John WALKER

1785 - 1867  (81 years)

• Name	John WALKER
  Born	15 Aug 1785	Locust Grove, King and Queen Co. VA
  Gender	Male
  _UID	2DF7A5333E6644268E5B1294B8EAB8E5D85E
  Died	27 Feb 1867	Chatham Hill, King and Queen Co. VA
  Notes	Walker Family Bible John Walker born August 15th 1785 In old Virginia: slavery, farming, and society in the journal of John Walker By Claudia L. Bushman, John Walker John was a solitary, serious, careful man who married when he was 44 years old, and was devoted to the Methodist church. His journal reflects the change from the planter society to a farmer society. Unlike his father, John accepted modest civil assignments. He abandoned gentility and the social life of fox hunting and balls. He was an industrious farmer who saw tobacco being replaced by a wide variety of marketable crops. John grew wheat and corn and worked steadily to improve farming methods. His diary covered 43 years and covers the changes that were happening as the last generation before the Civil War. His life was different from that of his father and grandfather. John planted wheat, not tobacco; he didn't belong to the Anglican (Church of England) but in 1818 joined a small Methodist congregation at Shepherd's Chapel;and he was a hard-working farmer, not a gentleman. He was often at odds with his family and old friends. He spurned politics and civic involvement, accepting only positions as overseer of the poor and overseer of the roads. The latter he resigned in disgust at having to deal with rich neighbors who unduly influenced the courts. He never joined the county militia. His education was lackluster for his spelling, grammar, and punctuation were utilitarian. He mentions attending only the school operated by Richard Hill, most likely at nearby Hillsborough. These were temporary schools, always in a flux from having several different schoolmasters, with several of the planters funding the schools fr their children. His father had the money for college, but John, nor any other of his brothers, were prepared to further education. Other King and Queen families, such as the Fauntleroys and Henleys, sent their sons to William and Mary. John attended music and dancing parties in Aylett when he has a teenager, he didn't like the "wanton interaction" between genders and would "stop his ears to prevent hearing the musick" So with John becoming a strict Methodist, such gentry pastimes of dancing were considered even more unsuitable. He wrote "A dancing party in the Sight of God was no better than a Whoring party" and dancers were "entirely under the direction of the devil." While Frances Hill, his grandmother, danced to the harpsichord, did reels to a fiddle, and sang songs, John would consider her actions a sin.
  Person ID	I6199	Master File
  Last Modified	29 Aug 2011

  
  

  Father	Maj. Humphrey WALKER,   b. 13 Jan 1762, Rye Field (Locust Grove) King and Queen Co. VA ,   d. 28 Dec 1829, Richmond, VA  (Age 67 years)
  Mother	Frances (Fannie) TEMPLE,   b. 13 Jan 1765, Chatham Hill, King and Queen Co. VA ,   d. 09 Feb 1824, Rye Field (Locust Grove) King and Queen Co. VA  (Age 59 years)
  Family ID	F4483	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Margaret Watkins SHEPHERD,   b. 16 Oct 1804,   d. 03 Mar 1886, Locust Grove, King and Queen Co. VA  (Age 81 years)
  Children	+ 1. Watson WALKER,   b. 10 Sep 1834, Chatham Hill, King & Queen Co. VA ,   d. 06 Oct 1900, Chatham Hill, King & Queen Co. VA  (Age 66 years)   2. Mary Alice WALKER   3. Melville WALKER,   b. 15 Apr 1846, Chatham Hill, King & Queen Co. VA ,   d. 06 Dec 1904, Locust Grove, King & Queen Co. VA  (Age 58 years)   4. Sarah WALKER   5. Elizabeth Temple WALKER   6. Susannah WALKER   7. Coke WALKER
  Last Modified	4 Sep 2014
  Family ID	F4582	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart