George Walker II

This article details proof that George Walker II is a qualifying ancestor for the Society of Colonial Wars and details proof of the lineage of George Walker II to the Mullins family.

Qualifying Service for the Society of Colonial Wars

George Walker II of Prince Edward County, Virginia, husband of Jane Curle, satisfies the criteria as a qualifying ancestor for the Society of Colonial Wars based on the following service:

1. Officer, Amelia County VA Militia, 1742: In February 1742, George Walker took an oath as an officer of the Amelia County Militia [1]
2. Sheriff, Amelia County VA, 1747: In Feb 1747, Walker became Sheriff of Amelia County [2]
3. Colonel, Prince Edward County VA Militia, 1755: Walker held a Colonel’s commission in the Prince Edward Militia in 1755 [3]

The following is proof of the Mullins family lineage from George Walker II.

Father Of Colonel George Walker III

Colonel George Walker III of Prince Edward County, father of William Walker, was the son of George Walker II and Jane Curle.

On many of the historical documents cited in this article, George Walker III is referred to as George Walker Jr., and George Walker II is referred to as George Walker Sr.

Will Of George Walker II (Sr.)

The will [4] of George Walker Sr. was recorded October 18, 1773. The will was recorded in Prince Edward County, the residence county of the executor, son George Walker, Jr. The will is written by “George Walker Senior of the County of Elizabeth City” indicating that George Walker, Sr. and wife Jane Walker lived in Elizabeth City County at the time the will was written. The will names as legatees George Sr.’s wife Jane, and their two children, George Walker III and Jane Booker. The will is available as a transcript [5] with a few inaccuracies and in its original form [6].

Below are 3 sections of evidence that George Walker Jr., son of the author of the 1773 will above, was the same individual as Col. George Walker of Prince Edward, VA, and Jessamine, KY, father of William Walker. Additionally, evidence is provided that the wife of George Walker Sr. was Jane Curle.

Section I – Broad Summary Of The History Of The Walker Family, 1732-1808

George Walker II and Jane Curle were not yet married in 1733 when “Jane Curle” was named a legatee in the will of Susanna Alkins in Elizabeth City. The couple was married and residing in Amelia/Prince Edward by 1738 when they are mentioned by name in a deed to George’s brother, Jacob Walker. George Walker III was probably born before 1740, to allow him to be old enough to serve as Sheriff in Elizabeth City by 1761.

George Walker II is documented as a resident of Amelia/Prince Edward from 1738 until 1755 when he was noted to have “moved away.” He is documented as a resident of Elizabeth City from 1757 until his death in or before 1773.

George Walker III was thus raised to adulthood in Amelia/Prince Edward. He presumably moved to Elizabeth City with his parents in 1755 and was first documented in Elizabeth City with his appointment as Sheriff in 1761. This post was a position “of profit,” which tends to confirm George III’s growing wealth and prominence in the community, and the likelihood that he would continue to appear in the records of his resident county.

George Walker III’s last documented presence in Elizabeth City was his listing in a poll for the election of Burgesses in 1765. Evidence of his return to Prince Edward includes the following records from the Prince Edward court:

• The filing of his father’s will in 1773, as executor.
• The record of a bond for George Walker III on March 11, 1776 as executor of the will of his maternal aunt, Mary Nash (of Prince Edward), and the instructions of the court that he is to make a “true inventory, and pay all legacies contained in the will” of Mary Nash on March 18, 1776.
• The record of the grant to George Walker III of a certificate of probate by the court in May 1776 for the will of Mary Nash.

