I believe the connection between Ball Mfg. and Ball State University was the land the Ball
family donated to the school. Prior to Ball State University, the school had a couple of
names, the first being one of the Normal Schools....or an teacher's college. At least
this all is my understanding. BSU has a very nice website. Perhaps they have some
history on that but Minnetrista, for sure, would have a more detailed history.
----- Original Message -----
From: MaryLu
To: indelawa(a)rootsweb.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 9:02 PM
Subject: [INDELAWA] Ball canning jars
My mother learned from her mother, how to can many things. Everything from canned
chicken, beef, and vegetable and fruits to apple pie filling and plum butter.
Grandma died in 1949, and my mother made a home for many of Grandma's old jars.
When I established my own home, I carried on the family tradition of
"canning". ( Well, not the meats, as we then had refrigeration and a freezer,
but I continued to can jams, stewed tomatoes, and some fruits.
A few years before my mother died, the old jar collection was sold at her auction. But I
retrieved a few that looked the oldest.
Among those I "collected" are two "Drey Perfect Mason" jars.
I have always wondered the history of those old jars. So tonight while I wait for my
last canner to be done for today, I "Googled" and was surprised at what I
found.
It was a history report on the Drey jars, and was written by Richard H. Cole, Jr. of
the Muncie Minnestrista Cultural Center.
The Drey jars were manufactured by Schram Manufacturing Company from 1908 - 1920. In
1925, Ball Brothers bought out Schram. It is noted that Ball made the "Drey"
jars many years in Muncie.
Muncie? So my ancestors Lewis Smith and Serepta Preston came to Liberty Township
Delaware County, IN, before November 1830.
And in doing research on this family (siblings, cousins, etc.) I have heard about
"Ball University". I suppose there is a "Ball" connection between the
jars and the University.
While Grandma's mother, Harriet Smith Lowry, was born in Liberty Township, she
lived as widow in LeSueur County, MN.
Thus my Grandma was born long before the first Drey jar was manufactured. And when the
covered wagon brought them to Central Minnesota, that too was before the Drey jar. So I
guess we can only assumed "my Drey jars" were purchased at a local mercantile
sometime after 1908, but may have been manufactured in Muncie.
MaryLu in Minnesota
Be sure to visit the Delaware County INGenWeb Project
http://www.ingenweb.org/indelaware/
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