Edward B. Walker, Sr. and Jane Horn

Presented by Contact Joe Mode, Knoxville, Tennessee

Edward B. Walker was born in 1756 in the colony of North Carolina under the rule of King George 11 of Great Britain. Of his parents and childhood, nothing is known except that he apparently was educated as he could read and write. Various claims have been made throughout time about the origin of Edward's family, but insufficient evidence has been found to date to substantiate any claims.

The Carolinas had been established 86 years prior as a royal colony, and North and South Carolina were formally divided in 1712. At first, North Carolina was settled mostly by religious dissenters and the poor of Virginia; in fact, its early citizens were sometimes called "the quintessence of Virginia's discontent". The early residents of the colony were often squatters and set up small farms. Unlike its Southern neighbors, North Carolina was not dominated by aristocrats and plantations, and the citizens' sense of rugged individualism led the colony into being one the most democratic of the original British colonies alongside Rhode Island. North Carolina was also the only colony in which the tax-supported Church of England did not dominate.

Over time, more people flooded into North Carolina, most notably a number of Scotch-Irish, and a group into which some family sources place Edward's family. The Scotch-Irish were not Irish at all but were Scot Lowlanders, Scotch Presbyterians who, years before, had been forced into Northern Ireland.

Because of tensions with the Irish Catholics and oppressive economic conditions imposed by the British government, tens of thousands left Ireland and came to the colonies in the early 1700s.Most originally settled in Pennsylvania but left soon thereafter for the promise of cheap or free land on the frontier, including in North Carolina.They excelled in the frontier environment and as Indian fighters; they also had little affection for the British government, and many fought in the Revolution. All told, around twelve later Presidents traced their ancestry back to this group.

At present, no direct evidence has been found as to the origin of Edward's family, and the time of the family's migration to North Carolina is not known except that they were there when Edward was born in 1756.Regardless of their origins, most of the immigrants to North Carolina were of hearty, individualistic stock as Edward later proved himself to be.

The first facts known about Edward's life begin shortly after the United States declared its independence from Great Britain and King George III on July 4, 1776.The following spring, Edward was living in Duplin County, North Carolina, when he was drafted to serve as a private for three months under Captain Nathan Hill in the regiment commanded by Colonel John Ashure, in the North Carolina line. He marched to Wilmington, North Carolina, where his unit joined with the forces under General Rutherford to prevent a British landing at Wilmington and Brunswick. No general engagement occurred, but several skirmishes did, and gunfire was exchanged. After his term of service, he returned home. He was drafted again in the spring of 1778 for three months performing the same duty and again in the spring of 1779. Some time after those terms, he was drafted for three months to serve under Captain Harrison or Harris in the regiment of Colonel Hogan, when he was stationed at Halifax on the Roanoke River in North Carolina.

Not all of those who lived in the colonies supported independence, and some, though definitely a minority openly opposed it. Probably less than 33% were loyal to the British government during the war and were known as "Loyalists" or often derisively as "Tories" after the party then in power in Great Britain. The rebels who fought Great Britain were generally known as "Patriots" or sometimes "Whigs" after the largest minority party in Britain. All told, some 50,000 Americans fought for the British and had a significant influence in many places, including North Carolina. Many who supported the King, even those who did not fight also found their lands and other property taken by a suspicious population? However, the terror generated by Loyalist forces caused many revolutionaries to stay close to home in order to protect their own families and property.

Tories at various times controlled parts of North Carolina during the war, and Edward volunteered several times to go on scouting parties against them. In one engagement, Edward was wounded twice in the head with a sword, and he carried those scars for the rest of his life. He was also captured when he was wounded, but he soon escaped.

James More, a friend of Edward's who also served with Edward at times during the war, deposed that he "remembers well to have heard it spoken of in the army that the said Edward Walker was a very valiant [sic] soldier and a true whig [patriot] and more particularly when the army was stationed at Wilmington North Carolina when the present applicant [Edward] was very highly spoken of as a soldier..."

This account of Edward's wartime service is taken from his own deposition that he made in 1832 and from related papers filed in order to receive a pension promised to soldiers of the Revolution. Research is continuing to expand on the missions undertaken by the units in which he served.

