Joseph K. Ballard had divorced his wife, Edith, before he moved to Albion in 1933. She had remarried to John V. Hagadorn and moved to Hornell, NY. Some family attempted to visit them but were "sent away" for some reason or another and never were able to meet them.

The decade of the 1930's proved to be a devistating time for Charles' son George H.

George's mother Ella Jane had Diabetes and was to have said to hid candybars in the garage of the home and eat them throughout the day. On February 23, 1933, Ella Jane Ballard passed away at the age of 66. This left Charles and Ella's brother living in their home on Riches Corners Rd. in Albion.

The family said that Orville Kilmer was missing his left eye, for unknown reasons. On June 8 of 1933, Charles was making breakfast in the morning and called for Orville who was sleeping upstairs. After calling several times with no response, Charles went to check on him only to find him dead in his bed.

Charles lived by himself for the next couple months until he fell sick. He then moved down the road to live with his son George. In the early hours of March 16, 1934, George awoke to find that his father had passed away in his sleep. He awoke his wife Frances and immediatly left for the funeral home located on East State St. in the Village of Albion. They left their son and two daughters at home with their dead grandfather. When talking to one of the daughters, she only described the event as "unpleasant."

Over the period of one year, George lost his mother, father and his uncle.

Two years later he would lose his brother as well. From stories told by the family, Joseph Ballard was a free and funloving guy. One story told by his niece, Doris Ballard Narburgh, she said that one night, "Uncle Joe" took her and her boyfriend, her future husband, to a bar in Batavia, New York. She said he parked the car in a back alley and they went in, but her and her boyfriend returned to the car to wait for him. After a half hour or so, she went in to bring him out to the car and she said he wouldn't leave until he danced with every woman in the bar.

One morning, on November 9, 1936, Joseph awoke in his appartment on E. Bank St. in Albion, dressed himself and traveled across the street to the diner that was located their to have his morning cup of coffee like he always did. When he returned to his home he "dropped" dead later to be found by his brother George. The family believes that he was messing around with a waitress in the diner and that he was possibly poisoned, though his death certificate says he died of natural causes at the age of 47.

Charles Horat Ballard of New York (1854-1934)