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WALKER FAMILY PAPERS

Correspondence and papers, 1833-1962
Manuscript Collection MC 584
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THE WALKER FAMILY

David Walker (1806-1879) was a prominent Arkansas lawyer and statesman. Following his 1830 arrival in Fayetteville from his native Kentucky, Walker enjoyed a lengthy career and impressive record in public service. Among other positions, Walker served as a state senator, Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, and President of the Arkansas Secession Convention in 1861. He also actively promoted the construction of railroads in post-Civil War Arkansas.

Walker married Jane Lewis Washington of Green Ridge, Kentucky, in 1833. Making their home in Fayetteville, the couple had eight children before Jane's death in 1847. Their second son, Charles Whiting Walker, served in the Confederate army and practiced law in Fayetteville following the war. His daughter, Nancy Walker Warren, gathered some of the items in this collection.

THE COLLECTION

Letters and personal papers pertaining to David Walker and the Walker family were donated to Special Collections by James and Muriel Chism of Rogers, Arkansas, March 1, 1986.

RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Fragile originals removed and replaced with positive photocopies have been indicated in the appropriate series descriptions.

Processed by Kim Allen Scott, October 1987. Special Collections Division, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Series 1. Correspondence, 1833-1910. Box 1, folder 1.

Correspondence written or collected by David Walker, Charles Whiting Walker, and Nancy Walker Warren pertaining to the Walker family, politics, and social matters. Fragile originals have been replaced with positive photocopies and have been indicated by an asterisk.
Box 1
Folder 1
  1. April 26, 1833*. Lucy Elizabeth Washington and Rebecca Washington (Green Ridge, Kentucky) to Jane L. Walker(Fayetteville, Arkansas Territory).
  2. January 26, 1834*. Rebecca Washington (Russelville, Kentucky) to Jane L. Walker (Fayetteville, Arkansas Territory).
  3. March 31, 1834*. Rebecca Washington (Green Ridge, Kentucky) to David Walker (Fayetteville, Arkansas Territory).
  4. March 3, 1835*. Whiting and Rebecca Washington (Green Ridge, Kentucky) to Jane L. Walker (Fayetteville, Arkansas Territory).
  5. January 2, 1842. David Walker (Little Rock, Arkansas) to Jane L. Walker (Fayetteville, Arkansas).
  6. December 3, 1842. David Walker (Little Rock, Arkansas) to Jane L. Walker (Fayetteville, Arkansas).
  7. February 20, 1860. Charles Whiting Walker (Lebanon, Tennessee) to David Walker [Fayetteville, Arkansas?].
  8. December 24, 1910. Charles Whiting Walker (Fayetteville, Arkansas) to Nancy Walker Warren (Black Rock, Arkansas).
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Series 2. Manuscript essays and articles. Box 1, folder 2.

Box 1 (cont.)
Folder 2
  1. Ca. 1876. Handwritten biographical sketch of David Walker. Unsigned. (This article appeared in the August, 1955, issue of Flashback under the title, "Biography of Judge David Walker by His Friend, Hon. Hiram Davis of Fayetteville, Arkansas.")
  2. January 19, 1907. "Address delivered by C.W. Walker on the occasion of the commemoration of the birth of Robert E. Lee."
  3. n.d. Notes comparing Sherman's treatment of Charleston, South Carolina, during the Civil War with Lee's orders at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Unsigned.
  4. n.d. Biographical sketch of David Walker. Unsigned.
  5. n.d. Biographical sketch of David Walker, signed "From Papa" [Charles Whiting Walker].
  6. n.d. Article describing a Civil War incident concerning bushwackers at the home of James W. Canady near Huntsville, Arkansas. Unsigned.
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Series 3. Genealogy notes. Box 1, folder 3.

Family charts, notes, clippings, and photocopies thereof relative to the Walker-Washington lineage as compiled by various family members and/or researchers. Included is "The Story of Fairfield, an Historic Estate, and of Washington's Influence in the Settlement of the Shennandoah Valley of Virginia," by William Harding Carter.
Box 1 (cont.)
Folder 3. Genealogy notes (31 items).
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Series 4. Photographs, ca. 1872-1962. Box 1, folder 4.

Box 1 (cont.)
Folder 4. Photographs, ca. 1872-1962.
  1. 4" x 2 1/2". Nancy Walker Warren, ca. 1872. Tintype portrait mounted in oval matte frame. "Jim's grandmother at 4 yrs. of age," written on verso.
  2. 4" x 5". Nancy Warren Walker and sisters, ca. 1890. Portrait of five adult women and one child. Separate piece of chipboard states "Nancy Walker Warren, Lou Wickersham, Jane Lewis Tillman, Ida Purdue, Ida Gilbert My mother's sisters and Aunt Ida Gilbert."
  3. 3 1/2" x 4 1/2". Tebbetts House, Fayetteville, Arkansas, ca. 1900. Five adults seated on the front porch of the Tebbetts House. "L. Grandfather, mamma, Grandmother, Uncle Joal and Aunt Lou. Mama intended to send you this and forgot," written on verso.
  4. 8" x 10". Tebbetts House, Fayetteville, Arkansas, ca. 1962. Mid-distance view.
  5. 3 1/2" x 5 3/4". Fairfield house, Virginia, n.d. Distance view of a large brick mansion. "Fairfield, the house of the early Fairfax family," written on verso.
  6. 12 1/2" x 9 1/4". Quilt, Mt. Vernon, Virginia, n.d. Close-up view of a white quilted sheet made by Rebecca Washington in 1812, now at Washington's home at Mount Vernon. Handwritten notes on verso signed by Sue H. Walker, November, 1913.
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Series 5. Newspaper clippings. Box 1, folder 5.

Newspaper clippings relative to the Walker family, their homes in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and some genealogical information. One clipping originally found in the collection, page one of the October 9, 1897, issue of the Louisville, Kentucky, Twice-a-Week Courier Journal has been removed because it had deteriorated to the point of illegibility.
Box 1 (cont.)
Folder 6. Newspaper clippings (7 items).
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Series 6. Miscellaneous. Box 1, folder 6.

Box 1 (cont.)
Folder 6. Miscellaneous items.
  1. Sample of hand embroidery done by Jane Lewis Walker in 1837, as identified by Nancy Warren Walker in 1915.
  2. "History of the white quilt made by Mrs. Rebecca Washington in 1812." Unsigned, n.d.
  3. Handwritten notes regarding the Rebecca Washington quilt by Nancy Warren Walker, n.d.
  4. Military order, "Headquarters, District of Arkansas, Camden, January 27, 1864." Appointment of David Walker to the military court of Lt. General Holmes. (Fragile original removed, use photocopy.)
  5. Application for admission to membership of the United Daughters of the Confederacy completed by Nancy Walker Warren, n.d.
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