Richard Ball was a resident of Winyah Parish, South Carolina. In 1724 Ball and Anne, his enslaved American Indian servant, sailed to North Carolina along with Jacob and Anne Johnson. During their voyage, Ball and the Johnsons visited Peter Perdeau Sr.'s home, where they discovered that Perdeau and his wife had been murdered. Ball and his companions robbed the Perdeau home, justifying their actions by stating that Perdeau's son Peter Jr. owed the Johnsons money, and that they also needed provisions to continue their voyage to Carteret Precinct, North Carolina. When the Johnsons were charged with burglary, Ball gave a deposition before the court, where he described himself as a planter residing in Carteret. He may have later owned a merchant ship called the Felix, which traded in North Carolina and Bermuda.