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The Barney History Project: The people, places, and stories of Barney, Georgia

William Webster Walker

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October 27 or 28, 1846 to November 19, 1924 | farmer, merchant, banker, legislator, mill executive, civic official, and railroad charter petitioner

Identity and evidence

William Webster Walker was the W. W. Walker who moved from old Troupville into Brooks County, farmed south of Quitman, entered business in town, served in the Georgia House, and led two local financial and industrial companies. The identity is verified through the 1850 to 1920 census chain, his wives and children, contemporary political and business reports, his full-name obituary, and his death and cemetery records.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

He was not Fleming Bates Walker, the Barney merchant who appears separately beside him in the South Georgia Railroad organization. He was also not his son William Arthur Walker, who later represented Brooks County. Initial-only reports are used here only when the date, place, office, relatives, or surrounding associates distinguish William Webster from those men.

The evidence places Walker's birth in October 1846 but does not settle the day. A compiled profile gives October 27; Oak Hill Cemetery memorial 86611079 gives October 28. His 1924 obituaries call him 78, which supports 1846. Folks Huxford's daughter-authored sketch instead heads the biography 1847-1924.[1][8][9] October 27 or 28, 1846 is therefore strong probable, while the exact day remains unresolved.

Parents, childhood, and migration

William was born at old Troupville in Lowndes County to Solomon Walker and Mary King. His Georgia death-record index names both parents.[9] Huxford says Solomon was born in Barnwell District, South Carolina, in 1790, came to Georgia as a boy, served in the War of 1812, and held a Wayne County militia commission in 1822. He identifies Mary as a daughter of Willis King.[1] Those details are family-history evidence. Solomon's military file and the original 1822 commission were not inspected for this dossier.

The census record places William in Solomon's Lowndes County household in 1850 and with the family in the 1200th Georgia Militia District in 1860.[2][3] In 1870, William was 23 and working as a farm laborer in Brooks County. Solomon appears nearby at age 80.[4] That 1870 entry conflicts with Huxford's statement that Solomon died in 1869; a compiled profile instead dates Solomon's death to July 1870. The census makes the 1869 year doubtful.

The full sibling list is not settled. An obituary for Isham Fleming Walker independently identifies W. W. Walker of Quitman as his surviving brother. Compiled profiles also connect William with Solomon Jr., Matilda, Nancy Jane, Julia Ann, Sophia, Thomas or Henry Lloyd, Isham Fleming, and Mary Walker, plus a probable half-brother, James Newton Walker.[10] The original household images and parental marriage records are still needed before dividing full siblings from half-siblings.

Marriages and children

Brooks County marriage indexes record W. W. Walker's marriage to Elizabeth J. Brown on November 1, 1871.[11] Huxford calls her Eliza, daughter of Hezekiah Brown. The 1880 census lists William as a farmer in Nankin with wife "Elisa" and sons Manor, William, and Terrell.[5]

The first-marriage child list contains a genuine conflict. Huxford says the children were Mary, Anita Blanche, Manor, and William A. The 1880 census instead shows Manor, William, and two-year-old Terrell E. Walker. Manor's death record names W. W. Walker and Eliza Brown as his parents.[12] No later identity-secure record for Terrell was found, and no independent record was located for Mary or Anita Blanche. They may have died young, Huxford's punctuation may be defective, or one of the sources may be wrong. The evidence does not decide among those possibilities.

Eliza reportedly died in 1884, but no original death or cemetery record was found. William then married Virginia Morris. A compiled profile cites a Brooks County marriage dated July 10, 1884, but the original image was not inspected.[13] Virginia was born in Jefferson County, Florida, to Joel M. Morris and Rebecca Henderson. She survived William and died in 1944.

