Julia Perkins Ballard

Julia Perkins Ballard
Born	March 27, 1828 Athens, Ohio
Died	April 21, 1894 (aged 66) New York City
Other names	Kruna
Spouse	Rev. Dr. Addison Ballard
Children	Harlan Hoge Ballard, Winnifred Pamelia Ballard, and Julia Spaulding
Parents	David Pratt (father) Julia Perkins Pratt (mother)

Julia Perkins Ballard (March 27, 1828 – April 21, 1894) was an author and poet.^[1][2]

Biography

Julia Perkins married Rev. Dr. Addison Ballard on August 7, 1851. He was a prominent minister and scholar. Ballard moved often as she followed her husband from job to job. Her literary works focused on entomology, temperance, nature, and children's science books.^[3] She often used the pen name Kruna when writing temperance fiction.^[4]

Ballard wrote temperance fiction in an effort to stop the harsh treatment given to family members of alcoholics. She was motivated to change the social norms surrounding alcoholism. She was also a fanatic about entomology and nature. She wrote many popular children's books under the genre of scientific fiction, the most popular being Among the Moths and Butterflies.

Significant works

A hymn with the words by Kruna created for those struggling with temperance

• Among the Moths and Butterflies
• Insect Lives, or Born in Prison
• Moths and Butterflies, a revised and enlarged edition of Insect Lives
• Broken Rock
• Building Stones
• The Scarlet Oak and Other Poems with Annie Lenthal Smith
• There's No Light in the Window
• Jem and Velvet
• The Lost Estate
• The Little Golden Keys
• Pleasant Paths for Little Feet

References

1. Ballard Genealogy: William Ballard (1603–1639) of Lynn, Massachusetts and William Ballard (1617–1689) of Andover, Massachusetts and Their Descendants. Boston : C.H. Pope. 1911. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
2. The International Who's who: Who's who in the World: A Biographical Dictionary of the World's Notable Living Men and Women. International Who's Who Publishing Company. 1911.
3. "The Monday Evening Club: The Club's historic membership roster, part IV: Members joining 1885–1900". The Monday Evening Club. November 1, 2009. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
4. Mattingly, Carol (2001). Water Drops from Women Writers: A Temperance Reader. SIU Press. ISBN 9780809323999.