Padre Ballí (ca. 1770–1829), also known as
José Nicolás Ballí, was a rancher, a priest, and an original grantee of
Padre Island, which was named after him. However, when he owned the island, it was known as the
Isla de Santiago land grant. Padre Island had been granted to his grandfather, Nicolás Ballí in 1759, by
King Charles III of
Spain, and Padre Ballí requested a clear title to the property in 1827. His mother
Rosa María Hinojosa de Ballí had made a joint application with Padre for eleven leagues of the island, but when reapplication was required in 1800, she withdrew her name in favor of him.