William Hudson Ball Sr.

William Hudson Ball b. 28 Oct 1893, Buffalo, New York d. Sep. 5, 1980 Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana Buried Beech Grove Cemetery Muncie Delaware County Indiana, son of William Charles & Emma (Wood) Ball

William Hudson Ball, Sr., 86, widely acquainted former Muncie civic leader and industrialist and Indiana philanthropist, died Friday evening in St. Vincent's Hospital at Indianapolis following several month's illness.

A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Mr. Ball came to Muncie at the age of three with his parents, William C. and Emma (Wood) Ball. William C., who died in 1924, was one of the five Ball brothers who moved their Mason jar manufacturing firm to Muncie from Buffalo in the 1880's, it was the predecessor of Ball Corporation.

William H. Ball graduated from Howe Military Academy in Indiana, Hillsdale College in Michigan and from the Cornell University School of Engineering in Ithaca, N.Y. in 1918. He served with the Army in France during World War I and afterward became associated with Ball Brothers Company, now Ball Corp., as secretary and vice-president prior to retiring in 1947. Following World War II, he was with the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington during the directorship of the late Gen. Walter Bedell Smith. In 1953 he served as personal representative of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in ceremonies commemorating the Cecil Rhodes Central Africa Centenary.

In 1960, he and Mrs. Ball moved to Indianapolis, where he was the owner of several automobile dealerships including Auto Imports, Ltd; he constructed the original Indianapolis Volkswagon dealership on West 16th St. there.

He was chairman of the board of directors of the Indianapolis-based Haag Drug Company 1950-67. He was the first president of the Indianapolis Symphony Society, elected in 1936, and serving as chairman for several years; he was responsible for bringing Fabien Sevitsky to Indianapolis as symphony conductor following the retirement of Ferdnand Schaeffer. He was a founder and the first president of the Muncie Civic Theater Association, serving as the organization's chief executive 1931-1941.

Mr. Ball was an honorary board member of Ball Corporation and the Merchants National Bank of Muncie, after serving many years as an active board member. He was a trustee of Hanover College and Howe Military Academy, a member of several Masonic bodies in Muncie and of the Scottish Rite, Valley of Indianapolis, and a life trustee of theIndianapolis Museum of Art. He was a former active member of Muncie Rotary Club, and the American Legion , and he was a member of the Muncie Club, and the Columbia Club of Indianapolis. .

He and his wife, Agnes Medsker Ball, who survives, sponsored a number of arts and musical events on the campus of Ball State while residing in Muncie. The Ball family home was at 52 Warwick Road in Westwood, now the site of the Baptist Student Foundation.

Surviving in addition to his wife, Agnes, are a daughter, Mrs. Sam (Lucina) Moxley,Indianapolis; a son, William H.Ball, Jr.,I ndianapolis; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements will be made at the Meeks Mortuary.

m. 14 Nov 1917, Muncie, Indiana Agnes Marian Medsker b. 3 Dec 1892 Muncie, Delaware, Indiana d. Mar 1985 in Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, buried Beech Grove Cemetery Muncie Delaware County Indiana, daughter of Chauncey L Medsker & Leonore A Bowles

Agnes Medsker Ball, former prominent resident of Muncie and widow of William H. Ball, died last night at her home in Indianapolis. Her husband, who was the son of William C. Ball, one of the five Ball brothers, served at one time as a cons ultant at the Washington bureau of the Central Intelligence Agency and represented President Dwight Eisnehower at a centennial celebration in Africa. He died in 1960.

Mrs.Ball was born in Muncie, the daughter of Chauncey and Leora Bowles Medsker and lived here until moving to Indianapolis in 1950.

Mrs.Ball raised, trained, and showed American standard bred horses at Orchard Lawn Farm, now Orchard Lawn Addition, from about 1935-1945. She also raised and showed championship minature poodles and for three consecutive years owned the championship minature poodle in America.

In her early years she was active in music circles, an interest that continued throughout her life. She was once a member of Muncie Matinee Musicale, and she and her husband sponsored a number of musical and arts events at Ball State while living here. She was formerly active in philanthropies including the Indianapolis Symphony, Indianapolis Opera Company, Indianapolis Museum of Art and Indiana Music School at Bloomington.

In addition, Mrs. Ball was a member of Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, Alpha Chapter of Psi Iota Xi, D.A.R., Colonial Dames, Columbia Club and Poodle Club of American.

Surviving are a daughter, Mrs Sam (Lucina) Moxley, and a son, William H. Ball Jr.,I ndianapolis; six grandchildren; and a sister, Mrs. Pa ul (Margaret) Fitzgibbon, Sarasota, Fla.