He was granted a pension on October 18th, 1833 of $40 per year commencing retroactively to March 4th, 1831. Half was paid on March 4th and the other half on September 4th of each year. The money was paid in Knoxville; federal payment registers show each of the payments made to Edward. Typically, one would assign power of attorney to a lawyer who actually received the pay, so Edward most likely never traveled to Knoxville solely to get his pension. The only record of individual payments found is of the final payment, when his widow did send Newton A. Evans, but the exact mechanism of payment at other times is uncertain.

From public records, Edward's life after the war can be pieced together in part. Sometime between 1779 and 1790, Edward left Duplin County and ended up in the western portion of North Carolina now known as Tennessee; a number of pioneers had been migrating there since about 1775. The circumstances of this move are unknown at present. Edward probably traveled with a group, possibly with family members, as most of Tennessee was still claimed by Indians and was still very much the frontier of the new country. When Edward moved, why, and with who are unknown.

Jane Horn was born probably around 1770 though the date cannot be accurately fixed with the current evidence. Where she was born is unknown. Her father was Frederick Horn of Hawkins County, Tennessee. The 1809 tax list for Hawkins County shows a Frederick Horn, Jr., which may have been her brother or her father. Of the origins of the Horn family, nothing is known at this time.

About The first of May in 1790, a Baptist minister named Richard Murrell married Edward B. Walker to Jane Horn at Horse Creek in what is now Sullivan County, Tennessee. Sullivan County tax lists for 1796 do show a Richard Murrell. Murrell was a minister of some note, an early frontier Baptist preacher. The church in which Edward and Jane were married is unknown, but Murrell was pastor of the Double Springs Church for more that a third of a century, and was also pastor at Fall Branch, Beech Creek, Clear Fork, and other churches. "He was a man of great piety and humility ... He dealt in experimental religion... and used it with great effect... He exhorted with such power that all the great throng of people on the grounds [at a conference] was deeply moved as one man; some cried aloud, others could be seen holding to the saplings and bushes, weeping, greatly exercised and stirred with religious emotion." 1

1 J. J. Bumett, Sketches of Tennessee's Pioneer Baptist Preachers, 1919, Marshall & Bruce Company, Nashville, Tennessee and may have moved for a brief time to Hawkins County, Tennessee. He finally moved to Claiborne County, Tennessee, where he finally settled down probably during the 1810’s when he was in his late 50s or early 60s.

For a time, the new family lived in the area known as the Island Flats in Sullivan County near Kingsport. One or more of the first children were born here. No deeds have been found, so Edward likely was either working on someone else's farm or simply farmed unclaimed land as was quite common in the period. Because Tennessee was still very much on the frontier, landowners would often rent land without fee indefinitely to anyone who wished to clear it. Adding to the confusion is that fact that the area in which Edward lived was at various times also claimed by North Carolina and Virginia; research is continuing.

Before 1800, the family apparently moved for a time to Russell County, Virginia, where Edward can be found on the tax lists for 1800 and 1802. Little is known about this sojourn, and no deeds were found for Edward. However, a number of his neighbors there would become his neighbor when he moved back to Tennessee, and he may well have been traveling as part of a group. He left Russell County before 1810,

About their daily lives, little is known. What is known of the people of Tennessee in general at this time is that their existence was dedicated to survival. On the frontier, there was no time for idleness and no accessibility to luxuries, though the standard of living improved quickly after the turn of the century.

One source gives a description of the living conditions of the typical family in the early period of East Tennessee history. They would live in a one-room log cabin with a loft where the boys would sleep. The cabin would have a large fireplace needed for both heat and cooking. The floor was usually either dirt or made up of logs split in two with the flat side up; later, planks were used. Since nails were not easily obtainable, the roof was usually made of long, white oak clapboards held in place by ridgepoles and by wooden pegs. Doors and windows were sawed out of the walls, and the windows were covered by glazed paper and wooden shutters.

Furniture, not suprisingly, was not plentiful or fancy. Early beds were simply pieces of wood attached to the wall with wooden pegs; mattresses consisted of bed ticks filled with straw or pine needles covered with animal skins. A large clapboard on wooden legs served as a table, and chairs were short sections of tree trunks. Spoons were whittled from animal homes or from wood, and hunting knives were also used at the table. Plates were made of either pewter or wood. Gourds were often used for many purposes, and clothing hung from antlers or from pegs in the wall.

Food was suprisingly varied at the time. Though corn was almost always served in once form or another, vegetables, fruits, nuts, maple sugar, and honey were often available. At first, pioneers ate wild animals for the most part, but, as herds increased, domestic animals were eaten. Meat was preserved by salting or by swinging it over a slow fire to dry. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, maple sugar, and honey were also eaten.

