It is interesting how a name can sometimes make it way down through family history. My father’s maternal grandfather was John Ball Lewis. He had inherited his middle name “Ball” through his mother’s side of the family and it can be traced back seven generations to when his immigrant forebearer first came to Virginia.
John Ball Lewis (1821-1893)
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Sally Ball Cockerill (1785-1854)
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Presley Cockerill (1754-1809)
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Sarah Ball (1736-1783)
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John Ball (1714-1754)
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George Ball (1683-1734)
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Capt. William Ball (1641-1694)
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Col. William Ball (1615-1680)
The original immigrant to come to North America was William Ball, who arrived in Virginia in 1650. Though we can’t be sure why he came left England, it appears that it may have partly been for religious/political reasons. He was a supporter of Charles I and may have served in the English army. However, when Oliver Cromwell forced Charles off of the throne and subsequently had him beheaded in 1649, William’s life was probably in danger. When he arrived in Virginia, William bought land and became a firm supporter of the Anglican Church. He served as a major in the militia of Lancaster County, Virginia, and as a member of the House of Burgesses from 1668 until 1676 and again from 1676 to 1677.
It is clear that for the first few generations, the name was passed along simply because it was the family’s last name in a culture that preserved family names through patriarchy. However, it was actually Sarah Cockerill who kept the name in our family. She married a man named Charles Lewis but named one of her sons after her great grandfather John Ball, so that her son became John Ball Lewis. This keeping of an ancestor’s name in the family to establish lineage was common in the American colonies. In fact, Sarah Ball’s husband, Presley Cockerill could trace his first name back to another immigrant, William Presley, who came to Virginia in 1649 – around the same time as William Ball.
One other interesting note about the Ball family name. Our ancestor George Ball had a brother named Joseph; Joseph had a daughter named Mary. Mary Ball married and became Mary Ball Washington – the mother of George Washington.
Northen History 
Mike this is really interesting to see how a name is maintained by family. It does help with maintaining a linage. I did not know we are related to George Washington, even if it is a distant relation.