Joseph M. A. Ballard and his wife, Melanie, reside on an old farm they call Gooseberry Cottage just outside Truro, Nova Scotia. Ballard is a member of numerous heritage associations, and his articles on heritage preservation have appeared in Saltscapes and Edifice. Ballard received the 2012 Town of Truro Heritage Award and the 2016 Helen Creighton Folklore Society research grant.