BIOGRAPHIES
History of Pickaway County
and Representative Citizens
Edited and Compiled by
Hon. Aaron R. Van Cleaf
Circleville, Ohio
Publ. 1906
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WILLIAM D. WALKER,
whose excellent farm of 220 acres of valuable land is
situated on the Goose Pond turnpike, in Scioto township,
was born in this township Jan. 3, 1846, and is a son of
James and Sarah (Fretwell) Walker.
The Walker family is of old Virginian stock.
of English extraction. The great-grand-father was
born in England and in young manhood removed to
Albemarle County, Virginia. where he was
subsequently employed as a carpenter on the farm of
Thomas Jefferson. He married a Miss
Turner at Shadwell and they spent their lives
there, rearing three children. Thomas,
Sarah and John, the last named being the
grandfather of our subject. His widow resided with
her mother, whose second husband, a Mr.
Morgan, carried on a mill which belonged to Mr.
Jefferson. at old Shadwell. It was there
that John Walker, our subject's
grandfather was reared to manhood. learned
the millwright's trade and assisted in building the
large mill at Charlottesville, which in. its day was one
of note. He learned the milling business and
became head miller in 1816, holding the position until
1822, when he purchased a mill which he operated until
he came to Ohio in 1834.
John Walker was a soldier in the War of
1812, belonging to a corps of cavalry which was
stationed at Norfolk, Virginia. in order to protect the
coast in that vicinity from British invasion.
In June, 1816, John Walker was united in
marriage with Elizabeth Wertenbaker, who
was born in Albemarle County, Virginia. in 1800, and
died in her 82nd year, in 1882. John Walker
was born in June, 1786, and died in 1861, aged 77 years.
The oldest brother of Mrs. Walker was
William Wertenbaker, a brilliant young man,
who attended the University of Virginia, at
Charlottesville, for two years. He was then made
secretary of the faculty and librarian, through the
influence of President Jefferson. He
remained there 55 years, or until his death, a faithful
admirer of Thomas Jefferson to the last.
Mr. Jefferson reciprocated and there
are many family stories of an interesting nature to
testify to the esteem in which he held the Walkers
and their connections.
The children of John and Elizabeth (Wertenbaker)
Walker were as follows: Mary, who died
unmarried; James, our subject’s father;
William. who died soon after the family came to
Ohio; Susan, who married James May
and resided in Hardin County. Ohio, until her
death; Adeline, who married John
Cartmell and lives in Madison County, Ohio:
Benjamin F., who resides at Garnett, Kansas;
Sarah, deceased, who was the wife of A. L. Vittum;
Charles, who died at an early age; Louise,
deceased, who was the wife of William Gibson
and lived in Scioto township; Thomas Jefferson,
who is engaged in rice planting at Jennings, Louisiana;
Mildred, who married William Coontz
and lives in Kansas City, Missouri; Meriwether
Lewis, who lived and died at Circleville; Richard,
deceased, who resided in Madison County, Ohio; and
Melissa D., deceased, who was the wife of Edward
Thomas, of Scioto township.
James Walker, father of our subject, was
born in Albemarle County, Virginia, in 1818, and was 16
years of age when he accompanied his parents when in
1834 they drove a team across the mountains, bound for
Ohio. He located with them on the farm now owned
by Preston Peters, in Scioto township,
Pickaway County, two miles southeast of Commercial
Point, which place was formerly known as Genoa.
James Walker served from 1858 to 1864 as
postmaster at Genoa. He held other important
public positions. For nine years he served as
justice of the peace in Scioto township and also was one
of the township trustees for a long period. From
the age of 16 years until his death on Sept. 9, 1904, he
lived in Scioto township, with the exception of five
years prior to the Civil War, which he passed at
Georgesville, Franklin County. Later he returned
to Scioto township where his long life closed as
mentioned, being at that time aged 86 years and 3 days.
In 1843 James Walker was married to Sarah A.
Fretwell, who was born May 3, 1822, in Albemarle
County, Virginia, and was seven years of age when she
accompanied her parents, John and Margaret Fretwell,
to Scioto township, Pickaway County, Ohio, in 1829.
Mr. and Mrs. Fretwell lived in Pickaway County
and reared their children here. After the death of
his wife, Mr. Fretwell moved north of Columbus,
where he lived until his death in the latter part of the
’60’s.
The children of James and Sarah A. (Fretwell) Walker
were: Margaret M., who married John M. Durrett
and resides on the old home place; William D.,
who is the subject of this sketch; Robert R., who
died unmarried, aged about 25 years; John Fretwell,
who resides on a farm adjoining the old home place; and
Mary L., deceased, who was the wife of T. N.
Gray.
William D. Walker attended the district schools
and was reared principally on the farm in Scioto
township, where his father located in 1864. Until
his marriage our subject remained at home and then
located on the half of the 100 acres which his father
gave to him and his brother, and later he purchased his
brother’s interest. In 1905 he bought an
additional 120 acres, of the estate of A. E. Brown,
which was formerly known as the J. D. Mundell farm.
His land now aggregates 220 acres, on which he carries
on general farming, raising corn, wheat, hay and oats
and does considerable in the line of feeding cattle and
hogs. He utilizes two teams. A considerable
part of his farm Mr. Walker has devoted to
grass and raises a fine quality of hay. This land
is very favorably located and here Mr. Walker
has a beautiful home.
Source: History of Pickaway County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens, Edited and Compiled by Hon.
Aaron R. Van Cleaf. Circleville, Ohio - Publ. 1906 -
Page 686 |
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DR.
THOMPSON B. WRIGHT, was born at Circleville, in
August, 1864. He was graduated from Kenyon College
in 1883. Three years later he was graduated from
the Columbus Medical College. After practicing a
few months at South Bloomfield, he came to Circleville
and entered into partnership with his great-uncle, the
late Dr. Asad W. Thompson, which association
continued until 1894, since which year he has practiced
alone. During the Spanish-American War he spent
nine months in the service, as a surgeon of the Fourth
Regiment, Ohio Infantry, U. S. Volunteers.
Source: History of Pickaway County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens, Edited and Compiled by Hon.
Aaron R. Van Cleaf. Circleville, Ohio - Publ. 1906 -
Page 305 |
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