“I decided it would be interesting to my lineal descendants if I continued the family history

of the O’Brians from where it left off in A Continental Yankee. The information used to write this is based on memories of conversations I heard as a young boy, tales told to me by my mother Elsbeth M.B. O’Brian Ball and my grandmother Harriet Belcher O’Brian Hommann herself, and from photographs, newspaper clippings, old letters, and actual experience….”

— Edward E. Ball

Taking up the history of the O’Brian and Ball families from where his grandmother Harriet left off, Edward E. Ball spent years researching the details and assembling the stories of not only Harriet’s five O’Brian children, but the extended family of her daughter Elsbeth’s husband Claude Ball. His account blends historical fact with New England observation, producing a wry and loving portrait of multiple generations.

This 191-page illustrated edition, printed in 2025, includes photos, archival data, and other images to enhance and corroborate Edward’s meticulous research.

Start at the beginning

“I submit to you the true and unusual life story of Harriet Belcher O’Brian, the Yankee mother of seven children. This narration includes her experiences, the days of her romantic youth, the exotic and exciting years of her early married life, and some of the glamour of her association with European Royalty….”

See the original

Are you part of the family?

If you are a relative of Edward’s via his parents (Claude Cuthbert Ball and Elsbeth O’Brian Ball), his aunts and uncles (George Edward Ball, Leo Raymond Ball, Percy Bertram Ball, Ethel Genevieve Ball, and Ella Beatrice Ball), or another connection, we (descendants of Edward E. Ball) would love to be in touch with you to share the story and collect more information for future editions!