Ball Ledger Collection
Recently one of our Archives volunteers, Norm Beck, agreed to take on the task of reviewing the collection of Ball family and company financial ledgers to determine type of content (investments, sales, income, etc.) and how they are set up to find the information contained within. Although just getting started with the collection, he has made some interesting discoveries.
The first ledger he reviewed was labeled “George A. Ball, Trustee, 1925-1926”. There was no information about this particular trusteeship, however, one entry indicated a donation to the Riley Memorial Association for which he was a trustee, so it might be assumed that this was the organization indicated by the ledger title. The entry is not specific as to whether he, the brothers collectively, or the company made the donation but it was in the amount of $500,000 for the construction of the Ball Nurses Home (dormitory) at Riley Hospital which Frank C. Ball mentions in his Memoirs book.
The investments of the family members, spread over several ledgers, were wide and varied. George tended to invest in different types of manufacturing companies, transportation, and also held interests in several mining operations. Frances and Elisabeth also had varied investments to include: Hershey Chocolate Corp, Kroger Grocery & Baking Co., United Aircraft, New York Central Railway, Cook County Illinois super-highway bonds, City Ice & Fuel, Standard Steel Springs, Twentieth Century Fox, and Montgomery Ward.
Bertha Crosley Ball’s investments between 1942 and 1957 consisted of stocks and bonds for assorted things such as the IU Women’s Dormitory, Muncie Municipal bonds, Philip Morris, Canadian Pacific Railway, Borden, and International Silver Co. She also held stock in several shipping (freighter) companies.
A ledger titled “Ball Brothers Investments, 1909-1917” contains listings of accounts that were both personal and company investments. There are three entries that stand out: Anglo-French Loan, National Bank of Cuba, and Russian-Imperial Loan. There are stacks of the Russian bonds in the Ball Corporation collections and the amount that the brothers invested in these bonds is rather mind-boggling.
While some family members invested in smaller amounts than others, the common factor is that all had very diverse portfolios and did not put all of their eggs in one basket, so to speak. Company investments were also scattered across a multitude of businesses and projects, such as the Pueblo Water Supply and Power Co., and this type of strategy ensured continued income if some stocks and bonds did not perform well over the long-term.
As Norm’s review of this collection continues, it will be exciting to see what he finds next!
