Joseph T Ball

Joseph T Ball was the son of man of Jamaica who came in 1790 (JT Ball Sr) founded society to help colored widows in need. His mom was white. Joseph born in Cambridge. All of his sisters became feminists and abolitionists.

Ball was baptized in the summer of 1832 by either Brigham Young or his brother Joseph Young who served a mission to Boston. Ball later went on mission with Wilford Woodruff, in New England, New Jersey. In 1837, Wilford Woodruff records in his journal that Ball was an Elder.

Ball was the Boston Branch president from 7 October 1844 to 1 March 1845 – the largest LDS congregation outside of the Nauvoo area. The LDS branch Ball was part of contained mostly women converts. He was named Branch President (similar to a Bishop in a larger LDS congregation) in 1844, and is the first black man to preside over Mormon congregation.

He was ordained a High Priest by William Smith (the first African American HP) and was sent to Nauvoo by Parley P. Pratt in the spring of 1845 to work on the temple and then receive his endowments. He performed baptisms for his ancestors. He received patriarchal blessing from William Smith in Nauvoo. Ball did go and work on the temple, but then he and William Smith apostatized around August 1845 and Ball never was endowed because the temple didn’t open until December 1845. He died of tuberculosis in 1856.

Sources

• Early Black Mormons (Mar. 9, 2009) at MormonHeretic.org, accessed May 13, 2015.
• Connell O'Donovan, Early Boston Mormons and Missionaries, A to C 1831-1860 (September 2014 Version), accessed May 13, 2015.