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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
Physician Margaret Byrnside ‘‘Dr. Maggie’’ Ballard (April 9, 1900-September 25, 1976) was a Monroe County historian and country doctor. She was born in Greenville to Isaac Newton Ballard and Kate May Walkup, attended public schools in Monroe County and completed her undergraduate degree at West Virginia University. In 1926, she graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, as one of the first women to complete the M.D. program there. For the next 43 years she practiced medicine in Baltimore.
Upon retirement Dr. Maggie returned to Monroe County where she actively pursued her interest in genealogy and local history. She was one of the founders of the Monroe County Historical Society. For many years she participated in the Mountain State Art & Craft Fair at Cedar Lakes where she made and sold lye soap. Ballard’s extensive collection of historical material was placed in the West Virginia and Regional History Center at WVU upon her death.
Written by Michael M. Meador
Parkinson, George. Interview with the Revered Monroe Countian Dr. Margaret Byrnside Ballard: 1900-1976. Goldenseal, (April-June 1977).