William Walker

• General Notes
  • Cause of Death:<CAUS> "in his 85th year"
    
    PARENTAGE OF WILLIAM WALKER
    
    Charlou Dolan:
    The custom among the Scottish and Scotch-Irish, especially before 1800, was to name the first-born son after the father's father, the second-born son after the mother's father, the first-born daughter after the mother's mother, and the second-born daughter after the father`s mother.  Only after those people had namesakes would a man name a son after himself or a daughter after the mother.  Of course when the father had the same name as his father, the oldest son would have the same name as the father and the grandfather.
    William Walker of Botetourt County named one of his older sons Henry and one of his older daughters Agnes, which is a very strong indication that the William Walker, son of Henry and Agnes Walker of Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania, is our William Walker.
    In this case these naming patterns take on especial significance because the names Henry Walker and Agnes Walker appear almost nowhere in Virginia other than in our Walker family.
    John Tracy Walker and I have, of course, checked to see if anyone else has a William Walker who claims to be the son of Henry and Agnes Walker above.  So far, no other researcher says Henry and Agnes are the parents of their William.
    I realize that not everyone will agree that we have proved our case (and I would love more definitive records).  For me personally, the almost total non-use of Henry and Agnes by Walker families in Virginia are adequate proof to accept Henry and Agnes as the parents of William Walker of Botetourt Co.
    Fortunately, DNA studies are beginning to provide proof of relationships where no written proof has been found.  So far, the DNA of a living male Walker whose paper-trail leads back to James, who probably was the father of Henry Walker, who probably was the father of this William Walker, matches the DNA of several living male descendants of this William Walker.  By October 2008, we should know the results of the DNA test of another male Walker whose paper trail goes back to Henry Walker.
    I use the term "whose paper-trail" instead of saying "who was a descendant of" because I have not yet seen and double-checked all the documentation that would prove their descendancy.  Yes, DNA proves there is a relationship; no, DNA does not prove what the relationship is.  In other words, DNA tests can prove that two living Walker men both descend from the same Walker ancestor -- somewhere back up the line.  They do not prove who the common ancestor was.
    
    EARLY RECORDS OF WILLIAM WALKER
    
    Charlou Dolan:
    Early information about William Walker of Botetourt Co., VA, is highly tentative.  His son, William Walker, Jr., was born in Bedford County, VA, in 1759, which would place William Sr. there at that time.  The earliest deed J. Tracy Walker and I have found for William Sr. in Botetourt County (at that time part of Augusta Co.) calls him William Walker "of Bedford County," which would confirm that he was living there before he moved to Botetourt.  There is also an early lawsuit in Augusta Co. between an unknown person and "William Walker of Augusta County, Virginia and Bedford County, Virginia."  This would appear to indicate that William owned land in both counties at the same time.  Unfortunately, early court records of Augusta County are in total disarray and in the basement of the courthouse in Staunton.  At this time are not accessible to researchers.  The genealogical society of Augusta County hoped back in 1987 to sort and clean them, but I do not know if any progress has been made.
    There was a William Walker who enlisted 24 Nov 1755 in a company of rangers in Augusta Co., VA, under the command of Capt. William Preston.  William Walker is listed as being 18 years of age, 5 feet 4 inches tall, and his country is given as Pennsylvania.  He was discharged 12 Dec 1755, making his term of military service only 18 days.  In one of the Draper Manuscripts, there is a payroll for
    
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