William and Virginia's children were Blanche, Edgar J., Morris Joel, and Lloyd Webster Walker. Blanche married Quitman attorney Samuel T. Harrell. Edgar died unmarried in 1908. Morris remained in Quitman, while Lloyd married Dolly or Dollie Daniel and lived in Millen. The 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses support the household sequence.[6][7][8] Manor, William's oldest surviving son by Eliza, died at his father's home on January 25, 1924, after a long illness.[14]

Farming, property, and the move to Quitman

Walker began as a farmer. His 1880 Nankin household gives that occupation, and Huxford says he owned large farming interests in southern Brooks County.[1][5] An 1882 report offers a concrete glimpse of that period: fire destroyed W. W. Walker's large dwelling, smokehouses, and most of their contents twelve miles south of Quitman.[15]

The 1924 obituary says Walker spent nearly half a century in Brooks County and moved into Quitman about 1890. Census and property evidence fit that broad chronology. In January 1890 he paid $3,005 at the Stevens estate sale for a residence, three-quarters of an acre, and an adjoining brick store.[16] The 1900 census found his household in Quitman, and later reports place his home on West Screven Street.[6][17]

Walker owned valuable commercial property as well as farms. In August 1908, the Brooks County Farmers' Union bought the old compress lot from him for $7,500 and announced plans for a fireproof brick-and-iron cotton warehouse.[18] His obituary said he still held large realty interests when he died.[17] No complete deed index, tax digest, probate inventory, or will was available, so those examples cannot be turned into a complete landholding or net-worth estimate.

Merchandising and the Merchants' and Farmers' Bank

After farming, Walker entered the mercantile business in Quitman. The obituaries and Huxford agree on that sequence but do not identify his firm or give exact opening and closing dates.[1][17][19]

He became a director of the Merchants' and Farmers' Bank by February 1893. Contemporary annual-meeting reports list him on its board in 1893, 1894, 1896, and 1900.[20][21][22][23] Huxford says the bank opened in 1891, so Walker was an early director but not one of the original seven. It became the First National Bank in 1905. His later leadership of Citizens Bank was a separate office.

Citizens Bank

Citizens Bank was incorporated in December 1905 by Walker, S. S. Bennet, J. H. McCall, R. A. Griffin, and I. N. Johnson with $50,000 capital.[50] Its first officers were Bennet as president, Walker as vice president, and J. Russell Davis as cashier.[24][51] Walker became president by February 1908.[52] An official state bank statement dated November 16, 1909 confirms him in that office. It reports $50,000 paid-in capital, total resources of $167,270.03, deposits and time certificates totaling $99,766.38, undivided profits of $7,503.65, and $10,000 in bills payable.[25]

He remained president in February 1911, when a newspaper profile reported $100,000 capital and $20,000 in surplus and undivided profits.[26] The increase from the 1909 official figure may reflect a later recapitalization, but no charter amendment was inspected. A January 1912 annual meeting returned Walker as president after electing a nine-member board.[27]

Huxford says Walker resigned in 1917 and was succeeded by Davis. Citizens Bank was absorbed by the First National Bank around 1918.[24] The later merger eventually contributed to the Citizens National Bank lineage, but Walker did not live to serve the successor under that name.

Atlantic & Gulf Mills

Walker helped finance the 1899 revival of Quitman's cotton mill. Huxford lists his initial subscription as $1,500 and says all the named subscriptions were later raised by 25 percent. If applied uniformly, Walker's commitment became $1,875, though no original subscription book was inspected.[28]

Atlantic & Gulf Mills elected Frank J. Spain president, Walker vice president, H. W. Stubbs secretary-treasurer, and John W. Spain agent. A contemporary stockholders' report confirms Walker's vice presidency.[29] The mill became a major local employer and remained locally controlled.

The date of Walker's promotion to president has been misstated. Huxford says he succeeded Frank Spain after Spain's death in 1906.[28] A 1907 annual-meeting report still calls Walker vice president.[53] Contemporary reports then say that on October 15, 1912, the directors elected him president and general manager after John W. Spain resigned; H. Lane Young became vice president. Another report says Walker would take active control during the reorganization.[30][31] The contemporary sequence controls.

The reorganization did not prevent failure. Three unsecured creditors filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against Atlantic & Gulf Mills in April 1913, and a Valdosta report said Quitman banks were its largest creditors.[54] The article does not accuse Walker personally of misconduct. It establishes the company's condition during his presidency, not a finding against him.

