This series includes the business and personal papers of the Ballard family. Subjects include estate settlements and the papers of Helen Ballard Clark, Isaac Newton Ballard, and Margaret Byrnside Ballard.

Estate settlements pertain to Baldwin Ballard; his wife Leah Mann Ballard; their sons Charles Spurgeon Ballard, Simpson S. Ballard, and Isaac Newton Ballard; and Helen Ballard Clark, Isaac's daughter.

Helen Ballard Clark's papers include both business and personal papers (ca. 1920-1970s). Her business papers concern her book, Geraldine. Her personal papers include the manuscript and book, Geraldine; letters to her mother, Kate May Walkup Ballard; letters from friends; and memorabilia.

Isaac Newton Ballard's papers include both business and personal papers (ca. 1870s-1950s). He was the first president of the Bank of Greenville and a Postmaster at Greenville. He was also part owner of a general store in Union called Ballard and Arnott. Materials included in his business papers are routine business correspondence, correspondence concerning routine farm business and his various investments, New River Grocery, the Bank of Greenville, C&P Telephone, property deeds, leases, tax and other receipts, store account books, and personal account books. Isaac N. Ballard's personal papers include letters to his wife, Kate May Walkup Ballard; letters to and from his brothers, Charles S. Ballard and Simpson S. Ballard; letters to his daughters, Helen Ballard Clark and Margaret Byrnside Ballard; letters to and from family and friends; an autobiographical sketch; and his manuscript, A Trip to the Holy Land.

Papers of Margaret Byrnside Ballard, compiler of this collection, include business and personal papers (ca. 1910s-1970s). Her business papers concern routine financial matters such as investments. Also includes papers and correspondence concerning Margaret B. Ballard's long medical career in Baltimore, such as published articles written by her and correspondence concerning her membership and practice and later dismissal from the Planned Parenthood Association. Margaret B. Ballard's personal papers include an autobiographical sketch, college journals and other material regarding her education, diaries, other journals, papers concerning the Alleghany Collegiate Institute, Arts and Crafts correspondence, and other miscellaneous papers reflecting her personal interests.

Although Margaret B. Ballard's general genealogical correspondence is found in Series 2 and 3, box 24 contains the Ballard family genealogy and related correspondence. Box 24 also contains Margaret B. Ballard's family genealogy, William Ballard, with her handwritten annotations and newspaper clippings dealing with the Ballard family.

Although Series 1 contains the bulk of the business and personal papers generated by the Ballard family, many other family papers are interspersed throughout the collection. Margaret Ballard often arranged family papers in her collection according to subject matter rather than person of origin. For example, while a folder's subject heading may be Greenville Post Office, it may contain correspondence and other materials generated by I.N. Ballard because he was the Greenville Postmaster for a time. Many subject headings or family histories may be compared to research projects with the research materials used by M. Ballard contained within.

This series consists of materials concerning local family genealogies, local histories, and miscellaneous subjects. Most of the materials found in this series are the result of Margaret B. Ballard's genealogical research for local families and her personal interest in the local history of Monroe County and the surrounding area. The arrangement of this series is the original order created by Margaret Ballard and is usually listed by subject name, place name, or family surname. Additional genealogy material can be found in Series 3, 6, and 10. This series includes five subseries.

This series consists of miscellaneous genealogical and local history materials written or collected by Margaret Ballard, who organized the materials into notebooks. Most of the notebooks are the finished results of Margaret Ballard's genealogical and local history research. Included are many well-organized family histories and place histories. The notebooks are arranged into two sections: genealogies (boxes 41-62) and local history subjects (boxes 63-71). Each section is arranged alphabetically by family name or subject matter. The notebooks are listed under headings assigned by Margaret Ballard. Additional genealogy material can be found in Series 2, 6, and 10.

This series contains three scrapbooks, most likely compiled by Margaret B. Ballard. They include newspaper clippings of obituaries and marriages of Monroe County residents. Scrapbooks 1 and 3 are in box 73; scrapbook 4 is in box 72. Scrapbook 1 includes mostly obituaries (1898-1901, undated). Scrapbook 3 includes obituaries of Arnott, Boon, and Pence family members, as well as others in alphabetical order (ca. 1900-1952). Scrapbook 4 includes obituaries, marriage clippings, and other clippings (ca. 1870s-1913).

This series includes the 1833 King James Version Bible of J. M. Byrnside and the 1870 pictorial Bible of Isaac F. and Rebecca Ballard.

This series includes a microfilm reel of "A Pilgrimage Through the Holy Land," by Isaac Newton Ballard, 1904 (box 74), and a variety of genealogy and local history material (7 reels in microfilm cabinets). Please see control folder for more information. Additional genealogy and local history material can be found in Series 2, 3, and 10.

This series includes postcards (1904-1909, 1945-1975); Lutheran Church teaching accreditation certificates and leadership course cards (ca. 1936-1958); bible study notecards (undated); and greeting cards, certificates, registration cards, and other ephemera (1895-1973). Postcards are mostly unused and include images of covered bridges in the U.S. as well as buildings and scenery in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington, and other states.

This series includes rubber stamps, nametags, pins, bookmarks, Civil War bullets, and other items.

This series includes approximately 2,400 photographs as well as negatives and two scrapbooks. These photographs of family, friends, and West Virginia places are mostly identified. The photos and negatives are divided into two categories, Places & Things and People, and are foldered alphabetically. The scrapbooks are family photograph albums (ca. 1920s-1940s, undated). The two photographs in the composite box are ambrotypes (ca. 1850s-1860s). See Separations note for additional information.

This series includes genealogical notecards and clippings. Topics of the clippings include individuals, families, schools, and places, among others, with a focus on Monroe County. Additional genealogy and local history material can be found in Series 2, 3, and 6.

Includes broadsides, oversized photos, artwork, and oversized documents such as diplomas, certificates, and appointments.

This series includes four paintings. Two of the paintings depict Mr. and Mrs. Byrnside, Dr. Ballard's great-grandparents.

This series includes a collection of mostly twentieth century United States postage stamps, and USPS collectible and commemorative stamp advertisements (ca. 1960s-1970s). The stamps were originally donated without arrangement. Harold Forbes, University Librarian Emeritus at the West Virginia & Regional History Center, arranged them into an album, provided supplemental stamps, and provided a book about stamp collecting for those unfamiliar with the hobby. Forbes described his arrangement work in an enclosed letter (2021).