The push to route the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railroad through what is now the city of Tomball was a game changer for the entire area. As a prominent politician and lawyer, Thomas Henry Ball played a major role in making this happen, getting the city named after him in the process.
"That was quite a help to the people on the farms around here," said Jean Alexander, director of the Tomball Museum. "It helped the town to be able to send things—produce—off by train and to prosper from having the train in this area. That was the first step of growth for the town and the area. It offered possibilities."
Tomball was originally named Peck, in 1906, after an engineer on the T & BV railroad. But it was decided that Ball, a three-term mayor from Huntsville and a lawyer for the railroad, had more of an influence on the decision, and the town was renamed Tom Ball on Dec. 2, 1907. It was later shortened to one word: Tomball.
"During 1907 to 1933, the people in the area were primarily involved in farming and ranching activities," Alexander said. "The train was a step that eventually set the town into a position for more growth—a school, hotels, a cotton gin and various things."
Ball, who was born in Huntsville on Jan. 14, 1859, was not a resident of Tom Ball.
"He was living in Huntsville," Alexander said. "There was not a lot of growth and activity in the Tomball area. He was always interested in promoting that."
Ball was elected to the U.S. Congress from the first District of Texas in 1896 and served in his position until 1903. He acquired the title, "Father of the Port of Houston," for his work developing the Buffalo Bayou, the second largest port in the U.S. and one of the most widely used inland waterways in the world. The ship channel was completed in 1914.
"He played a part in having the area dug out so that ships could come up closer to the town of Houston," Alexander said. "He was quite busy with various endeavors."
In 1914, Ball ran for Texas governor as a strong prohibition supporter. He lost in part because his opponent hired people to take photos of saloons in Tom Ball and distribute them to the public. People began to associate the saloons in Tom Ball with Ball himself, and he ended up losing the election.
Ball later said he might have been governor of Texas if the town was not named after him.
Ball married Minnie Fisher Thomason of Huntsville in 1882 and the two raised six children, three biological and three adopted. Minnie Ball served as director of the Faith Orphan Home for many years in the early 1900s.
From 1884 to 1896, Ball served as chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee of Walker County and was a delegate to most of the state democratic conventions from 1886 to 1924.
He was elected to the National Democratic Convention in New York City in 1924.
Ball is buried at Forest Park, Houston. His only relative to still live in Tomball is his great niece, Nevaire Gambrell Richardson. Ball's grandson, David Jr., is a Houston lawyer.