Dear Sue, Yes, Ball Play is from the Cherokee term you spoke of. As a matter of fact, this area is where the Cherokee came from quite far away to play this game. My father-in-law's family was from this area and he said that the area where they used to play this game never had any grass that grew there for the longest time. It's only been in the last 10 years or so that there has been any kind of weeds/grass to grow there. This area was originally a part of Cherokee County, AL, and only became Etowah after 1868. Turkey Town, where the Cherokee Nation headquarters were first established, is not far from this area. You would have to take Pathkiller's ferry across the Coosa in order to get there. I was told that the ferry was actually used quite a bit in the early days of the county...and even while my father-in-law lived there as a boy. I don't have any Halcomb or Holcome's in my database for that area. Sorry. Blessings, Jill Watters Rains SewzArt@aol.com wrote: > Just hoping someone can tell me the probable origin of the name of a > community in 1880 called "Ball Play" Etoway. Alabama > this sounds like a Cherokee term for the sport played in the Cherokee > Reservation area of N. C. any input? > I am interested in the Halcomb or Holcome family of the area. > Sue

Does anyone know if this Native American game was anything like the current game of Lacrosse? It is my understanding that this game was played by Native American tribes in the northeast part of what is now the United States. Jim Nix ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jill Rains" <blessedmomof8@bellsouth.net> To: <ALETOWAH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 6:49 PM Subject: Re: [ALETOWAH] Re:Ball Play town origin of name?Halcomb family? > Dear Sue, > > Yes, Ball Play is from the Cherokee term you spoke of. As a matter of > fact, this area is where the Cherokee came from quite far away to play > this game. My father-in-law's family was from this area and he said that > the area where they used to play this game never had any grass that grew > there for the longest time. It's only been in the last 10 years or so > that there has been any kind of weeds/grass to grow there. This area was > originally a part of Cherokee County, AL, and only became Etowah after > 1868. Turkey Town, where the Cherokee Nation headquarters were first > established, is not far from this area. You would have to take > Pathkiller's ferry across the Coosa in order to get there. I was told > that the ferry was actually used quite a bit in the early days of the > county...and even while my father-in-law lived there as a boy. > > I don't have any Halcomb or Holcome's in my database for that area. > Sorry. > > Blessings, > > Jill Watters Rains