I checked with the Casor Assoc of America (also includes Custers & Kesters) CASTOR-L@rootsweb.com and one of the members, who is a descendant of Sarah BALL CUSTER, sent this to me to share with the folks on this list who are searching for the relationship of Sarah BALL to George Washington. Jo Kester kester@saber.udayton.edu I hope these items from Milo Custer, Donald M. Custer, and Margaret Kinsey will help with the documentation on Sarah Martha Ball Custer. It seems that E.W. Gans who was secretary-treasurer of the Ball Estate Association entered all the information the Association had collected in his book, "A Pennsylvania Pioneer", but the first few pages of chapter XIV "Genealogies" were not accurate. He took data from Hayden's "Virginia Genealogies" (on a Virginia Ball family) and inserted the Pennsylvania Balls. This from "Ball Cousins" by Margaret B. Kinsey. So Mr. Gans did descendants a great service in preserving the legal records the Association had collected, but added a bit of confusion by creating the Washington family relationship myth (which was easily disproved).. Milo Custer in his "Custer Genealogies" disproves another form of the myth that Sarah Ball Custer, wife of Paul Custer, was closely related to the Washington family by being the sister of Mary Ball Washington, mother of President George Washington. He states: "Careful investigation discloses that Mary (Ball) Washington had no sister named Sarah, nor any who married a Custer. Further research reveals that Sarah (Ball) Custer did have a sister named Mary, but that this Mary Ball married a man named George Smith, and not Augustine Washington." (Appendix page XXXIII which goes into greater detail) Donald Custer noted in his research that even his family believed that Sarah Ball Custer was closely related to the mother of George Washington, Mary Ball. He said that the DAR even accepted this, but it was his understanding that they no longer did and that The Mary Ball Association rejects it. Donald offers many proofs that this myth is not true. Perhaps the Will of Samuel Ball is among the most important documents he gives. " WILL OF SAMUEL BALL IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN. I, Samuel Ball, being weak in Body but of sense and memory thanks to God, calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing it is appointed for all men to die, I do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form as follows: ITEM: I give to my loving wife ANNA CATHARINE BALL the use of my Negro Man, Adam, during the time she lives my widow, and afterwards to my son William Ball, and His heirs forever. ITEM: I give to my son William Ball all my land and six Negroes by name Daniel, Dett, Cloandy, Rose, Rachel, Ester, to him and his heirs lawfully begotten of his body, forever, and for want of such heirs then as followeth: ITEM: I give to my Daughter Margaret Ball five Negroes by name Jam, Murriah, Milla, Kittener, Will, and a feather bed and furniture and a mare Tillie and her colt and my horse Batcheller and if in case my son William should die without heirs lawfully begotten of his body then I give four hundred acres of land which is already bounded to my said Daughter Margaret Ball and her choice of two Negroes belonging to her brother, part of her and her heirs forever, and the rest to be divided amongst the three sisters. ITEM: I give to my daughter JUDITH HACKLEY two Negroes by name Cate, Jack, to her and her heirs forever and four hundred and sixty acres of land to her and her heirs forever in case her brother should die as aforesaid. ITEM: I give to my son William Ball all my estate that is not mentioned already to him and his heirs forever. ITEM: I give to JAMES POLLARD five acres of land bounded thus...to be his and his heirs forever. ITEM: I give to my daughter MARY GREEN twenty shillings. The reason I give her no more is because she has had her part already. ITEM: I do appoint my son William Ball and my two sons-in-law, John Hackley and Robert Green to be sole executors of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have set my hand and seal this sixteenth day of August in the year Seventeen Hundred and Fifty-one. SAMUEL BALL" Donald goes on to explain that the will was made in Culpepper County, VA and that he included it to show that Sarah Ball Custer (30 Oct 1712 PA - 10 Dec 1779 PA) was not a daughter of Samuel as she was still living in 1751. This will of Samuel Ball shows that earlier DAR research which stated that Sarah Martha Ball was born in Wicomico County, MD and was the daughter of Samuel Ball was not true. There are other earlier assertions that Sarah Ball Custer was closely related to the mother of George Washington which Donald has closely examined and found to also be undocumented and in error. He goes on to explain that the settlement of the Joseph Ball estate shows no evidence of any relationship to the Washington Family. Margaret B. Kinsey in "Ball Cousins" compiled a book based on the distribution of Joseph Ball's estate between 1827 and 1858 which is a great help to researchers in sorting out the family of Sarah Ball Custer and also shows no relationship to the Washington family. Please pass this on to anyone interested in the Sarah Martha Ball Custer line. I would like to be related to George Washington as much as anyone, but I believe the myth has been disproved. There are still sites on the internet with the old Gans data, but that doesn't make it true. Someone wrote me that everyone knew that Sarah Martha Ball Custer was related to George Washington. I begged them to send me a document proving the relationship, but never heard from them again. Until I find documentation I do not believe I am related to George Washington. Julie has a better chance as her Balls are from Virginia. Donald mentioned a Ball Family Association, perhaps she could look into this group for further help. I have not researched Sarah Martha Ball Custer myself as I am only up to her grandson Peter Custer's family (son of Jonathan, Sr). Love and all best wishes for happy holidays to you and Jack, Grace Grace Custer Ebneter Peachtree City, GA http://members.tripod.com/~EbneterG/index.html