There are many facts documented in the Chronology of Section III (below) that support the identification of George Walker III of Prince Edward, the legatee of his father’s 1773 will and executor of the will of Mary Nash, with Col. George Walker of Prince Edward. It is notable, for example, that George Walker III is last mentioned in Elizabeth City records in 1765, and (Col.) George Walker is first mentioned in Prince Edward records just 2 years later, with his appointment as:

• Captain in the Prince Edward Militia in 1767 and 1768
• King’s Attorney in 1770
• Commonwealth Attorney in 1776
• Major in the Prince Edward Militia by 1777
• Lt. Col. in 1779
• Col. in 1781
• Resigned deputy attorney general position in 1784
• A farm owner in Prince Edward in the 1787 Census
• Author of the 1798 Jessamine KY will

There is 1 circumstantial observation that supports the identification of George Walker Jr. as Col. George Walker of Prince Edward and Jessamine, KY:

• Col. George Walker’s son, William Walker, named his first child Martha for his mother-in-law Martha Venable Holcombe; and named his second child Jane Curl Walker, supporting the idea that Jane Curle was an ancestor of William’s, and specifically supporting the identification of Jane Curle Walker, wife of George Walker II, as William Walker’s grandmother. Jane Curle Walker was still alive when George II’s will was written, and William Walker was born within 1 to 2 years after the will was recorded in 1773. It is not unlikely that William knew his grandmother.

Section II – Point-By-Point Discussion Of The Evidence

Consistent evidence of the county of residency:

• The earliest records document that George Walker II had a farm in Amelia County in 1738 and that he was a resident of Prince Edward County when that county was formed from Amelia in 1754.
• The record shows that “Walker moved away” from Prince Edward in 1755; thus the chronology shows a continuous 17-year residency for George Sr. in Amelia/Prince Edward.
• George Walker III was old enough to be Sheriff, Elizabeth City, in 1761, so he was probably born by 1738, and therefore spent his childhood in Amelia/Prince Edward.
• The chronology identifies a father/son pair of George Walkers who first appear in Elizabeth City County records in 1758. George Walker II continues to appear in Elizabeth City records through to his declaring himself a resident of that county in his will, filed in 1773, documenting a continuous, more or less 15-year residency for George II in Elizabeth City, depending on his actual date of death, which is uncertain.
• George Walker III was admitted as an attorney before the Prince Edward court in 1762, but continues to appear as a resident in Elizabeth City records through 1765 when he is listed on a poll for the election of Burgesses. This completes documentation of a continuous 7-10 residency for George III in Elizabeth City. The mention in the 1765 Burgess poll is the last appearance in Elizabeth City records for any George Walker.
• No George Walker is listed in the 1782 list of tithables in Elizabeth City.
• The first record of George Walker in Prince Edward is in 1767, with his appointment as Captain in the Prince Edward Militia. There are at least 3 reasons that George III might have acquired recognition to practice law in Prince Edward 3-5 years before moving there:
  • He may have planned the move a few years in advance (for example, to allow time to construct a farm home).
  • His family had several pending legal matters in Prince Edward as noted in the chronology, including the Greenhill deed, noted in 1758 and 1768, and George III’s designation as executor for the will of his aunt, Mary (Curle) Nash in 1765.
  • He may have maintained farm in both counties for a period of time.
• George Walker III is confirmed as a resident of Prince Edward by his filing of his father’s will there in 1773, and by his assignment by the court in March 1775/6 to appraise the estate of Mary Nash and pay all legacies, and by the court’s granting him a certificate of probate for the same will in May 1776.
• The absence of any George Walker in Elizabeth City records after 1765 (and none on a list of tithables in 1782), and the first appearance of George Walker in Prince Edward in 1767, are consistent with the identification of George Walker III as Col. George Walker of Prince Edward and Jessamine, KY.
• (Col.) George Walker III continued to live in Prince Edward until at least 1791, as noted in the previous chapter, for a documented continuous residency of at least 24 years in Prince Edward, the county where he was raised as a child.

Consistent evidence of the legal profession:

George Walker II and III are each documented to have been attorneys at multiple points in the chronology, in both Prince Edward and Elizabeth City:

• George Walker II was an attorney. He was a Justice in Amelia in 1744, Prince Edward in 1754, and Elizabeth City in 1761. It is likely that he composed his own will, recorded in 1773, based on the fact that it was written with no witness and no date. That the will was written by an attorney is supported by language such as “heir at law” used in the text (see blue X, top of page F15).
• George Walker III was an attorney in Elizabeth City, evidenced by his appointment as Justice in 1764. Col. George Walker of Prince Edward was also an attorney, as was noted in the record of his 1781 appointment as Colonel when he was designated “Col. George Walker, Esq.” He served as King’s Attorney in Prince Edward 1770-1776, and as deputy attorney general in Prince Edward after 1776, appointments that are confirmed in contemporaneous records cited in Section III. The legal position that George III held in Elizabeth City is consistent with his identification as Col. George Walker of Prince Edward, who was also a prominent county attorney.

