Horace Ball

b. 14 November 1892, d. 11 September 1975
  • Horace Ball was known as Hart as an adult.
  • Horace Ball was born on 14 November 1892 in Bowie, Montague County, Texas.
  • Benjamin B. Ball and Amanda P. Page appeared in the US federal census of 1 June 1900 in Montague County, Texas. Other members of the household included Horace Ball, Willie Ball, Mary Ball, Odie Seline Ball, James Samuel Ball, Rosa Selina Ball, Annie Bell Ball, Nellie Ball and Samantha Gowing.
  • Benjamin B. Ball and Amanda P. Page appeared in the US federal census of 15 April 1910 in Bowie, Montague County, Texas. Other members of the household included Horace Ball, Willie Ball, Rosa Selina Ball, Nellie Ball, Carrie Ball, Lula Ball, Ida Ethel Ball, Dewey M. Ball and Floy Elsie Ball. It The identity of Jane Ball (age 21) remains to be discovered.
  • Horace Ball appeared in the US federal census of 1 January 1920 in Bowie, Montague County, Texas, at Cox Coal Mine. Other members of the household included Amanda P. Page, Carrie Ball, Lula Ball, Ida Ethel Ball, Dewey M. Ball, Floy Elsie Ball and Riley Benjamin Ball.
  • He was a farmer, according to the 1920 census.
  • The following appeared on 6 March 1927 in the Wellington Leader: Mrs. Rosy Salina Poore died in Wellington on Wednesday afternoon at the home of her sister, Mrs. Carl McDonald after an illness of five months caused by Bright's Disease.
         Mrs. Poore was born in Texas September 7, 1894, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ben D. Ball. She was married May 1, 1913, to J. F. Poore and two children who survive her were born to the union. They are: Margaret, aged 11, and Adren, aged 4. Besides her husband and children, Mrs. Poore is survived by two brothers and three sisters, who are: Horace Ball of Wichita Falls, Sam Ball of Terrell, Okla., Mrs. Carl McDonald of Wellington, Mrs. Willis Scarbough of Bowie and Miss Annie Bell Ball of Knott, Texas.
         Mrs. Poore had been in a hospital at Childress, where she underwent an operation. She had never fully recovered when her husband brought her to the home of Mrs. McDonald in Wellington where a local doctor was called but due to the headway of the disease she could not recover and succumbed Wednesday afternoon.
         Funeral services were held Thursday afternoon from the Carl McDonald home, with Rev. C. R. Joyner of the First Baptist Church in charge. Scott & Thomas conducted the funeral.
  • Horace Ball appeared in the US federal census of 1 April 1930 in Wichita County, Texas. Other members of the household included Amanda P. Page, Dewey M. Ball and Riley Benjamin Ball.
  • He was manager of a wagon yard, according to the 1930 census.
  • He married Norah Neeld.
  • Horace Ball died on 11 September 1975 at age 82 in Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas.
  • He was interred at Elmwood Cemetery, Bowie, Montague County, Texas.
  • The following appeared on 7 November 1975 in the Corsicana Daily Sun: (Wichita Falls) Relatives of the late Horace Ball go on a "treasure hunt" today digging holes and tearing down walls and floorboards in the Ball home in an attempt to find the money they think he hid somewhere because he did not trust banks.
         Ball and his wife, Norma, were murdered in their home-used furniture store last September and their murderers have never been found. Police speculated that the murder might have been motivated in part by the rumors that Ball kept all his money at home and distrusted banks.
         The search of the grounds, authorized by Wichita County Judge Calvin Ashley Thursday, was spurred by the discovery recently of $12,340 in a purse wrapped in plastic and hidden in one of the store's warehouses. The money was found by Jerry Schnedorf, trust officer for the First Wichita Natinal Bank.
         Schnedorf, in charge of the estate, is somewhat skeptical of the treasure hunt but feels it is necessary.
         "They probably won't find anything buried or hidden, but the search will remove a burden from the administration of the estate and allow us to go ahead and sell the property," Schnedorf said.
         The court order authorizing a "thorough search of the grounds" was issued by Wichita County Judge Calvin Ashley.
         Rewards of $500 each are posted in connection withthe murders by representatives of the estate.
         The court order allows all of the Balls' next of kin, and their "duly authorized representatives," to search the grounds between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
         Schnedorf said the $12,340 he found was under much debris under the rotted out bathroom of one of the storage buildings.
  • Last Edited: 13 Nov 2012

Family: Norah Neeld b. 3 September 1901, d. 11 September 1975