Good work, Leolaia. Rosa J. Ball is the name twice found on her Certificate and Record of Marriage. I have also found that she used the name Rosa at other times. You definitely have found the right "Rose" Ball. Yes, she and her brother, Charles, were one year difference in age.
I know what year Rose came to the Russell home, West70, as well as the information about her family you are inquiring about, but I'm going to save all of that information for the book. However, regarding certain dates mentioned by both Russells in the divorce transcript, please remember this: from the time Rose came to the Russell home and the divorce in 1905, many years had passed and many traumatic events had happened to Ria. And as frequently happens to all of us years down the road, memory fails. (By the way, Ria is Maria's nickname. Also, Maria was pronounced as Moria) It was obvious from my research that this is why certain dates were not accurate. However, what is interesting, are other statements made by Ria under cross-examination, cleared up inconsistencies, etc.
I have spent over six years putting together the Russell relationship puzzle and now have the answers to the most pressing questions. I was amazed as you will be when you read the comprehensive research I have accumulated which reveals a story that can be called, in jest of course, "The Russells -- A True Victorian Soap Opera!"
Some background information as to why I started this project. I left the WT organization in 1998 and in 1999, I was in my second year of college. Because of the research I did for the Proclaimer's book from 1989-91, while in the Bethel Writing Department, I had a number of unanswered questions in my mind about the Russells. Karl Adams, overseer of the project, gave me the Russell divorce to read, but it was only C.T. Russell's cross-examinations, not Ria's. Also, something that Russell said in his 1905 WT article about the divorce bothered me and it had to do with Rose Ball. So I decided to find out for myself when Rose was born. It was the pivotal question for me. It would prove if Russell was honest or not. I knew that if I found out he lied about Rose's age, there would be no question that he lied about other things too.
First, I wrote to some people who knew Rose in Australia and asked some questions. They wrote back declining to give any information claiming that Rose's past was a closed door. This type of answer made me even more suspicious. Next, I called the Protonotary office in Victoria, Australia. (Remember this was before certain information could be found using the Internet.) A very helpful young man told me it wasn't his job to search for the kind of information I requested, but he would get someone in the right department to get it. I sent the required funds and within a few weeks I had what I needed--Rose's Death Certificate, the same one that Leolaia posted on this thread today, which came to me in the mail back in 1999. When I figured out from that document approximately what year Rose was born, I decided not to continue college and the rest is history. From that day on I determined I would find out the rest of the Russell story, which I have done. What caused me to not publish the story sooner? In 2000, I became involved with other things, expecially the WT sexual child abuse scandal. So I became sidetracked from writing the Russell story, although I did continue my research about the Russells.
Barbara
