|
KANAWHA COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: WALKER, John R.
******************************************************************
Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Sandy Spradling
SSpradling@AOL.com
September 26, 1999
******************************************************************
History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and Representative
Citizens
W.S. Laidley
Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, ILL.
1911
p. 432-433
JOHN R. WALKER, M. D., one of the older members of the medical profession at
Marmet, formerly known as Brownstown, Kanawha County, W. Va., was born in
this county, June 19, 1832, and is a son of Albert G. and Mary (Sims) Walker,
and a grandson of John Walker and John Sims, and a great-grandson of Charles
Hunter.
John Walker was born in England and was a young man when he came to America
and settled in Essex County, Va., where he married Lucy Kock. Their children
were: Livingston, Jane May, James H., Harriet W., Thomas and Albert G.
Albert G. Walker, father of Dr. Walker, was born in Essex County, Va. He
became a farmer and in 1850 emberked as one of the pioneer merchants at
Brownstown, where he continued in business for many years, finally retiring
and his death took place here when he had almost reached his seventy-sixth
birthday. He married Mary Sims, a daughter of John Sims, who was a farmer
below Charleston. The Sims family as well as the Walkers and Hunters were all
old and prominent people in Virginia. Col. Charles Sims was a member of the
U. S. Congress, from California, being a native of Nicholas County, where the
family at one time was rich and prosperous. William Sims of Nicholas County,
was sheriff, and another William Sims became a judge in Cali-fornia. John
Sims lived to the age of eighty-four years, spending his last days in the
home of Albert G. Walker. Sixteen children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Walker,
the survivors being John R., Lucy Hill, Mildred Brazee, Mil-lie Rose Grant,
Hattie Scott and Josie Mathews. The mother of Dr. Walker died at Brownstown
when aged eighty-two years.
John R. Walker obtained his early education in an old log schoolhouse with
slab benches and puncheon floor. Later he became a clerk in his father's
store, and while still selling goods, studied his medical books, but before
an oppor-tunity came for him to complete his professional education, the
Civil War broke out and he be-came a soldier, enlisting in i86i in the 8th
Va. Cavalry, Confederate Army, in which he served for three years,
participating during this time in many warm engagements. He was fortunate
enough to escape capture and wounds and after a short period at home entered
the Eclectic Medical College at Cincinnati, where he was graduated in 1867.
For eight years Dr. Walker then practiced medicine at Logan Court House,
coming then to Brownstown, where he has been a very busy general practitioner
until quite re-cently and has been the oldest practicing physi-cian in
Kanawha County. He still consents to a little office practice, but in the
main passes over his heavier professional responsibilities to younger
shoulders.
Dr. Walker married Mrs. Fanny (Powell) Walker, at. that time a widow. Her
parents were Charles and Lucinda Powell, who owned several plantations in
Virginia prior to the Civil War. Dr. and Mrs. Walker had two children, Albert
G. and Powell Edward. The former, a railroad man, married Lizzie Lewis and
they have one daughter, Margaret Elizabeth. The younger son died at the age
of two years and Mrs. Walker passed away on May 23, 1895. Dr. Walker is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, south. Politically he has always
been a Democrat. When Winifrede was first made a post-office, Mr. William
O'Connor,
who was the owner of the Winifrede Coal Mines there was made postmaster and
Dr. Walker became assistant; and later, for about twenty years served as
postmaster at Browns-town.
Sandy Spradling
SSpradling@AOL.com
State Contact for WV GenExchange
http://www.genexchange.com/wv/index.cfm
|
