The 1874-75 composite photograph of the Mississippi legislature includes a woman. According to the key at the bottom, she is Adie Ball, postmistress. This would have been a position that served the members of the legislature.
I have been unable to locate Adie Ball on the 1870 or 1880 census, even using alternate spellings like Ada, Addie, and Bell. I have searched for her name in the 1874 and 1875 House and Senate journals. I have searched for her name in newspapers. All have been unsuccessful so far, except for the brief mention below, towards the end of the 1875 House journal, where her name is spelled “Addie.”
Though not an elected office, the position of postmistress was one of the first public offices held by Black women. In 1870, Miss J. M. Lynch, the sister of James D. Lynch, was appointed postmistress of Beaufort, South Carolina, causing an uproar. Click here to read more. In Mississippi, Minnie Geddings Cox was appointed postmistress of Sunflower County by President McKinley in 1897.
Writer and producer Danita Jones is also interested in Adie Ball. Perhaps, one day, we’ll break through the brick wall!
This page was last updated on January 14, 2026.