Subject: Re:
Fombell, PA Ball Hereford
Farm
From: BobBurry@aol.com
To: ballgl@juno.com
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2011 20:43:07 EST
Subject: Fombell,
PA
Dear Mr. Ball, Several
of our members, myself included, have greatly enjoyed and appreciated your web
site, especially the parts and pictures of the The
Ball Farms in Fombell. We have an annual picture day
each fall where we display our historical pictures (there is always at least one
of the Ball Farm) and have speakers talk about their family's history. We
usually have around 100 people attending. Would it be possible to have you come
speak or at least give us permission to use the information and pictures from
your web site?
Sincerely, Robert S.
Burry,
Secretary, Fombell History Group
3185 State Road New
Castle, PA 16105
bobburry@aol.com, 724-651-7080
From:
"Ball, George" <ballgl@juno.com>
To: BobBurry@aol.com
Subject: Re: Fombell, PA
Ball Hereford Farm
Date: Fri, 7 Jan
2011 04:56:31 GMT
I'm happy that you
have found and enjoy what I have put together on my Grandfather's farm. I
have to admit that I don't ever remember the Fombell
name, we always referred to it as
Zelienople.
You found the pictures,
obviously. Hopefully you also have found what I have written in My
Memories and Thoughts section. See chapters 8 and 9 for what I have written
about the photos and my memories (I was very young then, but I do remember very
much). I wrote most of this in 2010 in preparation for our Ball Family
Reunion in August. I need to add to my writings at some point, but have
had other priorities.
I would love to
have comments from any of your members about any of the pictures and/or my
comments. I would add them in to the present text with credit to whomever writes it. If you have a site and or URL which
I could refer to in my text, please let me know and I would be happy to add a
link. There are a lot of people in the Hereford Field Day Picture, does
anyone recognize anyone in the picture. Do any of your members have any
background on the polo teams (I think the team name had the word Furnace in
it).
You are welcome to use any of
the photos in your get togethers (I would appreciate
referencing where they came from). The photos are contained in Google
Photos. If you go there you can download any or all the albums and
pictures (it helps if you have the free Google Picasa3
software).
By the way the Hereford
Field Day picture and the color picture of the farm are 3 foot wide pictures
(which I broke up in to pieces in the photos). These were amazing to me
given the time frame in which they were taken. If you have a way to
archive these pictures I would be happy to pass them on to
you.
My cousin, Hiram Ball, Jr. still
lives in Sewickly and the pictures came from his
Father's archives. I am copying him in on this E-Mail (as well as my
Sisters and other Cousins). A contact with him might be fruitful.
His Mother Florence Ball, just had her 97th
birthday this summer. She lives in Gibsonia and is very
sharp.
George
From: BobBurry@aol.com
To: ballgl@juno.com
Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2011 21:04:20 EST
Subject: Re: Fombell, PA
Ball Hereford Farm
George, Thank you very
much for allowing us to reference your pictures. Again, if anyone from
your family would like to attend our picture day in the fall please let me know.
As a point of reference one of the Ball farms was originally my great and great
great grandfather's farm. It is now Red Barn Theatre.
We do have a website we are still working on. It is www.fombellhistory.org.
Can you tell me when and why the Ball farm was started and why and when it was
dispersed? Another point of interest I now manage a modern day Ball
Farm, www.bugleridgefarm.com .
Thanks again I am sure I will be in touch. Bob Burry
|
show
details Jan
9 |
For
your information. It
appears that his great and great great grandfathers
owned part of the farm at one point. I was only aware of one farm, but
from Hiram's pictures it appeared that there were more. Does anyone know
the story about when it was purchased and sold. I
assume it was sold after Manny died and before the Valencia Farm was purchased.
Does anyone know the dates.
I will try and
find out the date of the Fombell get together. I
assume it is in the fall.
If you know anyone who would be interested,
please forward this on to them.
From
Helaine:
From: Helaine <>
To: "Ball, George" <ballgl@juno.com>
Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2011 21:03:44 -0500
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Fombell, PA Ball Hereford Farm
This is my 2 cents worth of a few tidbits. I think the Red Barn Theater is on the property where Auntie
Mim lived. I remember that discussion when I lived
back there in the late 1980's. I don't know Mim's last
name. Wasn't there an Aunt Miney also? Were they
Ferguson's? I seem to recall that is where I would see cousins Ruthie and Adele
Ferguson.
