Story
Noah was born in 1859 at Opengates, Shropshire. His parents were Charles Ball (1824-1907) and Eliza Rowlance (1829-1913), who had married in 1853. Noah’s parents had six children, and four, including Noah predeceased them both. Noah’s eldest sister had two illegitimate children, and passed away giving birth to the second. Both her children were raised by Charles and Eliza. The eldest of their two granddaughters married and moved to Wilmslow, but when her husband passed away in 1908, she had to move her three children back to Eliza, so she was raising her great grandchildren.
Noah married Jane Skidmore in Rotherham on 16th November 1879, and the following year had the first of their 10 children, Ann Maria Ball (1880-1951) in Brownhills, Staffordshire. The family moved up to Sheffield, where they had two more children, and then in 1885, they moved to 7 East View, Micklefield.
Despite having so many children, Noah and Jane also kept lodgers, including Elias Clark and Charles Swift, both of whom were also killed in the Colliery Disaster. In fact Noah and Charles Swift were working together in the No.6 East Level on the day of the explosion. The blast occurred over 1,600 metres away from them, but a secondary explosion travelled up the No.1 Rise Bord, killing four men. Noah and Charles were running along the No.6 East Level, against the air current, towards the No.1 Rise Bord, when Charles stumbled over some timber and fell to his knees. Noah was about 50 metres ahead of Charles when the afterdamp gas came up the Intake. Noah fell on his side, and both he and Charles died where they had fallen. They had little chance of escape, as the No.1 Rise Bord was inaccessible due to extremely heavy roof falls. Noah’s widow, Jane, gave birth to their last child on the same day as Noah died. As Jane and Noah had already named their previous son Noah in 1894, Jane named her last son, Elias, after Elias Clark their lodger who also died in the disaster. Elias passed away 90 years later in 1986 (pictured below).
Noah’s body was brought out of the pit on 1st May 1896, and was identified at the Inquest by his 15 years-old daughter Ann Maria Ball. She said her father simply appeared to be asleep.
Noah’s widow Jane did not re-marry, and she eventually left Micklefield. In 1911, she was living with her youngest sons Noah and Elias at 20 Wilfred Avenue, Halton. She passed away in 1936.
Another of the Ball children was their first son Enoch, born in Attercliffe, Sheffield in 1884. Shortly after the disaster, a Leeds Times reporter encountered Enoch on a train, and wrote the following article on 22nd August 1896:
On 13th February 1909, Enoch married Edith Collis in Whitkirk, and he was living at 33 Clifton Row, Halton in 1911. The couple had children: Evelyn, Morris and Stanley, but sadly Enoch was killed towards the end of the First World War in France, on 8th December 1918. He belonged to the Prince of Wales’ Own (West Yorkshire) Regiment, 10th Battalion, Service no. 19477.
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 