Georgia House of Representatives

Walker entered the Georgia House after Representative William Capers Wade died in 1899. A contemporary report says Walker won the July 5 Democratic nomination to succeed Wade by 200 votes.[32] August coverage then describes his election without opposition.[55][56] He took the oath on October 25, 1899. Speaker John D. Little assigned him to the general agriculture and appropriations committees, though the surviving OCR cuts off the rest of the committee list.[57][58] Georgia's 1925 official register lists W. C. Wade for 1898-1899, W. W. Walker for 1899, and Walker again for 1900-1901.[33] That official sequence is more precise than Huxford's summary that he served in 1899, 1900, and 1901.

A February 1900 report says Walker had served only part of the prior term because Wade died shortly after the first session, and that local opinion favored another term.[34] Walker won the following House term. He ran again in 1902 on a platform favoring a county liquor dispensary but lost to prohibition candidate Dr. S. S. Gaulden, 720 to 509.[35][59]

No House journal speech, introduced bill, attributable roll-call vote, or complete committee list was located. The record establishes his service, two committee assignments, and campaign positions, not a detailed legislative program.

Quitman government, schools, and civic work

Walker was elected to Quitman's graded-school governing board in March 1892.[36][37] He later served on city council. Contemporary reports place him on the aldermanic ticket in 1898 and 1900, and a 1911 account names him among the sitting aldermen under Mayor Joseph D. Wilson.[38][39][26] Huxford's municipal roster also lists him for 1898-1901 and 1904-1905.[40]

In 1912, Walker, R. C. McIntosh, and H. W. Stubbs served on the commission for a $35,000 school-building bond issue. The commission ratified and sold the bonds, then became involved in a legal dispute between city council and the school board over control of the funds. Judge W. E. Thomas ruled for the school board. The evidence does not show that Walker caused the dispute or controlled the final building plan.[41][42]

Walker was also a trustee of Quitman's Royal Arcanum council in 1912.[43] In December 1913 he joined the petition to incorporate the Quitman Country Club. The group planned 50 charter members at $100 a share and a recreation complex on former J. W. Avera property.[44] No checked source makes him a club officer.

Railroads and interurban proposals

Walker was one of 26 petitioners for the South Georgia Railroad charter in February 1896. Huxford's list names W. W. Walker and F. B. Walker separately.[45] Walker was not on the January subscription committee, the first nine-member board elected in March, or the first officer slate.[46] No stock ledger or personal subscription amount was found. His verified role is charter incorporator, not operating officer or proven stockholder.

In 1907, Walker joined 30 other petitioners seeking a charter for the Quitman, Valdosta & Thomasville Electric Railway and Power Company. The proposed 50-mile street railway would run through Blue Springs and Quitman, cross the South Georgia Railroad, and continue to Thomasville. It also sought authority to sell electric power. Four weeks of published notices prove the application and Walker's participation, but no inspected source proves that the charter was granted or that the line was financed or built.[47]

In July 1909, Walker served on a seven-man committee charged with canvassing subscriptions and securing right of way for the proposed Quitman, Monticello & Tallahassee Railroad. Organizers reported $28,000 pledged toward an initial capitalization of $150,000. The article does not state Walker's personal pledge, and the proposed route was not completed as described.[48]

Final years, death, and burial

The 1920 census found Walker in Quitman with sons William A., Joel Morris, and Lloyd. Their occupations included publishing, bookkeeping, and pharmacy work.[8] Walker remained a substantial property owner but gradually withdrew from business. Huxford says he left the Citizens Bank presidency in 1917, and the 1924 press called him a retired capitalist.[17][24]

Walker suffered a stroke about 1922. A second stroke two weeks before his death left him bedridden. He died at his West Screven Street home late Wednesday, November 19, 1924.[17][19] The funeral was held at the residence at 4 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, with the Rev. W. P. Blevins of the Methodist Church officiating. A Macon headline says he was interred on Wednesday, but its own body says he died Wednesday night and the funeral occurred the next afternoon. Thursday is the coherent date.

His widow Virginia survived him, along with William A. Walker of New York, Blanche Walker Harrell, Morris Walker, and Lloyd Walker. The obituary identifies William A. as the surviving son of the first marriage and the other three as children of the second.[17] Oak Hill Cemetery memorial 86611079 gives his death date and burial place.[8] The marker was not inspected, so the exact birth day remains unresolved.

Walker's public record is unusually broad. He worked first from a farm, then through merchandising, banks, a cotton mill, local government, schools, and transportation projects. The evidence also shows where that summary has limits: his exact birth day, the first-marriage child list, his complete property holdings, and the fate of several proposed railways remain open.

