| Notes |
- When Randolph was about 8 years old the family moved to Niagara Falls and lived there for 4 years. When he was 19 he worked for a fur store in Buffalo. From Buffalo he went to Milwaukee where he opened a fur store. He gave this up to return to Le Roy to study law.
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Le Roy Gazette
October 1, 1890
Our community has seldom been more sensibly shocked than by the intelligence on Friday morning of the death of Randolph Ballard. It was known that a few days previous he had placed himself under the charge of skillful physicians in the hospital at Rochester for a surgical operation for a disease which proved to be of a cancerous nature. The operation was pronounced to be sucessful but in its sad results, proved to be otherwise. He gradually sank and passed away, without leaving the spot where the operation was performed.
In noticing the death of the highly esteemed deceased, whose whole life had been spent among us, while no record is at hand for its full outline, enough is known of his character and qualities as a man and citizen to justify the esteem in which he was universally held, and the respect paid to his memory.
Randolph, the eldest son of James Ballard, a pioneer hatmaker of Le Roy, was born in Le Roy in the year 1826 and was 64 years of age at the time of his demise. His father was the head of six children (who arrived at their majority), four sons and two daughters, and he had the usual hard struggle of the early settlers of our village, for their support and maintenance. His mother, Luceba Ganson, still living at the advanced age of 82, was the daughter of Benjamin Ganson, who was the son of Capt. John Ganson Sr., the occupant of the first farm opened in Le Roy. She is the last living link connected with the first pioneer of what was then known as the "Ganson settlement." Thus the wave of time is "sweeping into dark eternity" one by one all who began life at the dawn of our history.
The father, James Ballard, was "struck" with the gold fever, on its first discovery in California in 1848, and like thousands of similar adventurers, started across the plains, wher he was fatally attacked by disease, and died before reaching his destination. It was this event which brought the characteristics of Randolph, then just rising into manhood, into prominance. His first thought and aim in life was to secure comfort and support for his widowed mother and her orphan children. How well and how faithfully he labored for this result, his past life is a full history. He was ambitious for an education better than the common schools then afforded, and this he labored and did acquire.
He was always acquisitive for knowledge and was eminently a self taught man. His taste was for the profession of the law, of which he was an diligent student, and which he pursued mostly in the office of Hon. A.P. Hascall. After his admission to the bar he entered at once into its sucessful practice. He soon formed a partnership with Gen. C. F. Bissell, which for many years was one of the most prominent law firms in the county. But it is not proposed to give a detailed history of his professional and business career. It is sufficient to note that his legal qualifications were sufficiently marked to receive the nomination of county judge by the gov. of the state on the occasion of a vacancy by the death of Judge Henshaw. It may be remarked that in all of his business career Mr. B. was distinguished for his fidelity in every trust committed to his charge as well as for his urbanity and suavity of manner in his intercourse with men. He was a democrat with positive opinion, but never offensively obtrusive in enforcing them upon his opponents. He was especially tolerant and broad minded, liberal in his views of men and measures, and was always willing to award merit where merit was due. In his temperment he was eminently genial, social in his nature and warmly attached to his friends. In his public, as well as his private life, Mr. B.'s example was always on the side of morality and good order; his tastes were asthetic and were essentially for the improvement and higher elevation of every class and condition in the social scale. Of late he had been in declining health and not engaged in active business. He continued the attorney and general counsel of the Bank of Le Roy, of which he was a director, and as counselor was a safe and reliable adviser, Although Mr. B. was not connected with any church organization, he was always a liberal supporter of the Episcopal church, of which his family were members.
Mr Ballard in 1866 married Mrs. Louisa Whalin, who died in the following year, leaving two daughters by her first husband - Ida, who died a few years after her mother, and Lillie, who survives and is married to S. Percy Hooker, who have made their home with Mr. Ballard, and who, with his aged mother, are the only survivors of his family in Le Roy. He also left a nephew, John Ballard- (son of Frank Ballard) whose residence is in Kansas. None of his brothers, (except possibly Jefferson), or his sisters are now living. It is but another instance of the inroad death has made in our old and prominent families so frequent of late, which will soon lead to the pertinent inquiry "Our fathers, where are they?" In his late home it comes back with a painful certainty, that its chief light has gone out and nothing left but the sweet memory of his devotion and loyalty, and of his open handed liberality and hospitality, which he was ever ready to dispense. It is equally certain that the name and memory of randolph Ballard as a citizen and a man will long be cherished and remembered by the surviviving and contemorary members of this community.
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Will, key elements
1) Provide for my mother, with a comfortable home and liberal support. The expense to be covered by income from trust funds left by my brother Benjamin F. in my trust for her care.
2) A trust fund for my nephew John Randolph Ballard, with interest of the fund to go to him until he reaches the age of thirty. At that time the principal will pass to him. If no issue survives him the principal reverts to the residuary estate.
3) A trust fund for my nephew John Randolph Ballard, with interest of the fund to go to him for life. At that time of his death the principal shall be paid to his issue. If no issue survives him the principal reverts to the residuary estate.
4) A gift of $5000 to my friend Mary L. Haskins, with state taxes to be paid from my estate.
5) Direction to establish a monument upon the family burial plot with markers and suitable inscriptions.
6) To my son in law Samuel Percy Hooker all horses, carriages, sleighs, harnesses, robes, whips, saddles, bridles, and other horse furniture. I further direct that any debt owed by Samuel Percy to me be excused.
7) $1000 to my grand daughter Margery Hooker.
8) Debts owed to me by Angus L. Tompkins be excused.
9) Direction to establish a monument upon the Chandler Ganson burial plot with markers and suitable inscriptions to the memory of my grandfather Benjamin Ganson, my grandmother Nancy Ganson Wiardamd graet aunt Elizabeth Austin.
10) $1000 trust fund at the Monroe Count Savings Bank to apply the interest to the Macpelah cemetery to care for the above two burial plots.
11) All the residual estate to my daughter Elizabeth Whalin Hooker, wife of Samuel Percy Hooker.
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1826 - 1890 (64 years)
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