Services will be at 3 p.m. tomorrow in Meeks Mortuary, with the Rev. Ronald Naylor, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Muncie, officiating. Entombment will follow in the family mausoleum in Beech Grove Cemetery. Friends may call at the mortuary an hour before services.

1920; Census Place: Muncie Ward 4, Delaware, Indiana; Roll: T625_426; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 32
Household Members: Name Age
William Ball 27
Agnes M Ball 27
Rudna Ball<

Year: 1930; Census Place: Muncie, Delaware, Indiana; Roll: 583; Page: 26B; Enumeration District: 21;
Household Members: Name Age
William H Ball 36
Marian A Ball 37
Lucina Ball
Hudson Ball

Thay had:
1 Lucina Amelia Ball

She graduated high school from Tudor Hall in Indianapolis in 1936. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, New York, in 1939, she attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

While in New York City, she met surgeon Edwin B. Eckerson and then married him in 1940. He was killed in 1945 when a Japanese airplane deliberately crashed into the USS Comfort, upon which he was serving as the chief of surgery during World War II.

In 1948, she married Sampson “Sam” Moxley, who later became the owner of Haag Drug Store, a chain of pharmacies prominent in Indiana during the mid- to late twentieth century.

Mrs. Moxley is an accomplished pianist and has met and worked with many well-known musicians both in Indianapolis and throughout the country, including Bomar Cramer, Alice Singer Brantley, Fabien Sevitzky, Joseph Meyer Bloch, and Menahem Pressler. She has also been an active supporter of the musical arts in Indianapolis most of her life and has been associated with the American Pianists Association and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

As well, she has published several books, including an autobiography, a biography of Sam Moxley, a travelogue, and several children’s books.

She is the mother of Judith Eckerson and Ann Eckerson, both of Indianapolis. Mrs. Moxley currently resides in her home in northwestern Indianapolis.

Sampson B. Moxley services Saturday; owned Hagg Drug
Services for Samprson Buchanan Moxley, 75, Carmel,l retired president and owner of Haag Drug co. will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in FlLanner & B uchanan Broad Ripple Mortuary

Calling will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today.

He died Sept. 29 in Paris France

Mr. Moxley had bee president and owner of Haag Drug CO., Indianapolis, for 22 years, retiring in 1972.

From 1946 to 150 he was also part0owner of the Conquistador S. A. silver factory, Mexico City.

He graduated as a registered pharmist from the Indianapolis College of Pharmacy in 1936.

A member of the exectuive board of the Beethoven FOundation, he was also onthe board of mutal funds at Unified Management.

He was a member of Second Presbyterian Church, Dramtic CLub and Society of Retired Executives.

A philanthropist in the community, he was acive in many civic organizations he was actively invovled in the Indianapolis Art League.

During World War II, he was a commander in the Navy and served in naval intelligence in Chicago. He was alson on active duty in the Pacific and was stationed in the SOlomon Islands.

Mr. Moxley was a Kentucky Colonel.

Memorial contributionas may be made to the donor's favorite charity

Survivors wife: Lucina Ball Moxley; daughters Judith E. CUmmings and Ann Eckerson; sister Paulina Moxley Greer; foru grandchildren - - Oct 7 1988 Indianapolis Star.
2 William Hudson Ball Jr. b. 4 Jun 1926, Muncie, Indiana




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William Charles Ball



From early manhood the career of William Charles Ball, manufacturer and philanthropist, was part of the career of the Ball Brothers of Muncie, so to relate his business and philanthropic activities merely wo uld be to repeat the story of his family, given in various forms in this history of Indiana. A contemporary biographer has said of him "Publicity held for him no charms." His fine platform work, which on occasions held a "message" for his audiences is well known, for he was an eloquent speaker, but he was quite willing for the other fellow to enjoy the limelight. With those who knew him intimately his natural reserve vanished, and he entered into the topics of general interest, evidencing a most c ultured mind and sound judgment. He attended the public schools and completed his scholastic education in the Academy at Canandaigua, New York, to which his parents removed when he was fifteen years old. In 1877 he and his three brothers, Frank C., Edmund B. and George A., formed a business partnership under the name of "Ball Brothers" and established a small factory in Buffalo, New York, for the manufacture of tin oil cans. In 1884 glass oil cans and glass fruit jars were added to their products, and when natural gas was discovered in Indiana, in 1887, the brothers came to Muncie and put up a small factory, which grew into a fruit jar concern that eventually dominated the world's fruit jar market. When Mr. Ball died, in 1921, the little factory that he and his brothers had in stalled in Muncie, he being secretary of the company, occupied with its buildings seventy acres, gave employment to 1,500 persons and with its branch at Wichita Falls, Texas, had a daily output, in season, of over half a million glass fruit jars. Since this time other branch plants have been established, at Huntington, West Virginia; Hillsboro, Illinois; Sap ulpa and Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and Noblesville, Indiana, increasing the total daily output to a million fruit jars a day.

