Alfred, Isaac, Levi, and Olney Ballou

Alfred Ballou Place

Alfred Ballou (1799-1882), great-grandson of James Ballou.

Alfred Ballou Place

Location on 1838 map: Alfred Ballou House

Map of the Town of Cumberland, RI by Newell Nelson, Published by Aaron White, Jr., Rouvés Lithography, Graphic Court, Boston, MA, 1838.

Ariel, the son of James Ballou, inherited the northern part of James’s land, a large farm lying on both sides of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border where Wrentham and Cumberland adjoin, and his farm and homestead were eventually  inherited by Alfred.  Alfred was an officer in the local militia and he was also the elder half-brother of Adin Ballou, the author and compiler of “An Elaborate History and Genealogy of the Ballous in America”  [1]

Adin Ballou (1803-1890) was a Universalist, later Unitarian minister and a prominent proponent of pacificism, socialism and abolitionism. He was the founder of the Hopedale Community near Worcester, a short-lived utopian community which incorporated some of the concepts of a mill village with “practical Christianity.”   Leo Tolstoy admired some of his writings, and sponsored their translation into Russian. [2]

Isaac Ballou Place

Possible identification: Isaac Chauncey Ballou (1813-1895), grandson of Levi Ballou Esq., and great-great grandson of Obadiah Ballou. 

Isaac Ballou Place

Location: Isaac Ballou house on 1838 map. (see above)

Levi Ballou Place

Possible identification: Levi Ballou Jr. (1782-1836), son of Levi Ballou, Esq., and grandson of Obadiah Ballou

Levi Ballou Place

Location: Levi Ballou House on 1838 map (see above)

 Olney Ballou Place

Possible Identification: The Hon. Olney Ballou (1791-1849), son of Levi Ballou, Esq. and grandson of Obadiah Ballou.

Olney Ballou Place

Possible Location: Olney Ballou house on 1838 map.

Olney was a mason and builder who became active in public affairs. He was a member of the RI State Legislature for many years.   In 1836, he was selected to carry the Electoral vote of Rhode Island to Washington, DC.  He was a supporter of the free suffrage movement, and a friend of Gov. Thomas Dorr. After the Dorr War, Olney was made the first state senator from Cumberland under the new constitution, and he was his party’s candidate (unsuccessful) for governor of Rhode Island in 1847.[3]

  1. “An Elaborate History”, pp. 362-363
  2. Wikipedia, entry under Adin Ballou
  3. Summarized from “An Elaborate History”, pp. 544-545

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