The Zelie farm was sold after Cowboy died in Oct.1945 and Manny
moved to the Schenley Hotel in Pgh.area where she lived until going to the nursing home in
Nixon where she died in July,1954. Cowboy was 71 when
he died and Manny was 73. So some of us have outlived Cowboy, Manny and Daddy
( died at age 61 ) but so far none have surpassed
Mother's age at 80!!
I am sure we
moved to the Valencia farm in 1948 but am also sure the Eckstein's must have
worked there at least a year remodeling before we moved in. I asked Ted about
that but it is too far back for him to remember.
Helaine Ball Eckstein
Yes, I know the name Fombell
but more from having lived in Renfrew back in the late 1980's than when we were
kids. I think a caretaker-who's picture is on one of
the postcards of the farm-leading a hereford-lived in
Fombell. His niece worked for Dot Baldinger at the store for years and she identified him on
the card. She was still at Baldingers last time I
visited the area a few years ago. I can't remember her name and I don't think I
have that info anymore. She seemed to know a lot about the farm through him.
That's all I can offer about Fombell.
Helaine Ball Eckstein
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From:
Ann Mckay <>
Date: Mon, Jan 10, 2011 at 5:56 PM
Subject: Re: Fombell, PA Ball
Hereford Farm
To: Helaine <>,
"Ball, George" <ballgl@juno.com>
Here’s another nickels worth. Auntie Mim’s last name was Powell. She and her son Kenneth
lived on the northern farm. Ruthie and Adele were Aunt Miney’s daughters, (Ferguson), from Ohio. The girls
usually stayed with Manny because lots more room, but since both Mim and Manny were their aunts they roamed around both
places when they were there.
The farm
in Zelie was sold quite soon after Cowboy died in
1945, Manny did not drive so staying at the farm was out of the question.
Before the war there had been drivers available, but they all went into
the military. That farm was sold to Walter?? Cunningham
who raised Tennessee Walkers. He also kept a few of the favorite
horses and cattle until Ball Associates could retrieve them. I recall, the
Shetland pony, a Pinto and a wonderful neck-reined buckskin cowpony.
(Obviously, the last was my favorite) I have forgotten the specific
cattle, but know there was at least one bull and a
couple of cows.
The farm in Valencia
was bought before December of 1946 and we had several Xmas parties there that
year, pancakes on the old wood stove and sleigh rides. Once the decision
was made that the GLB’s were moving to the farm so Daddy couldn’t hear the fire
whistles, Ecksteins spent most of the next year there
getting it ready. We moved in prior to
Labor Day of 1947 so that we could go to Middlesex School at the beginning of
the year.
I don’t know about anyone
else but I plan on going past age 80, but am in no particular hurry to get
there.
Guess that about covers my
info for now. Ann
RE: Fombell, PA
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From: Hank Ball Henry <>
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To:"Ball, George"
Sent: Fri, Jan 07, 2011 02:47 PM
Hi all,
Google
earth is great. Type in Fombell, PA and bingo,
it pops up. Fombell
is a mile or so due west of Cowboy's farm. There is a
road across from the
old driveway to the
farm called "Old Furnace Road", hence the name of the
Old Furnace polo team. This road leads to Fombell. Beyond that, I know
nothing!!
Re:
Fombell, PA
Back to Messages
From: Ball Hiram <>
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To:"George L. Ball" <ballgl@juno.com>,
Sent: Thu, Jan 06, 2011 11:26
PM
Some
one we all knew lived there or was
there a camp there? It was good farm
country.
Hiram
Ball
Ball Consulting Ltd.
Office:
Cell:
Skype:
END 1/11/2011
George
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Annual Picture Day
Schedule
From: George Ball
<ballgl@juno.com>
To:BobBurry@aol.com
Sent: Sat, Mar 26, 2011 09:29
PM
"We have an annual picture day each fall
where we display our historical
pictures (there is always at
least one of the Ball Farm) and have speakers talk about
their family's history. We
usually have around 100 people attending. Would it be possible
to have you come speak or
at least give us permission to use the information and pictures
from your web
site?
Sincerely, Robert S.
Burry, Secretary, Fombell History
Group
3185 State Road New
Castle, PA 16105, bobburry@aol.com,
724-651-7080"
Since I got your E-Mail
(ref. above) concerning Fombell and the Ball Hereford
Farm, I
have been enthused
concerning the possibility of attending the Picture Day event. My
summer and fall schedule is
quickly filling up with commitments with family and
organizations. I would like to at least block out the
time of the event to improve my
chances of being able to
attend.
If
at all possible would you please let me know when and where the Picture Day will
take
place.
Thanks,.
George L.
Ball