Scope and Contents: The genealogy fills 12 three-ring notebooks, with an accompanying volume that contains an introduction and an index. In addition to the genealogical information, the notebooks include letters and documents of family members, plus historical and biographical sketches. The collection includes letters by Irene Ball (Allen), 1836-1842, describing life as a student in early Oberlin and as the wife of an abolitionist minister in Illinois; an eight-page typescript of a notebook written by Elizabeth Curtis covering the four years before to her marriage to Orrin Safford in 1839 and containing poems to friends and writings on education, Catherine Beecher, and the Bible; several letters between the sisters Sarah, Elizabeth, and Salome Curtis and information on Sophia Smith’s ancestors, some of whom were related to the Ball family. Also included are early family photographs and Sarah Bedell Ball’s own reminiscences.
Additional materials for Archibald McCullum Ball include an Oberlin College diploma, certificates of membership in various societies, and an appointment certificate as a census taker in Erie County, New York.
| Oberlin College Archives
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