Consistent evidence of extensive property holdings:

• It is evident throughout the chronology that both George Walker II and III were substantial property holders, in terms of land and holdings, and evidence of this wealth appears multiple times from 1738 through 1800, including specific mention of George Walker II’s “[farm]” in 1738, and Col. George Walker’s “[farm]” in his 1798 will. Such wealth was uncommon, and there is no documentation of any other George Walker, besides our George Walker II and III, with such wealth in Amelia/Prince Edward or Elizabeth City, and there is specifically no listing for any other candidate George Walker on the list of tithables in Elizabeth City in 1782, nor in the 1787 Census of Virginia. Additional evidence of their wealth is comprised of the many legal and military officer positions they each held, in both Prince Edward and Elizabeth City. These positions were generally reserved for wealthy landowners in 18th century Virginia. Specifically:
  • George II: Justice (1744), Amelia; Justice (1754), Prince Edward; Sheriff (1759) and Justice (1761), Elizabeth City; Major, Prince Edward Militia (1754)
  • George III: Sheriff (1761) and Justice (1764), Elizabeth City; King’s Attorney (1770) and deputy attorney general (1776), Prince Edward County; and the militia officer appointments noted previously, Captain (1767, 1768), Major (by 1777), Lt. Colonel (1779) and Colonel (1781), all in Prince Edward.
• Note particularly the appointment of George III as Sheriff in Elizabeth City in 1761. This was a sought-after position “of profit,” and indicates his growing wealth already by this date.
• The evidence of George Walker III’s extensive property holdings, especially after his father’s death by 1773, are evidence of his identification with Col. George Walker of Prince Edward, who by 1787 was the only George Walker in Virginia with extensive property holdings.

Father-Son Relationship

• In the July 31, 1757, will of Jane Sweeney (mother of Jane Curle Walker, wife of Nicholas Curle, married second to James Rickett, married third to Merritt Sweeney (evidence below), Jane names her “son-in-law George Walker” as executor. There is a later notation that “George Walker Sr. refuses” as executor, confirming that George Walker, son-in-law of Jane Sweeney, in turn, had a son, George Jr.
• Elizabeth City records contain the specific designations “George Walker Sr.” and “George Walker Jr.” in 1759, 1761, 1764, and 1765, as noted in the Chronology section (below).
• The will of George Walker Sr., resident of Elizabeth City, names his son George Walker, legatee and executor, suggesting that this is the same George Walker Sr. and Jr. who are cited in the Elizabeth City records. That the will was filed in Prince Edward in 1773 by the executor is evidence that the son of George Walker, Sr. was Col. George Walker of Prince Edward.
• The will of Mary Nash names her “sister Walker” as legatee (i.e. Jane Curle Walker, wife of George Walker III), and her “nephew George Walker” (i.e. George Walker, Jr.), as legatee and executor; thus identifying George Walker Jr. as the son of her sister and George Walker, Sr. Mary Nash was born Mary Curle, sister of Jane Curle, and daughter of Nicholas Curle.

Consistent evidence for the name “Jane” of George Walker, Sr.’s wife:

George Walker II is shown on 4 different documents to have a wife named Jane:

• The 1738 deed to his brother, Jacob, names George’s wife Jane.
• The 1754 deed to Zachariah Leigh selling 2,682 acres of land in Prince Edward, names his wife Jane.
• The 1758 deed to David Greenhill selling land in Prince Edward, names his wife Jane.
• The Prince Edward County court order in 1768, concerning the 1758 Greenhill deed, indicates that Jane Walker “cannot conveniently travel to our county court to make acknowledgment of the deed,” presumably because she lived in Elizabeth City. The court recorded Jane’s acknowledgment of the deed in 1769.

Note: George Walker II’s 1773 will names his 2 children, George and Jane, evidently named after their parents.

