This was some private e-mail I had with Nancy Guest, but it contains some good information regarding the Bond-Ballinger connections, so I am forwarding this to the Ballinger and the Bond E-Mail lists. Nancy hopes to write an article for the Amherst Co. VA Heritage Book regarding the Ballinger Family. She would like to include Elizabeth (Ballenger) Bond as a daughter if more absolute proof can be found. This is her lineage and also mine. If anyone can assist Nancy on the Ballingers and Bonds, let her know at: jguest@alltel.net I think there is also some question abaout the maiden name of Charles Bond, Sr.'s wife. Earlier on the Bond list someone listed her as Mary Parks, dau. of Thomas Parks, Sr. who died in 1761 in Albemarle Co., VA. He did name a daughter Mary BOND in his will, but is this our Mary Bond? If I remember this Mary Parks was married to a different Bond other than Charles. I keep wondering if her maiden name was Walker instead (see comments below). Glenn Gohr ggohr01@mail.orion.org ---------- From: Glenn Gohr <ggohr01@mail.orion.org> To: jguest <jguest@alltel.net> Subject: Re: Jos. Ballenger, Sr. & Eliz. Ballenger Bond Date: Tuesday, October 06, 1998 2:03 AM Nancy, So glad to hear from you. Yes, I am very much overloaded at this point in time. I am wondering if I ever will get caught up. E-mail is really a great tool, but I think it is the thing that has caused me to be overloaded. But I sure won't give it up! Yes, the age-old question about Nathan Bond's wife, Elizabeth (Ballenger). As you know, Joseph Ballenger, Sr. died and left a will. He names a daughter Elizabeth, but she is named as Elizabeth BALLENGER only. I believe 99% that she is the same Elizabeth that married Nathan Bond, Sr. Joseph Ballenger, Sr. died before Elizabeth would have married Nathan Bond. I've never found a marriage record to show that her maiden name is BALLENGER. All the information I've seen has been circumstantial. I first came across this connection through the book, NOTES ON CHARLES BOND, SR. AND HIS DESCENDANTS FROM 1733 by Catherine Sams Bond Gheesling, 1975. Charlotte Collins Bond sent me a photocopy of this book in 1980 or 1981 when I first moved to Springfield, MO from Texas. She has been a wonderful help to me in researching the various families that we share ancestors on. I understand that Catherine Gheesling (Mrs. Frank A.) is still living, so possibly she has found further information. Using WhoWhere I find this address: Frank A Gheesling     Phone : 770-977-9390 3640 Asbury, Marietta GA 30062-4151 Anyway, in her book, on page 3 she lists Nathan Bond Sr.'s wife as Elizabeth ________ & says "She was possibly the Elizabeth Ballenger listed as a daughter in the 1744 will of Joseph Ballenger of Goochland Co., Va." Source given is Goochland Co., Va., Will Book 4, p. 495. That will (found on page 396 of the Ballinger book) also mentions Richard and Joseph Ballenger (Jr.) who are found in Albemarle & Amherst County records. From my understanding it was Joseph Ballenger, Jr. who was a Reverend and married various ones of the relatives; Emma Reeves also lists Joseph, Sr. as a minister with the Church of England. >From the Reeves book, THREE CENTURIES ... on pages 2-3, Joseph Ballinger & Charity Wade are listed as parents of a daughter Elizabeth, b. 1729 in Maryland. (I am curious as to where they found that year of birth for her, as the other siblings shown do not have birth years given--at least not on page 3) and sons Richard & Joseph & 4 other daughters. Page 8 lists Joseph Jr. as a minister with the Church of England. >From the listings on p. 7-8, it appears that Elizabeth was born in between Richard and Joseph, Jr. in birth order. It seems more likely to me that she was born in Virginia, rather than Maryland as both Richard & Joseph Jr. were born in VA. p. 411 mentions that Nathan Bond of Amherst Co., leaves land to his four children: Joseph Ballenger Bond, Richard Cox Bond, Mary Walker Kelly/Hilley, and Nathan Bond. This is Jan. 3, 1782 in Deed Book E, p. 346. This was witnessed by Joseph Ballinger. A witness is often a close relative. It seems likely that Joseph Ballinger, Jr. was Elizabeth Bond's brother. Also Nathan & Elizabeth had a son named Joseph Ballenger Bond. It seems probable that he was named after his uncle & his grandfather. Another thought also has come to mind many times, but I've not been able to check on this. If you notice, Nathan & Elizabeth Bond's children all have double names. This is rather early in history to be giving out middle names to each of the children. And the middle names all sound like family surnames. I've always felt like they must be named after relatives. We have Joseph Ballenger Bond (named after his grandfather Joseph Ballenger Sr. & Jr.) Richard Cox Bond Nathan Bond, Jr. (named after his father) Mary Walker Bond (possibly named after her grandmother Bond?) I wonder if Nathan Bond's mother was Mary (Walker) Bond?? wife of Charles Bond, Sr. On the Bond E-Mail list someone had suggested that her name was Mary PARKS, daughter of Thomas Parks, Sr. who died in 1761 in Albemarle Co., VA & left a will naming a daughter, Mary BOND. But then later someone said that the Mary BOND, daughter of Thomas Parks, Sr. was married to a different Bond other than Charles. So maybe her maiden name was Walker? Now