As was true of his brothers, Mr. Ball had many and varied interests in business and philanthropics outside of the fruit jar business. To detail them would require an article of its own. The gifts the Ball Brothers have made to educational, charitable, character forming and civic purposes total many millions of dollars. William C. Ball while he lived always was a part of these donations, and his estate since his death has participated in them.

Mr. Ball was born near Greensburg, Trumb ull County, Ohio, August 13, 1852, and he died in Muncie, April 21, 1921. He was married, December 22, 1890, to Emma, daughter of John D. Wood, of New York City, who survives him. She has been very active in the work of the Universalist Church, in the Federation of Woman's Clubs and is a past regent and for over twenty years has been chaplain of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The only child born to Mr. and Mrs. William C. Ball is William Hudson Ball, who is secretary of the Ball Brothers Company, representing the second generation in the business his father helped to establish. A more complete sketch of him appears elsewhere in this publication.

Politically William C. Ball was a Republican, was a member of the Universalist Church and superintendent of the Sunday School of St. John's Church.

He utilized his business merely as a medium by which to confer the greatest good, but his modesty kept much of his generosity unknown. He had an active faith in the universal brotherhood of man, and every worthy cause had an irresistible appeal to him. More than that, he had gifts of intellect and aesthetic tastes which made him a lover of the arts and sciences and endowed him with a wide culture derived from the classic authors of prose and poetry, with which his mind was richly stored.

INDIANA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT Vol. 3
By Charles Roll, A.M.
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1931




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WILLIAM H. BALL, secretary of the Ball Brothers Company of Muncie, is a son of the late William C. Ball, one of the five brothers whose partnership relations began in early manhood and whose collective genius made the name and business of Ball Brothers of national scope and importance. William C. Ball for many years remained as representative of the family interests at Buffalo, New York, but spent his last years in Muncie, where he died April 30, 1921, and is buried in the Beech Grove Cemetery. The fame of the Ball Brothers as manufacturers has reached into every corner of the civilized world. During the past ten years their contributions and practical work in the field of education and philanthropy promise no less rich returns for the world at large. The Ball Brothers have given millions of dollars to education, benevolence and general welfare work, distributed among institutions in different parts of the country, and Muncie has been partic ularly fortunate through the support of the Ball Brothers of such institutions as the Ball Memorial Hospital, the Ball Teachers College, the Y. M. C. A. and other objects.

When it was formally opened, on August 4, 1929, the Ball Brothers Memorial Hospital was pronounced by hospital authorities from different parts of the country as an unsurpassed physical plant for its use and purpose as a general hospital. It represented an outlay of more than a million dollars and its location adjoins the grounds of the Ball Teachers College. The building realizes not only all of the requirements for a standard hospital construction, but in many features represents the last word in architectural details, the mechanical and technical facilities, and also the achievement of harmony in material arrangement and atmosphere which put this institution a long step in advance of the conventional type of hospital.

One of the auxiliary features of the hospital is a plant built for the sole purpose of producing milk and other dairy products for its use. The hospital is, in fact, an almost self-contained institution, having among its many departments a butcher shop, laundry, drug store, bakery. The dairy plant, which is the partic ular hobby of Mr. William H. Ball, is located ten miles north of Muncie, on a farmof 320 acres. A herd of sixty Guernsey and Holstein cattle, practically all pure bred, were brought from the heart of the Wisconsin dairy belt. The dairy barn, 80 feet wide, 100 feet long and 50 feet high, was designed and constructed with the single purpose of securing utmost cleanliness in the production of milk products for the hospital use. The mechanical equipment includes not only elaborate ventilating devices and methods that prevent the contamination of the milk, but also milking machinery, cooling apparatus and prompt delivery service to the hospital, where there is equipment for pasteurizing, grading and testing for all the requirements of the dietary.

Mr. William H. Ball is the only child of William C. Ball and his wife, Emma (Wood) Ball. Mrs. Emma Wood Ball resides at the beautiful family home in Muncie. She has been very active in the work of the Universalist Church, in the Federation of Women’s Clubs, and is a past regent and for over twenty years has been chaplain of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

William H. Ball was born at Buffalo, New York, October 28, 1893, but was reared and educated in Muncie, attending grade and high schools there, and. was graduated in 1911 from the Howe Military Academy. He took his A. B. degree at Hillsdale College at Hillsdale,Michigan, one of the institutions to whcih the Ball Brothers have made large gifts. After leaving Hillsdale he specialized in chemical engineering at Cornell University. In 1917 he enlisted, was in training at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and at Camp Logan inEastern Texas where he was put in the Fifth Division. With that division he went overseas in April, 1918, and took part in the St. Mihiel campaign from September 14 to September 26, and was in the Argonne from November 2 to November 11. After the armistice his division became part of the Army of Occupation. He received his honorable discharge on July 7, 1919.