Consistent evidence of involvement with and relationship to the Curle family:

• George Walker II was mentioned as guardian of “orphans Mary and Jane Curle” in Elizabeth City records in 1760. Mary and Jane Curle were George Walker’s nieces, daughters of his wife’s brother, Wilson Curle, who died in 1748.
• In the October 22, 1765, Prince Edward will of Mary Nash (Jane Curle’s sister), Mary designates “my “sister Walker” (i.e. Jane Curle Walker) as a legatee, and “my nephew George Walker” (i.e. George Walker III) as both a legatee and an executor of the will.
• George Walker III was named principal on a bond for the appraisal of the estate of Mary Nash in Mar 1776, issued by the Prince Edward court, and was granted a certificate by the same court in May 1776 for obtaining probate for the will. His presence in Prince Edward in 1776 is evidence of his identification with Col. George Walker of Prince Edward.
• The will of Martha Sweeney, daughter of Jane Curle Sweeney and half-sister of Jane Curle Walker, names her “brother-in-law George Walker” as executor, in Elizabeth City, on May 30, 1757, when George Walker II was an attorney in and a resident of that county. [Jane Curle’s parents were Nicholas Curle and Jane Wilson. After Nicholas’s death in 1714, Jane remarried to Merritt Sweeney.]
• The will of Jane Sweeney names her “son-in-law George Walker” as executor of her will on July 31, 1757, in Elizabeth City County. There is a further notation that “George Walker Sr.” refused as executor, confirming that this son-in-law of Jane Sweeney in turn had a son named George Jr.
• Finally, we recall that William Walker, son of Col. George Walker, named his second daughter Jane Curl Walker. Jane Curle was William’s grandmother.

Children Of (Col.) George Walker Jr.

• The will of George Walker II includes the clause: “… if either of my Children should die without Children or Will…” indicating that when the will was written, George Walker III did not have children. The will was recorded in 1773. On the 1787 Census of Virginia, Col. George Walker is listed with no children between 16 and 20 implying that his oldest child (William) would have been born in 1772 or later. Based on the 1820 Jessamine census, William Walker was 44 or younger in 1820, placing his birth year at 1775 or later. These facts are consistent with Col. George Walker having no children at the time that George Walker Sr. wrote his will, and are consistent with the identification of Col. George Walker as the son of George Walker II.

Section III – Chronology (On Which Sections I And II Are Based):

62 separate facts, events, or documents drawn from contemporaneous sources (below) chronicle the lives of George Walker II and (Col.) George Walker III. References for all statements in Sections I and II are provided here under the indicated year. For each published source, the first page indicated is a copy of the title page; the subsequent is a copy of each page that is used as a reference in the chronology.

Note: Prince Edward County, Virginia Wills, 1754-1776. T.L.C. Genealogy, Miami Beach, FL, 1991. (See pages F60-63). Pages were copied at the Fairfax City Library, Virginia Room. Citations will read: “PE Wills: p. #”.

Note: Original wills, indentures, etc.: a copy of the original is presented. Usually, the copy will be preceded by a transcript, unless the applicable part of the original is short and clearly legible.

