Chronology:Goal Ball
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1835.1 Boy's Book of Sports Describes "Base Ball", "Base or Goal Ball"
Boy's Book of Sports: A Description of The Exercises and Pastimes of Youth [New Haven, S. Babcock, 1839], pp. 11-12, per Henderson, ref 21. David Block, in Baseball Before We Knew It, page 197-198, points out that the first edition appeared 4 years before the edition that Henderson cited.
In its section on "base ball," this book depicts bases in the form of a diamond, with a three-strike rule, plugging, and teams that take the field only after all its players are put out. The terms "innings" and "diamond" appear [Block thinks for the first time] and base running is switched to counter-clockwise.
This book also has a description of "Base, or Goal Ball," which described: "gentle tossing" by the pitcher, three-strike outs, a fly rule, counter-clockwise base-running in a circuit of four bases, and the plugging of runners, and all-out-side-out innings.
For Text: David Block carries a page of text, and the field diagram, in Appendix 7, pages 282-283, of Baseball Before We Knew It.
The text for "Base, or Goal Ball" appears in Preston Oren, Baseball (1845-1881) From the Newspaper Accounts (P. Oren, Altadena CA, 1961), pages 2-3.
1835.6 US Book Describes "Barn Ball," "Base, or Goal Ball."
Boy's and Girl's Book of Sports [Providence, Cory and Daniels], pp 17-19, per Harold Seymour - Notes in the Seymour Collection at Cornell University, Kroch Library Department of Rare and Manuscript Collections, collection 4809. The base ball material is taken from Carver (1835 entry, above).
Also cited by David Block, Baseball Before We Knew It, page 199.
Is there any indication that girls could or did play base ball in this text?
1846.26 Boys Play goal and ball
The Montpelier Universalist Watchman, Feb. 7, 1846 has an article on diversions, and speaks of boys who "play goal and ball" and uses phrases like "playing goal, playing ball, playing quoits or skating.."
The article presumes that readers are familiar with these diversions, though it doesn't specifically say they are played in Montpelier. It also treats "goal" and "ball" as distinct and separate entities.
The Montpelier Universalist Watchman, Feb. 7, 1846