Mr. Ball on his return to Muncie became identified with Ball Brothers Company, being a director, and after the death of his father was chosen secretary of the corporation, the office he now fills. He is also a director of the Merchants Trust & Savings Bank, the Merchants National Bank, the Peoples Home and Savings Association, and the First Rural Loan & Savings Association. He is a past master of Muncie Lodge No. 433, A. F. and A. M., belongs to the Royal Arch Chapter and Knights Templar Commander; and is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason. He has filled chairs in all the Masonic bodies at Muncie. He is a director of the Kiwanis Club, a member of Muncie Post No. 19, American Legion, belongs to the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, is a Republican, and, like other members of the family belongs to the Universalist Church. He was in the church choir for nine years.

He married at Muncie, November 11, 1917, Miss Agnes Medsker, who attended school in Muncie and has likewise been identified with the Universalist Church since early girlhood, and for a number of years was in its choir. She is an accomplished musician, having carried on her studies in Chicago. She is a member of the Psi Iota Xi sorority. Her father C. L. Medsker, has for many years been a leading member of the Muncie bar. Mr. and Mrs. Ball have two children, Lucina and William Hudson.
INDIANA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT Vol. 5
By Charles Roll, A.M.
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1931





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William Charles Ball's ancestry is -
Edward BALL Esq. Born About 1642 in New Haven, Connecticut?. Died About 1724 in Newark, Essex Co., New Jersey. Occupation Sheriff Of Essex Co., NJ In 1693. He married Abigail BLATCHLEY, daughter of Thomas BLATCHLEY & Susanna BALL, About 1664 in Branford, Connecticut. Born About 1648 Probably in Branford, Connecticut. Died After 31 May 1698 in Newark, Essex Co., New Jersey. They had 7 children of whom is:

Thomas BALL. Born 1687/1688 in Newark, Essex Co., New Jersey. Died 18 Dec 1744 in Newark, Essex Co., New Jersey. Buried in Old Burial Grd., Newark, Essex Co., New Jersey. He married Sarah DAVIS, daughter of Thomas DAVIS & Mary WARD, About 1710/1712 in Probably Newark, New Jersey. Born 1689/1690 in Essex County, New Jersey. Died 1 Feb 1778 in Essex County, New Jersey. Buried in Connecticut Farms, Union Co., New Jersey. They had 12 children of whom is:

Moses BALL. Born 1735 in Newark, Essex Co., New Jersey. Died About 1775. Established the "Ball family homestead" at Springfield, New Jersey. He married Lucretia DALGLEISH. They had 2 children of whom is:

Jonathan BALL. Timeline: "Canada" (Ancestors & Descendents of John Ball, LDS film 861040) He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and afterwards moved to Bridgeport, Addison Co., Vermont - then across the line to Canada, locating at Ascot and Sherbrooke. He married Sarah STYLES. They had 1 child who was:

William BALL. Born 31 Dec 1784. Died 1866 in Tonawanda, NY. He married Marcey HARVEY. Born 22 Jun 1784. They had 9 children of whom is:

Lucius Styles BALL. Born 6 Jan 1814 in Ascot, Canada. Died 25 Jan 1878 in Canandaigua, New York. We was the father of the 5 Ball Bros. of Ball Masonry Jar fame and Ball State University. He married Maria P. BINGHAM. Born 4 Jan 1822 in Stanstead, Canada. Died 27 Apr 1892 in Muncie, Indiana. They had the following children:


i. Lucina Amelia BALL
ii. Lucius Lorenzo BALL formed Ball Brothers partnership in Buffalo, New York & came to Munice.
iii.William Charles BALL formed Ball Brothers partnership in Buffalo, New York & came to Munice.
iv. Edmund Burke BALL formed Ball Brothers partnership in Buffalo, New York & came to Munice.
v. Frank Clayton BALL formed Ball Brothers partnership in Buffalo, New York & came to Munice.
vi. Mary Frances BALL
vii. George Alexander BALL formed Ball Brothers partnership in Buffalo, New York & came to Munice.
viii. Clinton Harvey BALL

After moving the business to Muncie, Indiana, in 1887, the brothers also launched what would become Ball State University