Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas Page: 171 of 894
762 p., [172] leaves of plates : ill., ports. ; 30 cm.View a full description of this book.
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INDIAN lWARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.
155
GEORGE BALL,
GALVESTON.It has often struck me that the real is the most
unreal. David Copperfield was a more real personage
and will longer exercise an influence in shaping
the course of human lives and ultimate human destinies
than many of the persons who are living and
have actually lived. The ordinary human life,
except in so far as it concerns the individual
soul and affects those with which it mediately
or immediately comes in contact, is void of
lasting effect. As to itself, it passes away like a
shadow and is remembered no more. But there
have been lives whose influence will extend to
remotest time and of these was the life of the subject
of this memoir, Mr. George Ball.
It is doubtful if there ever was an intrinsically
noble man who did not have a noble mother, and it
is doubtful if any man ever accomplished much
worthy of commemoration, who was not sustained
and cheered by the companionship and counsel of a
noble wife. Mr. Ball possessed both and few men
have done more to entitle themselves to an honorable
place upon the pages of the State's history.
He was born May 9th, 1817, at Gausevoort,
Saratoga County, N. Y., where he resided until
twelve years of age, when he went to live with
his uncle, George Hoyt, at Albany, in that
State. He learned the trade of silversmith and
jeweler from his uncle and was indebted to him also
for most excellent training in business affairs. On
reaching his majority, he set out to seek a location
for himself, traveling extensively through the
Western and Southern States, and finally set
tling for a time in Shreveport, La. There he
came to hear a great deal of Texas, and being
influenced by favorable reports, at last decided to
try his fortunes in the then infant republic.
Returning to New York, he formed a copartnership
with his brother Albert, and, procuring a stock
of general merchandise and lumber sufficient to
erect a small store house, embarked for Galveston,
and arrived there in the fall of 1839, during the
disastrous epidemic of yellow fever that prevailed
that year. Nothing daunted by the gloomy surroundings
that environed him, he landed his cargo
and, leasing a lot on Tremont street, between
Mechanics and Market streets, proceeded to erect
his building and open his business. His brother
joined him the following year, and their business
proving successful, they moved to the vicinity ofStrand and Twenty-second streets, at that time
much nearer to the center of trade than the first
site selected. After a few years this firm was dissolved,
Albert entering the clothing business and
George continuing that of dry goods.
In 1854, Mr. Ball disposed of his mercantile
interests and, associating himself with John H.
Hutchings and John Sealy, formed the firm of Ball,
Hutchings
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Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas (Book)
A history of pioneers in Texas and their confrontations with local American Indians.
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Brown, John Henry. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, book, 1880~; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6725/m1/171/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .