Dale W. Adams (1934-) is a Utah State University alumni and Ohio State University professor best known for his historical research on topics about Mormon history, including the history of the Kirtland Safety Society, D.P. Hurlbut, and controversies concerning the authorship of the Book of Mormon.

Dale W. Adams was born in Pleasant Grove, Utah on June 21, 1934. He attended Utah State University, majoring in economics. He was a professor at the Ohio State University for 30 years. A self-styled "weekend historian," Adams' hobby is researching the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, focusing on its history in Kirtland, Ohio. He has published articles on the Kirtland Safety Society, controversies concerning the authorship of the Book of Mormon, and on D. P. Hurlbut. Dale Adams is now retired and currently resides in Park City, Utah.

Warren Lafayette Ball (1834-1878) was a Mormon pioneer originally from Massachusetts who settled in Salt Lake City and worked for the Pony Express.

During his time in Utah, Ball worked with Howard Egan in establishing the Pony Express, a short-lived messaging service which ran from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA to ship goods quickly and efficiently across the Western United States.

Warren Lafayette Ball was born in Franklin County, Mass. to Joseph Randolph Ball and Sophronia Horr on November 9, 1834. While little is known about his life when the family lived in Massachusetts, in 1843 the family left Massachusetts to travel to Nauvoo, IL -- probably due to family contentions caused by Warren's father's decision to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

While in Nauvoo, the family faced much difficulty. In 1844, Warren's infant sister Sophronia died. Likewise, in April of 1845 Warren's father died from tuberculosis, and, in spite of receiving a $200 inheritance, Warren later lived with the Anderson family, eventually having to move again as the Mormons decided to head west to Utah.

At the age of 19, Warren worked with Howard R. Egan in establishing a route to deliver goods throughout the Mountain West known as the Pony Express. Originally in the 1850s this route ran through Ibapah, Utah, to California, but eventually the route was expanded to St. Joseph, Mo. While this venture proved to be successful, soon Warren was called by Brigham Young to labor to the Native Americans in Deep Creek, Utah. Warren served dutifully in the region between 1874 and 1875, then relocated to Salt Lake in 1877. In 1878, while living in the region (particularly in American Fork) and writing in his journal, Ball passed away from cancer, only months after marrying his wife Charlotte.