William Ballard

BALLARD, SPENCER, BROWN, ZOOK, BEAL, HOLLAND, MEYERS, LINK, SAMCOE, BENNETHUM

Posted By: Deborah Gilbert (email)
Date: 9/2/2016 at 19:44:27

Book: Maxwell 1883-1983

William (Bill) Ballard was born in Cambridge, Iowa to Elias and Mahalia Spencer Ballard. Bill was a descendant of the Simon Ballard family, which was the first pioneer family to settle in Story County. Simon's sons, Dan and Mormon, staked their homesteads at Ballard Grove in 1847 and moved their families into log cabins on that site on March 8, 1848. Simon was the first settler to die in the county and Bill's father, Elias, was the first pioneer child born in the county. The Ballard Golf and Country Club is near the spot where the first log cabins of the Ballards stood. The school, and many Huxley businesses, carry the name.

In 1903, Bill married Laura (Nell) Brown, daughter of James and Margaret Zook Brown, also of Cambridge. James Brown resided in the Maxwell area in his later years.

The Ballards were farmers and came to Maxwell in 1928 from Radcliffe after having lived in the communities of Ames, Mitchellville and Percy. They farmed Judge Lee's land just south of Maxwell between Indian Creek and Highway 210. In the late 1930's they moved to an acreage at the southeast edge of Maxwell. When they retired in 1943 they moved into the town of Maxwell where they resided until their deaths. Bill died in 1949 and Laura died in 1970.

The Ballards were very active in the community and Bill was well known for his participation in the Old Settlers Picnic. Bill and Laura were the parents of ten children, seven of whom grew to adulthood.

The eldest, Floyd, married Mabel Beal of Colo and lived in the Maxwell area until the early 1940's, first as a farmer and later as a local and long distance trucker. His oldest daughter, Gladys, graduated from Maxwell High School and played on the girls' basketball team which went to the state tournament in 1942. Floyd now lives in Marshalltown.

Claude Ballard married Hazel Holland of Farrar and farmed southeast of Maxwell until the 1940's when he moved his family to Collins. Claude is deceased.

Margaret Ballard married Kenneth Meyers. They farmed near Maxwell until Kenneth's death in the early 1960's. Margaret then moved to Des Moines where she resided until her death.

Mabel Ballard married Clarence Link and they farmed for several years before going to California in 1941 where Clarence worked in the aircraft industry. In 1944 they returned to Maxwell and during 1945 and 1946 they farmed two miles west of town where Ralph Link now lives. They lived in California again but in 1957 they returned to farming and have remained in the community ever since. They have one son, Larry, who is the fourth generation of Links to live on the Link farm which is seven miles southwest of Maxwell. Larry is a filmmaker and is married to Nancy Samcoe, an artist from New York. Mabel and Larry are the only Ballard descendants still residing in the Maxwell community.

Harold, a bachelor, lived in Maxwell and worked as a carpenter until his death in 1977. During World War II he served with the U. S. Army's 34th Infantry Division and fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He was a member of the VFW in Maxwell.

Richard Ballard married Cleo Bennethum and lived in Maxwell until he joined the U. S. Marine Corps at the beginning of World War II. He served in the South Pacific with the Fourth Marine Division and was wounded on Iwo Jima. After the war he moved to Cambridge, Iowa.