On Roswell Road, at the site of Big Trees Forest Preserve, James Tilden Lamberth lived on the farm of his grandparents, John W. Ball (1840-1920) and Margaret Adams Ball (1845-1905). The history in this article comes from Lamberth’s memories, as told to his daughter, Virginia Lamberth Allison, and shared by Burt Terrell, a great-grandchild of John and Margaret Ball.
John W. Ball was one of 10 children of Peter and Margaret Robertson Ball, who came to Georgia from South Carolina in 1829. Their farmland extended from Georgia 400 to the intersection of Mount Vernon and Ashford Dunwoody roads. Margaret’s parents were Salathiel and Sarah Harris Adams, who arrived in 1835 and owned a farm where Murphey Candler Park is today.
When John Ball returned home after fighting with the Confederate Army, he built a log cabin on his land. The cabin was one room, 15 feet by 30 feet, with a fireplace at one end and a door at the other. He later added two bedrooms. When the family was ready for a larger two-story house, he connected the two homes with a breezeway. Ball built both homes and the furniture inside them…