The Chronology

• July 19, 1732, Elizabeth City County – An appraisal was ordered to be recorded of the estate of George Walker [10]. This is the husband of Ann Keith, and the father of our George Walker Sr. This appraisal is cited to document that no George Walker cited in later documents could be the elder George Walker, husband of Ann Keith.
• February 5, 1732/3, Elizabeth City County – Will of Susanna Alkin [11], names Jane Curle as legatee and witness, so we know Jane Curle was not married by this date. The will also names Jane’s sister, Mary Hamilton (married to Alexander Hamilton, later to John Nash), and Jane’s mother, Jane Sweny, who had remarried to Merritt Sweeney, her third husband, by this date.
• 1738, Amelia County – George and Jane Walker made a deed to George’s brother, Jacob Walker [12]. This source names George’s wife, Jane, and shows that George and Jane Walker were married by this date.
• December Court 1738, Amelia County – The court ordered that a road be cleared from “George Walker’s [farm]” on the Bush River to the Buffalo River [13]. This portion of Amelia County became Prince Edward County.
• 1740, 1742, 1748, 1749, 1750, 1751 – Amelia County/Prince Edward County – Further road orders involving George Walker are documented [14].
• July 1739 – George Walker was recommended as the first resident of the Prince Edward area to become a justice of the Amelia Court [15].
• May 1740 – George Walker attended the Court as a magistrate [16].
• 1741, 1742 – George Walker served as Church Warden, Raleigh Parish, which embraced all of Amelia [17].
• February 1742 – George Walker took an oath as an officer of the Amelia militia [18].
• July 1744 – George Walker was named as a Justice in Amelia [19].
• August 1747 – George Walker became Sheriff of Amelia [20].
• May 1749 – George Walker took the oath in Amelia court as vestryman of Nottoway Parish [21] (broke off from Raleigh Parish).
• February 1752 – George Walker named as one of 8 trustees to oversee clearing the Appomattox of obstructions [22] (with brother-in-law John Nash).
• 1753 – George Walker listed as an “Early Settler” of Prince Edward County [23].
• February 1753 – George Walker is granted 5,364 acres on the Bush and Sandy Rivers in Amelia [24].
• January 1754 – George Walker was one of 6 Justices of the Peace, oath administered by John Nash Jr. [25].
• February 1754, Oct 1754 – George Walker was one of a committee of 3 to authorize proposals for the construction of a county courthouse [26].
• November 1754 – George Walker is shown certifying several county expenditures [27].
• March 1754, December 1755 – George Walker ran for (and lost) House of Burgesses [28].
• October 8, 1754 – George Walker and his wife Jane Walker deed to Zacharia Leigh 2682 acres of George’s 1753 patent for 550 pounds [29].
• 1755 – George Walker held a Colonel’s commission in the Prince Edward Militia [30].
• September 1755 – George Walker elected as one of 12 vestrymen chosen when the new St. Patrick’s Parish was formed [31].
• November 1755 – St. Patrick’s records show “Walker moved away” requiring selection of a replacement vestryman [32].
• December 1755 – George Walker offered to sell land to St. Patrick’s Parish [33].
• July 31, 1757 – Jane Sweeney, mother of Jane Curle Walker names executor of her will [34]. “Ex. son-in-law George Walker.” A further notation states that “George Walker Sr., refused and Augustine Moore qualified as Executor…” [Jane Curle Walker’s parents were Nicholas Curle and Jane Wilson. After Nicholas’s death in 1714, Jane remarried to Merritt Sweeney.]
• 1758 – George Walker Sr. had moved back to Elizabeth City County, and was listed in a poll voting for Colonel John Tabb [35].
• October 28, 1758 – “George Walker and Jane, his wife, of the Parish & County of Elizabeth City”, sell 700 acres, part of his tract of land on the Bush River in Prince Edward, to David Greenhill of Amelia [36].
• 1759 – George Walker Sr. is first listed as a Justice in Elizabeth City [37], and as a Sheriff in Elizabeth City [38].
• February 6, 1759/60 – In the case of Joshua Curle [39], division of holdings according to suit, “Mr. George Walker Sr.” is to be paid, as “guardian to Mary and Jane Curle, orphans…”.
• 1761 – George Walker Jr. is listed as a Sheriff in Elizabeth City [40].
• 1762 – George Walker Jr. qualifies as an attorney in Prince Edward [41].
• 1764 – George Walker Jr. is first listed as a Justice in Elizabeth City [42].
• August 23, 1765 – A poll [43] for the election of Burgesses in Elizabeth City lists both George Walker Sr. and George Walker Jr.
