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Webb C Ball Signature "Click" to Login or Register 
IHC Member 665
posted
I thought I should share this piece of correspondence from 1904. I was interested to find it, not least because it bears the signature of the great man, himself.

 
Posts: 209 | Location: East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Registered: December 31, 2005
IHC Member 163
Picture of Mark Cross
posted
Anyway to reduce the size of this scan? It's HUGE!!! Eek

Regards! Mark
 
Posts: 3831 | Location: Estill Springs, Tennessee, USA | Registered: December 02, 2002
IHC President
Life Member
Picture of Lindell V. Riddle
posted

This is a great item John, thanks a million for sharing it!

Everyone, John is doing a great service for The Internet Horology Chapter 185 and Pocket Horology 174 with reference to our upcoming Ball Time Symposium. He is scanning a number of very worthwhile items for inclusion as well as sharing his considerable expertise on the Ball-Waltham movements and cases. This rare piece of history is but one of the wonderful items he is making available. Keep them coming my friend!

About size, we'll leave the big one for those of us who would like to print a copy and the one below for reading purposes.

Lindell

Wink


 
Posts: 10553 | Location: Northeastern Ohio in the USA | Registered: November 19, 2002
IHC Member 163
Picture of Mark Cross
posted
Thank you, Lindell!

From this note, it looks like Mr. Webb enjoyed his wines, doesn't it? Wink

Regards! Mark
 
Posts: 3831 | Location: Estill Springs, Tennessee, USA | Registered: December 02, 2002
Railway Historian
IHC Life Member
Site Moderator
Picture of Larry Buchan
posted
Hear is my contribution to this thread it is a copy of Webb C. Ball's letter head from 1906.

 
Posts: 3370 | Location: Okotoks Alberta Canada | Registered: November 22, 2002
Railway Historian
IHC Life Member
Site Moderator
Picture of Larry Buchan
posted
Another view of letterhead note changes to directors S Ball is new.

 
Posts: 3370 | Location: Okotoks Alberta Canada | Registered: November 22, 2002
IHC Member 665
posted
Larry

You make an interesting point. By 1906, Sydney Y Ball (son of Webb C Ball) had taken over the duties of Secretary from F I Ball (who remained as Treasurer) and he had replaced Frank Brewster as a member of the Board of Directors. I do not know the relationship of F I Ball to the other Balls, presumably of the same Ball family.

The inclusion of Frank Rockefeller, Capitalist, amongst the directors solves a mystery for me. Cleveland was a Rockefeller town, of course, so it is not too surprising that there was Rockefeller involvement.

The mysterious aspect, for me, has been as to how a single jeweller, even one as talented as Webb C Ball, could manage to finance the large lots of specially designed and marked watches that he commissioned from America's best watch manufacturers. There had to be good gaurantees because of the quantities and because the plate markings made the watches useles to any other vendor.

Ball had close links with Hamilton from early times but how did he manage to persuade the great American Waltham Watch Company to tool up and produce thousands of very special private label watches? Rockefeller guaurantees must have done the trick. That leaves the question how did Ball persuaded Rockefeller? The first decade of the twentieth century must have been heady times for Webb C Ball.

By the way, I understand that Mr L N Cobb was the superintendant of the mechanical department. He had overall responsibility for the finishing and adjustment of the watches.

John Scott
 
Posts: 209 | Location: East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Registered: December 31, 2005
IHC Member 665
posted
Here's another.

 
Posts: 209 | Location: East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Registered: December 31, 2005
IHC Life Member
Site Moderator

Picture of Tom Brown
posted
I would guess that F.I. Ball was Webb Ball's wife Florence I. Ball. After his death the city directories of Cleveland list Florence I. as the President & Treasurer of Webb C. Ball Co.

Later their daughter Florence V. Ball is listed as the Treasurer of the company.
 
Posts: 5107 | Location: New Mexico in the USA | Registered: January 27, 2007
IHC Member 665
posted
Those are useful observations, Tom.

I gather that, until 1879, Webb C Ball would have been employed as the Business Manager at the Dueber Watch Case Company located in Cincinnati, OH, more than 100 miles south of Kenton, OH. In March 1879, at the age of 33 years, Ball established himself in Cleveland, OH. I wonder what the connection might have been with Kenton, OH in 1880.
 
Posts: 209 | Location: East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Registered: December 31, 2005
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