Biography of Joseph Balma of Eileen, Illinois

Balma, Joseph – In seeking the reason for personal success, one invariably finds that the men who rise to positions above their fellows are those who have kept at what they started out to accomplish, and through sheer perseverance have finally reached their goal, and one whose name may be mentioned in this connection is Joseph Balma, miner and pit boss at Eileen, who was born in Northern Italy in 1881, a son of James and Mary (Cerutto) Balma. His father, a farmer by occupation, came to America in 1892, settling in Coal City, Ill., where he entered the mines, there continuing until his retirement. He is the father of eleven children: John, Joseph, Louis, Mike, Peter, Pattista, Angeleno, Laura, Anna, and two who died in infancy.

Joseph Balma attended school and assisted on a farm in his native country until 1892, when, at the age of eleven, the family embarked for America. Upon his arrival in Coal City he entered the mines with his father and has been engaged in mining ever since. On April 2, 1910, Mr. Balma was united in marriage with Julia Pissardo, a native of Italy, and to this union have been born two children, namely: Mary and James. Mr. Balma is affiliated with the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. His political convictions are Republican, and since his election in 1909 he has been Mayor of Eileen, and is considered one of the leading young men of the village.