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Ancestors of George Henry Custer, Jr.

Generation No. 8

      128. Paul Custer, born Abt. 1710 in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; died 10 Nov 1783 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of 256. Arnold Custer and 257. Rebecca ?. He married 129. Sarah Martha Ball Abt. 1737 in Pennsylvania.

      129. Sarah Martha Ball, born 30 Dec 1712 in Plymouth Township, Pennsylvania; died 10 Dec 1779 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of 258. John Ball and 259. Sarah Roades.

Notes for Paul Custer:
      See the notes for Arnold Custer for documents showing that Paul is the son of Arnold.

Notes for Sarah Martha Ball:
Birth date given as tenth month which in Quaker records for 1712 would mean December. Source of information Tom Taylor in answer from Susanna Morikawa, Archival Specialist at Swarthmore's Friends Library, PA
      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 fro 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 Dec 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.

More About Paul Custer and Sarah Ball:
Marriage: Abt. 1737, Pennsylvania

Children of Paul Custer and Sarah Ball are:

	64	i.		Jonathan Custer, Sr., born 04 Oct 1738 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; died Bef. 13 Nov 1823 in Amityville, Berks County, Pennsylvania; married Hannah Peters Abt. 1759 in Pennsylvania.
		ii.		George Custer, Sr., born Dec 1744 in Pennsylvania; died 17 Dec 1829 in Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania (Source: Headstone in Collier Dunkard Church Cemetery found by Connie Latta in Collier, Fayette County, Pennsylvania just outside of Uniontown, PA., Picture of Headstone sent by Connie Latta Oct 11, 1999, Sacred to the Memory of GEORGE CUSTER who departed this life Dec 17th 1829 Age 85 years and two days.); married (1) Susannah Long Mar 1774; born 13 May 1755; died 17 Oct 1784 in Hagerstown, Frederick County, MD; married (2) Catherine Leatherman 28 Nov 1784; born 07 Apr 1765 in Frederick County, Maryland; died 22 Sep 1844 in Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania (Source: Headstone in Collier Cemetery.).

More About George Custer and Susannah Long:
Marriage: Mar 1774

		iii.		Nicholas Custer, born Abt. 1745; died Unknown.
		iv.		William Custer, born Abt. 1740; died Unknown.

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