Olive Gallup Ball

Row #2, Grave #308-10-016, GPS 41.41693 N - 71.97193 W
 (Transcript from Hale Survey)
Gallup, Olive, wife of Van R., died Sept. 29, 1849, age 26 yrs. 4 da.
Photo by Brian Zoldak, 2014, used with permission

Olive Gallup was the daughter of Luke Gallup and his first wife Melinda Williams. She is the second child named Olive as the first one was born in 1820 and died in 1821. (1966 Gallup genealogy p. 73)

In the Gallup (2009) Genealogy, Olive is #2638 on page 530. The genealogy says she was born 25 Sept 1823.

Olive married Van Renssaler Ball, of Stonington on New Year's Day 1846 in Ledyard. Despite his unusual name, I have not found out who his parents were. One lead, by my friend L. Woody, suggests that his father may be James Bradley Ball. (of the James Ball family of Watertown, MA) [Link to his Van Ball]

Olive's mother and her younger sister were named Melinda which makes the speculation of her baby's middle name Melinda. ( Her Find a Grave entry also indicates this but I can find no evidence in print.)

Olive died on 29 September 1849 in Mystic and was buried next to baby Augusta. She was 26 years and 5 days old.

Her husband, born in Vermont abt. 1820 married again to Amanda Cobb.  He is not buried here. The 1850 census lists his occupation as carpenter. He was married secondly after this census in October of 1850. He may have had two sons with his second wife. 

She was my third cousin 5 times removed.

As I stood in front of these two gravestones, I remember thinking that I would never be able to photograph them well. Brian did an exceptional job. Her age of 26 years is not clear in my own photograph.