General Notes

[Joanne's Tree.1 GED.GED]

2  PLAC 528
2  SOUR S332582
3  DATA
4  TEXT Date of Import: 14 Jan 2004


[daveanthes.FTW]

Richard was of Ipswich, Massachusetts.  Ref: Essex County Records,Vol. 4,
p. 130 for year 1659. It contains the following statement: "I beingthe
servant of Mr. Baker did know his cattle."

as testimony as a witness in a case before the court.  From this itmay be
inferred that he had arrived in Ipswich about 1656-57, when he was 19or
20.

At this time the town fathers had taken stringent measures to preserve
their trees as seen from the testimony in the same year (1659) by
Nathaniel Perley, "that he saw Richard Walker and Joseph Peabodycutting
fence rails for his employer Francis Peabody."  Note: This FrancisPeabody
would become Richard's uncle when Richard married Sarah Storey on 29Oct.
1661.  She was a niece of Mary Foster, the wife of Francis Peabody.

Ref: NEHGR Vol. 3, p. 241. Richard was recorded as a Freeman atIpswich 31
May 1671.

Ref: Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Part I, by ThomasWaters.
Richard Walker on "The list of those that by law are allowed to havetheir
votes in town affairs.  Voted to be recorded at the Towne Meeting,
December 2, 1679.

Richard settled in an area referred to as the Argilla or Chebaccoarea.
This was two miles south-east of present day Ipswich Village.  Hisfarm,
along with his neighbors the Storeys, Fosters, Coburns, Browns, and
Quarles were all next to the large Argilla tract owned by SamuelSymonds,
sometime deputy governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and his son
Harlackenden.

It must have been a close knit group and one that would influencetheir
lives and their families' lives for years to come.  Sarah Walker'sparents
were William and Sarah (Foster) Storey (Story). This William was an
ancestor of Justice Joseph Story (1779-1845) of the U. S. SupremeCourt.
Sarah's grandfather, Reginald Foster, was a notable personage in early
Ipswich. Edward Coburn (1618-1712) was responsible for the operationof an
800 acre farm belonging to Nathaniel Saltonstall at the "New Meadows."
Edward later moved up by the Merrimack River and acquired land as oneof
the founders of Dracut, and Richard's oldest son John would marryEdward's
youngest child, one of only two daughters, Lydia about 1685 and settlein
Chelmsford, now called Dracut. In later years (1688) Richard and 36others
were to buy from Harlackenden Symonds, their near neighbor, a tract of
land 6 miles long and 4 miles wide called "Coxhall", the present townof
Lyman, Maine.  Richard sold his 300 acres in 1713, but apparently heldon
to land that he had bought at Mousam Falls, Maine, in 1693.

Ref: Ipswich town records for Feb. 13, 1685. Richard's name appears asone
of 72 citizens of Ipswich to sign a petition to the king reaffirmingtheir
allegiance to him.

Ref: Sales Records, Essex Institute. Richard took the inventory of the
estate of Robert Coburn, 1 June 1685. Ref: Essex Probate Record, Vol.2,
p. 72. This Robert Coburn, or Colburn, was an older brother of Lydia
Coburn who married Richard's son John Walker.

Ref: NEHGS Register Vol. 4, p.316-7. In 1689 Richard purchased land of
Edmund Potter and the Rev. William Hubbard.

Ref: Essex Probate Records, Vol. 2, p. 104. In 1689 Richard was an
appraiser of the estate of William Quarles.

Ref: Ipswich Deeds, Vol. 5, p. 387. In 1691 Richard bought additionalland
from Mr. Hubbard and also bought land from William Vaughn.

Ref: Essex County Deeds, Vol. 9, Folio 280, 9 March 1694 11,84, 31
Jan. 1696 17,        28, 23 Oct. 1704 Richard continued to buy landfrom
time to time, indicating that though he had started in the employ of
different people, he was a thrifty man, and he soon had acquired
considerable real estate.

Ref: Essex County Deeds, Vol. 14, Folio 14 and Vol. 24, Folio 166.Richard
sold off part of his land, 24 Dec. 1689, to Nathaniel Brown, andanother
parcel to Edmund Potter on 22 Dec. 1711.

The homestead of Richard Walker was located on what became known as
"Walker's Swamp Island," lying between the way to Chebacco Pond andMiles
River, approximately 2 1/2 miles from Ipswich Village.  This land wasnot
a true island, but rather a knoll of land nearly surrounded by tidal
marsh.  The name "Walker's Swamp" is shown on the map published by the
Ipswich Historical Society as a frontispiece to Volume 16 of their
publication.

In order that they may be provided for in their old age, Richard andhis
2nd wife Sarah made a deed to their second son Richard, dated 29 April
1700, and recorded 4 June 1701, from which the following statementsare
quoted.

Ref: Essex County Deeds, Vol. 14, Folio 212.  "For and inconsideration of
ye natural affection which I have and do bear unto my son RichardWalker,
Jr., of Ipswich, yeoman, and in consideration of his good behaviortoward
myself and his mother in our old age and in consideration that he willand
hath obliged himself further to provide for us during our naturallives"
there then follows the conveyance of several parcels of land which are
described in detail including the homestead to "said Richard Walker,Jr.,
and his wife Elizabeth, during their natural lives and after that tothe
heirs of said Richard, lawfully begotten of his body, and theirs and
asssign forever, and want of such, John to be the next heir of me.,the
said Richard Walker, Sr.

At the time of the above referenced deed, the older son John Walkerwas
living in Chelmsford with his wife Lydia Coburn (Colburn) and their(at
that time) six children, while Richard and his first wife Sarah were
living at the homestead with his parents, thus the deed to the 2nd sonand
not to John, the 1st son, as would normally be the custom.

Richard Jr. died in 1708 (before his father died) and in subsequentyears
John helped at the homestead as best he could, and he eventuallyreturned
to live at the homestead in his parents' later years, while his sonsand
daughters migrated to Newington, N. H., Berwick, Me., and vicinity.

Ref: Essex County Deeds, Vol. 38, Folio 48. Richard Sr. thus wroteanother
deed of conveyance to his eldest son John, dated 29 June 1720,recorded 1
July 1720, in part as follows:

"standing in more and more need of help for our releaf, and not beingable
to labor for our releaf, do for the reasons herein mentioned convey...
half the dwelling house, barn, orchard, upland, land, meadow,swampland,
marsh, about fifty acres in the homestead, half the land in Chebacco
marshes purchased of Mr. Reynold Foster ... my said son John Walker,doing
and performing half of all the duties hereafter expressed, viz., halfof
all that cost and charge that shall be needful for the support ofmyself
and my wife during our natural lives both in sickness and in health."
Signed 29 June 1720.

Richard Sr. died about a year later and his wife Sarah followed him ayear
later.