Early pioneers usually dressed much like the Indians. Hunting shirts were generally made of dressed deerskin and reached halfway down the thighs. They fitted loosely and were fringed at the bottom. Pants were made of similar material, and moccasins were made from either dressed buckskin or buffalo hide. Leggings, which protected against briars and snakes, were wide strips of deerskin wrapped around the ankles. Women wore dresses of linsey or osnaburg, a course linen, died in various colors. Jewelry was practically unknown.

Farming implements were rudimentary at best, and settlers made their own implements and other supplies, including soap and candles. Plows were usually made of wood, at first, except for an iron point bolted on known as a" bull tongue;" iron plowshares came soon afterward. Hoes and harrows were also used. Grain was cut with a reaphook or cradle and was separated from the straw with a flail or by the hooves of horses.

The people of the frontier were isolated from the rest of the country to a great degree. While over time, newspapers began in places such as Rogersville and Knoxville news traveled slowly, especially international news. Especially in upper East Tennessee, mountains and untamed rivers hindered communications and certainly trade for decades. In fact, the isolation did not begin to end until railroads came into the area after the Civil War.

In later life, Edward and Jane lived near most of their children probably in the area of Mulberry Gap in Claiborne County (now Hancock County). During the last years of his life, Edward suffered from health problems. In 1832, when he applied for a pension, he told the justice of the peace taking the deposition that he was "so old and infirm that he cannot attend court with out [sic] greatly injuring [sic] of his health and he states that he is afflicted with a disease he is advised by his Doctor cared [sic] the dropsy which has so completely unmanned him that he has scarcely any use of himself." Doctors often1 diagnosed a variety of problems as the dropsy, but most often meant congestive heart failure. Still Edward lived a few more years, dieing on August 26, 1838, at the age of about 82.

1 Stanley J. Folmsbee, Robert E. Corlew, Enoch L. Mitchell, Tennessee, a Short History, 1969, published by the University
of Tennessee Press in Knoxville)

After Edward's death, Jane (Horn) Walker apparently lived with her son Jonathan. She applied for a widow's pension, half of the $40 per year that Edward had been receiving. Starting in 1843, she made numerous attempts to satisfy the government's demands, but was never able to do so despite eventually hiring a lawyer.

The Pension Agency needed proof that Jane was indeed Edward's wife, and the agency was never satisfied with the evidence presented. No public registration records existed for the time when Edward and Jane were married, and the church had "gone to destruction". As the marriage had taken place over fifty years earlier, Jane knew of no one living, at least that she could locate, who had attended the wedding.

Edward and Jane were married in a church wedding. The banns of marriage, i.e. notices of the impending marriage, were published for three consecutive Sundays at the church before the official ceremony as was the custom and the law in what was then North Carolina. However, common law marriages were acceptable and quite common at the time, so the government allowed proof of children's ages to prove a marriage. Since birth certificates did not exist, family Bibles were often used to prove those ages, as long as the Bible was old enough for the birthdates to have been entered contemporaneously.

Jane sent pages from the family Bible, which showed that the first son was born in 1791. However, the Bible records were not original as the family made clear in the beginning. The original family Bible had been given to a daughter who had moved to Missouri; the pages that Jane first sent were from a copy of that Bible that her son Jonathan, a minister, had made. The government rejected that record. Her son Joseph also tried by swearing to his own birthdate and to the Bible. Benjamin Sewell and Charles McAnally, a minister, testified that they had known the couple for many years and were satisfied that they were married, but the testimony was not heeded.

Finally, the original Bible was obtained and the appropriate pages were sent to the Pension Agency. Unfortunately, there were a few discrepancies in the two copies. Upon a moment's thought, those discrepancies were mostly easy to rectify, and portions of the second Bible, the original, were in Edward's own handwriting, so no doubt arises now about their authenticity and about the marriage, as to which there is also other evidence. However, the government did not know Edward's handwriting and asked for the original Bible from which the records were taken. They then rejected the records anyway, and the Bible was not returned until 1877, when it was sent to one of Jane's grandsons, Jonathan, the son of Edward, Jr. In truth, births were not recorded contemporaneously in the second Bible, either; only the entry for the oldest son, Joseph, was in Edward's handwriting, and the rest was in Jonathan's written "at [his] father's direction."

