Thomas Ballard
(1630-1687)Thomas was born the year that Humphrey Pinney came ashore. Though it is uncertain if he was born in England or in the New World, he was probably born in Worcester, England (70-80 miles north of Pinney's birthplace). It is likely that his father was William Ballard who came to America in May 1635 aboard the James , but there is nothing to absolutely fix who Thomas' parents where or when they sailed across the Atlantic. Whatever the case, Thomas was fortunate to belong "to a family of conspicuous influence", and his parents were clearly socially connected early in Thomas' life.
In 1650, at the age of 20, he married his first wife, Anne Thomas, in Middle Plantation (later called Williamsburg), Virginia. He had eleven children: John (1651-94), Lydia (1683-1700), Thomas Jr. (1654-1706), Margaret Martha (1658), William (1663-1750), Elizabeth (1665-1705), Martha (1667) Mathew (1667-1720), twins Francis and William (1674 to 1720 and 1719, respectively and William (1674-1746).
From 1652 to 1663, worked as a clerk for York County. In 1666, he and his family moved to Jamestown and on October 23, 1667, he was a Burgess for James City Co. From 1666-1668/9 he was a member of the Governor of Virginia's Council-- whose members were chosen from the wealthiest, most educated and influential citizens of the colony . Members of this council constituted the Upper House of the General Assembly. In 1669, he was promoted to Lt. Col. of the Militia in James City County.
Bacon's Rebelion
By 1670, several forces guaranteed conflict in the Chesapeake Bay region. While disease still ravaged the New English population, a more reasonable gender distribution and economic opportunity made life a little easier, but land speculation had driven the price of good land to ridiculous highs and Indian interference with the plans of European settlers to "civilize" Virginia continued. In addition, the gap between rich and poor steadily increased as a massive importation of servants (both European indentured and African slaves) flooded the region.
These servants faced a bleak future when (if) their indentures ended. Having no pay, they became free with no savings and, even if they could afford it, most of the good land along the river ways were already spoken for. While in Virginia, masters were required to a new suit of clothing and year's supply of corn to the newly releases servant, he was still left out in the rain. In 1660, the price of tobacco plummeted to a penny a pound from a high of 30 sterling £'s per pound which lead to an economic depression that lasted until the early 1700's. (The break-even price being somewhere around 1.5 £'s.)
At the point of despair, many freemen in Virginia began casting about for a scapegoat. In this case, the local Indian tribes. Since the Powhaten War (1644-1646), a cautious peace existed between the whites and the indigenous peoples of Virginia, with the two sides existing within their own zones of control.
In Virginia, Governor Sir William Berkeley and a few friends held a fur-trading monopoly that profited from friendly relations with some of the frontier Indians. As a result, settler frustrations with the governor were fused with frustrations with the Indians. In June 1675, tensions boiled over when Virginia militia and Indians clashed. In pursuit of a group of Doeg Indians, the militia killed fourteen friendly Susquehannocks and, later, murdered five of their chiefs during peace talks. Governor Berkeley wanted to increase the number and strength of the chain of forts already in place in a defensive action, but the settlers preferred less-expensive measures.
Despite Berkeley's orders not to retaliate, three hundred settlers along the frontier elected Nathanial Bacon (to whom Thomas Ballard had sold land to a year before) to lead them in a war of extermination against the Indians. In April 1676, Bacon's forces only found peaceful Indians but massacred them anyway. This horrified Governor Berkeley and, presumably, Thomas.
Thomas, being a councilor for the Berkeley and an acquaintance of Bacon, attempted to mediate the situation. In June, the Virginia legislature voted a plan to please both sides. By defining enemies as those Indians outside of their proscribed villages without English permission, they hoped to confine the Indians, allow young freemen to obtain land now vacated. Bacon was free to continue plunder all "enemies" of their furs, guns, wampum, corn and land. It also allowed Bacon and his followers to keep prisoners as slaves.
But Governor Berkeley changed his mind and called Bacon's men back. Instead of going back to their farms and plantations, Bacon's men rebelled. On July 30, 1676, Bacon and his army issued the "Declaration of the People of Virginia." The declaration criticized Berkeley's administration in detail. It accused him of levying unfair taxes, appointing friends to high positions, and failing to protect frontier settlers from Indian attack.
In September 1676, Thomas' wife and several other highly placed women were captured in a raid on Middle Plantation by Bacon's men. The women were used as human shields when Bacon besieged Jamestown. Berkeley fled and Jamestown was burned to the ground. Thomas was forced to sign an oath of loyalty for Bacon.
Before British troops could land, Bacon died of dysentery on October 26, 1676 and his followers dispersed. In January 1677, Thomas was a member of the Courts Martial following the collapse of Bacon's rebellion.
Later Life
On September 20, 1678 his wife passed away. Sometime later, he married again, to Alice Hillard and had two other children. She survived until 1691.
From 1680 to 1686, he was a Burgess for James City Co., serving as Speaker of the House of Burgesses from 1680 to 1684. From 1674 to October 31, 1684, he was a vestryman of Bruton Parish Church, Williamsburg, until he died March 24, 1689. His name is inscribed on a bronze tablet in the interior of the church and on the name plate of a pew.
Thomas's oldest son and heir, Thomas Ballard, Jr. , sold the Middle Plantation estate shortly after his father's death. Most of it went to form the campus of the College of William and Mary.
Thomas, Sr. Ballard (1630 - 1687)
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Thomas Jr Ballard (1654 - 1706)
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William Curtis Ballard (1685 - 1754)
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George Henry Ballard (1877 - 1929)
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Lloyd James Ballard (1917 - 1997)