving Grover Cleveland fathering a child out of wedlock. Ball died in 1907 in New York.Gary Bonvillian, Robert Murphy, The Liberal Arts College Adapting to Change: The Survival of Small ...(2014), pg. 44 https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1135589267

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, George H. 1819 births 1907 deaths 19th-century American male writers 19th-century Baptist ministers from the United States American Baptist theologians Baptist writers Bates College alumni Cobb Divinity School alumni Hillsdale College people Writers from Ohio