As Alfred Noel put it in a letter to the Pension Agency in 1845, "This case seems to be one of the hard cases on the part of the applicant by the long delay and measure of questions to her; There is not a more respectable lady in the State of Tennessee; but in the humble walks of life in the enjoyment of religion that renders her patient as well as happy under all the delays taken place; There never has a doubt existed in the minds of any person as to the truth of any statement she would make or that of her son Johnathan Walker, a Minister of the gospel, for these last remarks I know is gratuitous but for the truth of which I refer you to the Hon. Wm. F. Center our representative..." Despite numerous attempts and pleas from others, Jane was never granted a pension. She died apparently in the late 1840s.

Another attempt was made by J. K. McAnnally, relationship to Charles unknown, in 1852. His original correspondence is not in the pension file, but the reply was: because nothing had been done about the claim in quite some time, the case would not be reopened.

Pensions were generally granted from the date on which the law was passed until the date of death of the pensioner, regardless of date of application for the pension. So in 1854, presumably after Jane's death, her daughter-in-law, Mary (Tussey) Walker, the widow of Joseph Walker, hired a lawyer in Washington, D.C., to try once again, presumably to recover all of what would have been paid to Jane for the estate. She seems to have failed. The power of attorney that she signed has been misfiled by the government in the file of an Edward Walker of Virginia, but no records of any further action can be found in either file.

This fruitless attempt to obtain a pension had one unintended beneficial side effect: the family Bible records recording the births of all of the children are now at the National Archives. In fact, both copies are there. At this point and even when the microfilm was first made of them, they are difficult to read, and the two copies do contain discrepancies. However, almost all of the dates can be determined exactly and correspond with other evidence of age.

Edward and Jane had a number of children, all or most of who lived near them in Claiborne County in the early years of their marriages. Either a large number died between 1840 and 1850, or a group moved to another state; research is continuing. Other information has been found on some of the male children, but little or nothing is known to date on any of the daughters. Marriage records do not exist for that time period in that area, and no other mention of their spouses has been found yet. The children were:

Joseph Walker was born in Sullivan County in what is now Tennessee on June 26th, 1791. He served in the War of 1812 and married Mary Tussey, daughter of Jacob and Jane (Shuff) Tussey in 1816 or February of 1817 in Sullivan County. The couple moved immediately to Claiborne County eventually settling in the Little Sycamore Valley. They raised a family and are documented separately. Joseph died January 7th, 1851. He was apparently killed by a tree limb that fell on him as he was trying to dislodge another limb. He and Mary are buried on their farm.

William Walker was born May 15th, 1792. Nothing further is known of this child; evidence tends to suggest that he may not have lived to adulthood.

Edward Walker, Jr., was born September 7th, 1795, probably in Sullivan County but possibly in Russell County, Virginia. He also served in the War of 1812 from Hawkins County. He married Mahala Tussey, another daughter of Jacob and Jane (Shuff) Tussey, and this family is documented separately. Edward died on or about April 9th, 1860 of liver disease.

Martha Walker was born November 9th, 1797. Nothing is known of this child.

John W. Walker was born October 20, 1801. Evidence tends to suggest that he may not have lived to adulthood.

Samuel Walker was born January 31st, 1803. Evidence suggests that he married before 1830 and had a family that has not been found after 1840. Nothing further is known.

Jonathan Walker was born on June 2nd or 4th of 1805. He was a minister, and evidence suggests that he married before 1830 and raised a family. Like Samuel, nothing has been found about his family after 1840, though Jonathan is known to be alive in 1849.

Henry Horn Walker was born on August 16th, 1807. Evidence suggests that he married between 1830 and 1840 and raised a family. Like Samuel and Jonathan, nothing further is known after 1840.

Susanna Walker as born November 5th, 1809. Nothing further is known.

Margaret Walker was born April 15th, 1812. She may have married Alfred Sulfridge.

Elizabeth Walker was born May 30th, 1815. Nothing further is known.

Another child who died in infancy was not recorded in the family Bible.

Sources:

Revolutionary War pension application R. 11 041 - Edward Walker of North Carolina

Edward Walker's pension application, along with the papers related to his widow's attempt to get a pension are filed at the National Archives in Washington, DC. This record is extensive and strongly recommended to anyone researching this family. The pension was granted under the act of June 7th, 1832. Revolutionary War pension applications have been microfilmed and may be found at many larger libraries and at the regional branches of the National Archives.

