From 1849-09-01 Scientific American

Richard Ball was Thomas E. Daniels' foreman. In 1848, Daniels sold his operations to Ball and another man, Thomas H. Rice, who formed a partnership as Ball & Rice. An article in a May 1849 issue of Scientific American announced the change of ownership, and noted that Ball & Rice continued to make improvements in the design of the Daniels planer. A 30" wide by seven-foot long planer cost $200 to $250.

By 1852 S. C. Hills was acting as an agent for Ball & Rice.

In 1854 Rice sold his interest in the partnership to employee Charles H. Ballard and the partnership became Ball & Ballard.

Information Sources

• 1849-09-01 Scientific American (Vol. 4, No. 50), page 399, has a small display ad with an illustration of a Daniels planer: "Daniels' Planing Machines. Manufactured by Ball & Rice, (Successors to Thos. E. Daniels,) Worcester, Mass."
• 1853 Statement Made by the Association for the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, page 27, in a list of "Bronze Medal" awards given at the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations at Crystal Palace, lists "Ball & Rice, Worcester Massachusetts, for Morticing Machine". On the next page are listed Honorable Mention winners, including Ball & Rice for their Daniels' Planing Machine and another for a Moulding Machine.
• 1853 Transactions of the American Institute of the City of New-York for the Year 1853.

  Wood-Working Machines—Messrs. Ball & Rice, of Worcester, Mass., exhibited at our last Fair (1852), three machines for the purpose above-named, all of very superior workmanship and excellent construction, viz: Daniels' Improved Planing Machine, which has recently been much improved, embracing advantages of a decidedly superior character. A Tenoning Machine, used for making tenons of all lengths and sizes usually required, in hard or soft wood. It makes the tenon and copes either or both sides at the same operation. To it there is attached an apparatus for boring with augers, from ¼ to 1½ inches in diameter. A Sash-moulding and slat machine was also exhibited by them. Our committee awarded a silver medal to the Planing machine, and one also to the Tenoning and Sash-moulding machines.

  Elsewhere in the issue are listed the awards from the October 1853 Exhibit, including (page 546), Ball & Rice "for the best planing machine, a silver medal having been before awarded, diploma", and "for a tenoning and sash moulding machine, silver medal."
• 1854 Worcester Almanac lists on page 55 "Ball, (Richard) & Rice (Thos. H.) manufacturers planing machines, Union mill".Listed as employees of Ball & Rice are Charles H. Ballard (machinist), Hiram Butterfield (machinist), J. S. Gibbs (machinist), John S. Hall (woodworker), Israel Howe (machinist), S. A. Howland (accountant), John Matthews (woodworker), Nelson Taylor (carpenter).
• 1883 Proceedings of the Worcester Society of Antiquity, in an article beginning on page 43, "The Manufacture of Lumber", by Ellery B. Crane. From page 51:

  But the beginning of the industry referred to dates from 1835 or 6, just after Mr. Thomas E. Daniels received the patent for his planing machine, when he began to manufacture them at the old Court Mills, and where he continued to produce them (with the exception of the year the mills were rebuilding after being destroyed by fire) until the year 1848, when he sold the business to Mr. Richard Ball. (Mr. Daniels removed to Fitchburg, where he died early in the present year.) At this time 35 to 40 men were employed in turning out the Daniels planer. I am told that Mr. Thomas H. Rice was for a time engaged with Mr. Ball, the firm being Ball & Rice; afterwards Mr. Warren Williams took the interest of Mr. Rice, and the style was Ball and Williams. Later the business was conducted under the firm name of R. Ball & Co.; and they were succeeded by the present popular firm of Witherby, Rugg & Richardson. From this old historical house have sprung the other firms engaged in the manufacture of wood-working machinery in this city.