Open questions and research limits

  • October 27 versus October 28, 1846 remains unresolved because the death certificate and cemetery marker image could not be freshly inspected.
  • Huxford's first-marriage child list conflicts with the 1880 census. No later record was found for Terrell E. Walker, and no independent record was found for Huxford's Mary or Anita Blanche.
  • No death or cemetery record was located for Eliza Brown Walker.
  • A candidate Confederate service index for a William W. Walker in Company G, 14th Georgia Infantry lacks the age, residence, or kinship needed to identify him as this man. Military service remains possible, not proved.[49]
  • No complete deed, tax, probate, will, or estate audit was available. The plantation acreage and final estate value remain unknown.
  • No original South Georgia Railroad stock ledger, granted 1907 electric-railway charter, or construction record was found.

Sources

  1. Folks Huxford, The History of Brooks County, Georgia, 1858-1948 (1948), pp. 572-573, family sketch by Blanche Walker Harrell.
  2. 1850 U.S. census, Lowndes County, Georgia, Solomon Walker household, FamilySearch image 83 of 128, person ID MZYY-RV4.
  3. 1860 U.S. census, 1200th Georgia Militia District, Lowndes County, NARA M653, roll 129, p. 854, Ancestry record 11369534.
  4. 1870 U.S. census, Brooks County, Georgia, William Walker, NARA M593, roll 137, p. 47B, Ancestry record 585394; Solomon Walker record 585392.
  5. 1880 U.S. census, Nankin, Brooks County, Georgia, W. W. Walker household, NARA T9, roll 135, p. 344C, ED 5, Ancestry record 8271145.
  6. 1900 U.S. census, Quitman, Brooks County, Georgia, William Walker household, NARA T623, roll 181, p. 8, ED 6, FamilySearch image ark S3HT-DYQ7-91B.
  7. 1910 U.S. census, Quitman, Brooks County, Georgia, William W. Walker household, NARA T624, roll 174, p. 1A, ED 17, FamilySearch image ark 33SQ-GRJ5-93LF.
  8. 1920 U.S. census, Quitman, Brooks County, Georgia, William W. Walker household, NARA T625, roll 237, p. 5A, ED 39, FamilySearch image ark 33S7-9R67-666; Find a Grave memorial 86611079.
  9. Georgia death records, William Webster Walker, Ancestry database 2562, record 60181528; FamilySearch digital film 004178781, image 461 of 1498, ark S3VT-DX9S-X2.
  10. Isham Fleming Walker obituary and compiled Walker family citations summarized in the genealogy report.
  11. Brooks County marriage indexes, W. W. Walker and Elizabeth J. Brown, November 1, 1871, Ancestry database 7839, record 199415, and database 4766, record 20182732.
  12. Georgia death records, Manor Isham Walker, Ancestry database 2562, record 199592; Find a Grave memorial 137624246.
  13. Brooks County marriage citation for William W. Walker and Virginia Morris, July 10, 1884, preserved through WikiTree profile Walker-49033; original image not inspected.
  14. "Manor I. Walker", Macon Telegraph, January 26, 1924, p. 5, Newspapers.com image 826002348.
  15. Walker dwelling fire, Atlanta Constitution, March 5, 1882, p. 2, image 26823434.
  16. Stevens estate sale, Weekly Columbus Enquirer-Sun, January 18, 1890, p. 4, image 852098250.
  17. "Retired Capitalist of Quitman Expires", Macon Telegraph, November 21, 1924, p. 3, image 826124656.
  18. Compress-lot sale, Valdosta Daily Times, August 11, 1908, p. 4, image 889671142.
  19. William Webster Walker obituary, Valdosta Daily Times, November 21, 1924, p. 2, image 889457321.
  20. Merchants' and Farmers' Bank election, Savannah Morning News, February 8, 1893, p. 1, image 852568229.
  21. Merchants' and Farmers' Bank election, Savannah Morning News, February 7, 1894, p. 2, image 852568172.
  22. Merchants' and Farmers' Bank election, Atlanta Journal, February 5, 1896, p. 2, image 968841689.