I wonder where the Richard Cox Bond name came from. Are there Coxes back in the family lineage or those who intermarried with the Bonds? Is there a Richard Cox who is an ancestor or close relative? Richard Cox Bond, Sr. (my ancestor) married Susannah Mays on May 15, 1783 in Amherst Co., VA. They were married by Rev. Joseph Ballenger, Jr. (see Bond book p. 16). Nathan Bond, Jr. also married Edith Cash on Oct. 21, 1784 in Amherst Co., VA with Rev. Joseph Ballenger, Jr. performing the ceremony (Bond book p. 18). Some more thoughts: Apparently the Bonds and Ballingers were close neighbors in Goochland Co. I have these references to them both living on Little Bird Creek and having mutual neighbors: Goochland Co. Deed Book 2, p. ?, 11 Feb. 1735: Charles BOND of Goochland Co & Mary his wife to William Johnson of Middlesex Co, for 17 lbs, 250 acres on LittleBird Creek bounded by Robert Horsely. Wit: James Gorge, Joseph Pace, Thomas Brackett Signed: Charles (C) Bond, Mary (M) Bond Recorded: 20 Apri 1736 Goochland Co. Deed Book 3, p. 30, 5 Oct. 1736: William Mattock of Goochland Co, and Catherine, his wife, to Robert Bruce of same, for 10 lbs, 95 acres on northo side of James River, next to said Bruce and Mattock, Robert Horsley, Little Byrd Creek and Joseph Ballenger. Wit: James George, Samuel (X Burk, Timothy (X) Lee Signed: William Mattock, Catherine (X) Mattock Recorded: 17 May 1737 The Wade family also lived near the James River and Little Byrd Creek. I find the Wades and Ballingers all living near the Bond family in GA, so I believe all these families are related. Also, I should mention that I am a member of the Sons of the Am. Revolution and have 13 proven Rev. ancestors who either fought in the Am. Revolution or assisted the cause in some way. Two of these are Richard Cox Bond, Sr. & Nathan Bond, Sr. On my application to SAR, I included Nathan Bond Sr.'s wife as Elizabeth Ballinger, and they accepted that. Of course they mostly wanted proof of the soldier/patriot's service & the lineal descent down. They may not have worried too much about proving the surname of the wife. I don't know of anyone going into DAR under these two patriots. I got my information from the Bond book. I'd love to know the name & page of the old book in the Athens (GA) Regional Library Heritage Room that said "Nathan Bond's wife was the daughter of old Preacher Ballenger of Amherst County, VA." Since the Ballingers were Quakers & there were lots of Quakers in New Jersey in that area where they lived, I wonder if there might be a Quaker marriage bond that has been overlooked for Elizabeth Ballinger & Nathan Bond, Sr. I'm mostly rambling & going round in circles, but maybe something here will give you more leads. I still don't have proof positive that Elizabeth Bond's maiden name was Ballinger. Oh yes, I do have an actual photostatic copy of the handwritten will of Joseph Ballenger, Sr. which was probated in Goochland County, VA in 1744. I obtained it from the Circuit Court Clerk there about 15 years ago. Hope this helps. I do NOT have any time to write an article on the Ballengers, so you go ahead if you want to. It sounds like a worthy project. Best Regards, Glenn Gohr (Ballinger List Manager; also former Bond & Wade List Manager on Rootsweb) ggohr01@mail.orion.org ---------- From: jguest <jguest@alltel.net> To: ggohr01@mail.orion.org Subject: Jos. Ballenger, Sr. & Eliz. Ballenger Bond Date: Monday, October 05, 1998 1:16 PM FROM: Nancy Guest, des. from Nathan Bond 's dau. Mary Walker Bond Hilley RE: Jos. Ballenger, Sr. and Elizabeth Ballenger Bond Dear Glenn, I know you are overloaded, but I need to know if you have any actual documentation that Elizabeth Ballenger, wife of Nathan Bond, was the daughter of Joseph Ballenger, Sr. of Amherst County, VA. I wrote an article for the Amherst Co. VA Heritage Book on Nathan Bond's family with the able assistance of Charlotte Collins Bond; I wrote another on Thomas Hilley, Sr.'s family with assistance from Chandler Eavenson. THEN I got a letter from one of the committee members asking me to write an article on Jos. Ballenger, Sr. Although I have spoken to Mrs. Reeves and received permission to use her book as a source (she also agreed to have her name on the piece if she liked it), I don't feel as confident about the Ballengers as the Bonds and Hilleys. I do own the Reeves book and I have a willing heart (if a somewhat frazzled brain). If I could know for dead sure that I am descended from Joseph Ballenger, Sr. I would do this article -- the Ballengers were certainly prominent in early Amherst County and should be included in their book I did say in the Bond piece that she was his daughter, but the only thing I have ever seen is a comment in an old book in the Athens (GA) Regional Library Heritage Room that "Nathan Bond's wife was the daughter of old Preacher Ballenger of Amherst County, VA." That should be enough, but I CAN'T FIND IT AGAIN. Their copier was down the day I found it -- I should have written down the name of the book, alas! You are much more qualified than I to write this piece, and if you want to do it, just say the word. By the way, I talked to Charlotte Bond today, and she said to say hello (I wish she had E-mail). Sorry for the length of this query. Thank you, Nancy Guest at jguest@alltel.net