• October 22, 1765 – The will of Mary Curle Nash names her “nephew George Walker” III as legatee and executor, Prince Edward County [44]. The will names “my sister Walker”, who is Jane Curle Walker, wife of George Walker II.
• April 20, 1767 – George Walker III commission as Captain, Prince Edward Militia [45].
• 1768 – George Walker III commission as Captain, Prince Edward Militia [46].
• August 6, 1768 – John Nash is authorized by the Prince Edward court to travel to Jane, wife of George Walker, so that she can acknowledge the 1758 indenture with David Greenhill, because she “cannot conveniently travel to our county to make acknowledgment of the deed” [47].
• April 10, 1769 – The acknowledgment by Jane Walker of the 1758 Greenhill deed is received by the Prince Edward court, and the deed is recorded (PE Deeds: same as above entry; see page F59).
• 1767, 1769 – George Walker was summoned to Prince Edward court to answer complaints from two apprentices about his treatment of them (Bradshaw: p. 91 {62 – Book 4:5, 230; see page F46). These were legal apprentices, who were routinely treated relatively harshly by attorneys, a tradition that carries forward to law schools in the present.
• November 1770 – George Walker Jr. takes the oath of King’s Attorney (Bradshaw: p. 53 {290 – Book 4:325}; see page F42).
• November 1770 – George Walker Jr. takes the oath of King’s Attorney (Bradshaw: p. 53 {290 – Book 4:325}; see page F42).
• October 18 1773 – George Walker Jr. records the will of George Walker Sr. in Prince Edward (see red X page F15).
• March 11, 1776 – Bond issued to George Walker Jr. as executor of the will of Mary Nash (PE Wills: p. 68; see page F63, green Xs).
• March 18, 1776 – Prince Edward court instructs George Walker Jr. to make a “true inventory” of the estate, and “pay all legacies” contained in the will (PE Wills: p. 68; see page F63).
• May 1776 – George Walker Jr. is granted a certificate for obtaining probate for the will of Mary Curle Nash, dated 22 Oct 1765 (PE Wills: p. 53; see page F66).
• November 1776 – George Walker Jr. took the oath as deputy attorney general for Prince Edward (Bradshaw p. 112 {17 – Book 5:504}; see page F47).
• 1777 – George Walker receives pay, forage, etc. as Major of the Prince Edward Militia (Bradshaw p.114 {35 – V.M.H.B. 15:190}; see page F48).
• May 1779 – George Walker appointed Lt. Col in the Prince Edward militia (Bradshaw: p. 118 {61 – Book 6:38-39}; see page F49).
• June 1781 – George Walker appointed Col. in the Prince Edward militia (Bradshaw: p. 119 {66 – Book 6:96}; see page F49). One reference specifically notes Col. George Walker as an attorney, using “Esq.” after his name: William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 2 (April 1935), p. 141. See page E12.
• 1782 – A list of tithables in the County of Elizabeth City did not list any George Walker, just one Walker: Robert (Chapman: pp. 147-149; see pages F25-27).
• 1784 – George Walker is petitioned as one of the most substantial property owners in Prince Edward, in an effort to delay levy of a tax (Bradshaw: p. 133 {18 – Mss. Legislative Petition, Archives Division, State Library}; see page F50).
• 1784 – George Walker resigned as attorney general for Prince Edward (Bradshaw: p. 140 {98 – Book 7:207}; see page F51).
• 1787 – George Walker was listed in The 1787 Census of Virginia in Prince Edward (previously cited: see page E46).
• 1791 – Four indentures show Col George Walker, resident of Prince Edward, purchasing land in Cumberland County (previously cited: see pages E15-34)
• December 22, 1798 – Col George Walker writes his will, now a resident of Jessamine County Ky (see page D35).
• March 1800 – Will of Col George Walker is proved in Jessamine County KY (see page D38, bottom paragraph).
• 1808 – Indenture by the executors William Walker and George Walker, of the will of “Col George Walker”, selling land in Cumberland County VA from the estate of Col George Walker, to Ed Dillon (see page E7).

The death dates for George Walker II and Jane Curle Walker are based on the fact that he was deceased by the recording date of his will 1773, but his wife was not deceased. Jane Curle’s birth date is based on her father Nicholas Curle’s will of 1714 that names Jane and an unborn child (to be provided in a future application to the Society of Colonial Wars for Nicholas Curle). The birth date of George Walker II is based on his presumed birth by the 1708 council complaint by his mother, Anne Keith Walker, regarding the couple’s children, detailed in A Dispute over the Religious Education of the Children.

© 2013 W. Mullins