1840 - 1862 Composer of "THE DYING CALIFORNIAN" Robert F. Ball (ca. 1840-12 August 1862) was born in Monroe County, Georgia, the son of Jonathan Ball and Eliza Osmore. According to Ogletree, he was a staunch Methodist. The youngest member of the 1859 revision committee for The Sacred Harp, he died near Richmond, Virginia, during the Civil War.
The Makers of the Sacred Harp: Addenda and Corrigenda (accessed online 8/12/2019)
R. F. Ball