Ray County, Missouri Biographies - Martin Luther "Num" Ball (1856 - 1935)

Source: Ray County, Missouri History 1973, Page 25

per death certificate: d. November 3, 1935, age 79 (date of birth not known)

Martin Luther "Num" Ball was born a slave to the Ball family of Lexington
and Richmond. He served them until his death. 

During the Civil War he helped feed, quarter and hide Confederate soldiers.

As was the custom then, he accompanied his master to church, sitting
upstairs during the service, but it wasn’t until much later that he
joined the all white Methodist church, age 26 to be exact. Also he was a
rabid Democrat, a rarity among blacks in those days.

Num was one of those severely injured in the Great Cyclone of 1878, and
the Misses Ball spent hours at his bedside nursing him. A sister at Columbia
had urged him for years to join her and he did so reluctantly. He was so
unhappy, however, that the Ball family yielded to his request to let him
return to Ray County to his home back of the big house.

By trade he was a "Smithey", but after the cyclone, he earned his keep by
doing yard work for the Balls and neighbors.

All children, black or white, loved him and he was their greatest champion.
He could see no wrong and hotly defended each new generation - however, he
did demand and got respect from them not only for himself, but for his
beloved church. One minister remarked "The most valuable member of my
congregation is Num Ball". He was first - the first to open the doors of
the church, the first to greet a new member, the first to know and visit
the sick, and the first to arrive to a board meeting. It was he who cast
the deciding vote to build the present church - the board was split 50-50
and he was asked for his opinion. "If Methodism don’t build, Methodism will
die in its shell" he said quietly - and the vote became 100%
for.

Today, perhaps, he would be called an "Uncle Tom" but he would have scorned
such a name or any name. He had an intrinsic self-respect and only respected
those - black and white - who he felt lived up to his ideals, and believe me
it wasn’t easy. 

It wasn’t until his death in 1935 that Richmond had all segregated churches.
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South was packed that day.


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