  23. Merchants' and Farmers' Bank election, Atlanta Constitution, February 14, 1900, p. 4, image 34113996.
  24. Huxford, pp. 212-213, Citizens Bank history.
  25. Georgia Treasury Department, Annual Report of the Treasurer of the State of Georgia for the Year Ending December 31, 1909, Citizens Bank statement dated November 16, 1909, Internet Archive item annualreporttre08deptgoog.
  26. Quitman and Brooks County profile, Macon Telegraph, February 19, 1911, p. 22, image 825463936.
  27. Citizens Bank annual meeting, Macon Telegraph, January 14, 1912, p. 25, image 825457969.
  28. Huxford, pp. 207-208, Atlantic & Gulf Mills history.
  29. Atlantic & Gulf Mills officers, Savannah Morning News, September 19, 1899, p. 2, image 852558860.
  30. Atlantic & Gulf Mills election, Valdosta Daily Times, October 16, 1912, p. 5, image 889662116.
  31. Atlantic & Gulf Mills reorganization, Macon Telegraph, October 19, 1912, p. 8, image 825376673.
  32. Brooks County Democratic nomination, Savannah Morning News, July 6, 1899, p. 2, image 852558483.
  33. Georgia Department of Archives and History, Georgia's Official Register, 1925, Brooks County House roster, scan leaf 289.
  34. Walker reelection campaign, Macon Telegraph, February 11, 1900, p. 2, image 825981992.
  35. Huxford, pp. 404-405, Brooks County prohibition and 1902 legislative election.
  36. Quitman school-board nominations, Macon Telegraph, March 25, 1892, p. 2, image 825372234.
  37. Quitman municipal election, Savannah Morning News, March 31, 1892, p. 2, image 778612747.
  38. Quitman aldermanic ticket, Atlanta Constitution, March 18, 1898, p. 5, image 34084831.
  39. Quitman municipal nominations, Savannah Morning News, March 28, 1900, p. 6, image 852603938.
  40. Huxford, pp. 201-203, Quitman alderman roster.
  41. Quitman school-bond commission, Atlanta Journal, April 13, 1912, p. 5, image 969945922.
  42. School-fund ruling, Valdosta Daily Times, June 8, 1912, p. 5, image 889656466.
  43. Royal Arcanum officers, Atlanta Journal, April 15, 1912, p. 2, image 969946608.
  44. Huxford, pp. 314-315, Quitman Country Club incorporation.
  45. Huxford, pp. 197-198 and 257, South Georgia Railroad organization and charter petitioners.
  46. South Georgia Railroad first board and officers, Savannah Morning News, March 24, 1896, p. 2, image 852573116.
  47. Quitman, Valdosta & Thomasville Electric Railway charter notice, Valdosta Daily Times, May 31, 1907, p. 6, image 889830288, and June 14, 1907, p. 7, image 889830630.
  48. Quitman, Monticello & Tallahassee Railroad organization, Valdosta Daily Times, July 19, 1909, p. 4, image 889803481.
  49. Candidate Confederate service index, William W. Walker, Company G, 14th Georgia Infantry, Ancestry database 1138, record 1782069; identity not established.
  50. Citizens Bank incorporation, Atlanta Constitution, December 27, 1905, p. 7, image 26844844.
  51. Citizens Bank officers, Courier-Journal, January 1, 1906, p. 25, image 1117706612.
  52. Citizens Bank officers, Courier-Journal, February 3, 1908, p. 8, image 119212285.
  53. Atlantic & Gulf Mills annual meeting, Valdosta Daily Times, October 2, 1907, p. 5, image 889833887.
  54. Atlantic & Gulf Mills bankruptcy petition, Valdosta Daily Times, April 29, 1913, p. 8, image 889655990.
  55. Walker special election, Atlanta Constitution, August 11, 1899, p. 7, image 26953873.
  56. Walker special election, Atlanta Journal, August 12, 1899, p. 4, image 969452413.
  57. Walker takes the oath, Atlanta Constitution, October 26, 1899, p. 9, image 26861380.
  58. House committee assignments, Atlanta Constitution, November 2, 1899, p. 5, image 26862318.
  59. Walker dispensary campaign, Atlanta Constitution, May 19, 1902, p. 5, image 34099862.