Revolutionary War pension application W. 7417- Andrew McClary of North Carolina

Andrew McClary's pension application is also at the National Archives. This file contains no information about Edward or his family; however, Edward gave a deposition in support of

McClary's application, testifying as to McClary's character. Edward's signature is on that deposition and that signature is the one above; it is the only one found that includes the middle initial "B"; his middle name is not known at this time.

Revolutionary War pension application S. 41302 - Edward Walker of Virginia

While this Edward Walker is not known to be related to this family, the power of attorney and related papers filed by

Mary (Tussey) Walker is to be found in this record on microfilm.

Ledgers of Payments to U. S. Pensioners, Revolutionary War, Pensioners 1831-1848, Vol.H.

Page 268 for East Tennessee shows Edward receiving a private's pension of $20 per half-year commencing March 4th, 1831, paid in September and March through March of 1838. Notes that Edward died on August 26th, 1838, and a final payment was made in the first quarter of 1839.Original ledger on microfilm at the National Archives.

Final Payment Voucher and Related Papers

Edward's pension was granted until his death, so the last payment, up to the date of his death, was made to his widow. Jane assigned Newton A. Evans her power of attorney to receive this pay and sent with him Edward's original pension certificate. The original records are at the National Archives.

Early East Tennessee Taxpayers

Published by Southern Historical Press in Easley, SC, 1980; tax lists cited compiled by Pollyanna Creekmore. Contains the Sullivan County tax list for 1796 and states that the tax lists of 1797 and 181 11812 can be found at the State Archives in Nashville. Hawkins County tax lists in the book are incomplete returns from 1809-1812; others are at the State Archives.

Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications

Edward Walker's application was filed in Claiborne County; TN. Edward was placed on the role 10/18/1833 at age 77. Wife was Jane. At the National Archives.

Registrar of Deeds for Sullivan County, Tennessee

Personal correspondence. The Registrar sent an index of deeds, which did not include any deeds for Edward Walker. Further research will be done.

Russell County, Virginia, Personal Property and Land Tax List, 1787-1800,1802, 1810, and Legislative Petitions

By Annie Roberts Albert and Ethel Evans Albert, @1973, no publisher given. Actually includes at least 1785 tax list despite title. Edward is found in 1800 on page 233 and in 1802 on page 249.

General Index to Deeds - Grantees 1787-1917, Russell County, Virginia

On microfilm at the Virginia State Library and Archives, Richmond, Virginia. Nothing known to be related found.

General Index to Deeds - Grantors 1787-1917, Russell County, Virginia

On n-microfilm at the Virginia State Library and Archives. Nothing known to be related found.

General Index to County Court Law Order Books, 1786-1902 - Plaintiffs; (Russell County, Virginia) On microfilm at the Virginia State Library and Archives. Nothing known to be related found.

General Index to County Court Law Order Books, 1786-1902 - Defendants; (Russell County, Virginia) On microfilm at the

Virginia State Library and Archives. Nothing known to be related found.

County Surveyors Book; (Russell County, Virginia)

On microfilm at the Virginia State Library and Archives. No relevant families found.

Registrar of Deeds for Hawkins County Tennessee

Personal correspondence. A Deputy Registrar of Deeds for Hawkins County searched for and sent all early Walker deeds. Two deeds, one in 1813 and one in 1814, show an Edward Walker purchasing land in the county. However, a deed in 1822 divides up the property of a deceased Edward Walker, so another existed in the county, most likely the son of John Walker of Hawkins County (relation unknown to Edward B. Walker). Research is continuing to see if either of the early deeds may pertain to Edward B. Walker.

Record of the Descendants of Edward Walker...

Annie Walker Burns, privately published in 1929. Copies found in private hands and also the Daughters of the American Revolution Library, Washington, DC.

Walker Family records From the Shadow of Cumberland Gap

Annie Walker Burns, privately published in 1957. Daughters of the American Revolution Library.

United States Census for 1830 - Claiborne County, Tennessee

Edward Walker, Sr., is listed on page 119 with one male aged 20-30 and one 70-80. Females listed were one under 5, two 5-10, and one 50-60. His sons Edward, Samuel, Jonathan, and Joseph lived near by, as did Jonathan Tussey.

United States Census for 1840 - Claiborne County, Tennessee

Jonathan Walker is found on page 220 with various young ones, a female of age to be his wife, and a female 60-70 who is presumed to be Jane (Horn) Walker.

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