Searching for Billy Walker - Part 4

 

The year 1899 saw the death of Winifred Walker.  Her husband Isaac died nine years earlier. And now I wondered about that mythical note of condolence written by William Walker listed in those family notes.  While it was a nice thought, it was doubtful at best . . . but I decided to poke around and see if I could find anything that might have given rise to that belief.   Again, I was astonished to find that not only did it exist, but that it had been published in the Frankfort Review newspaper.

Since several subsequent censuses indicated that William could not read or write despite  going to school off and on, I have to assume that he had help, maybe from Cordelia, writing this tribute.  As Winifred's descendant, I admit I am filled with emotion when I read this knowing that William was treated kindly and with love.  There is a warm heart and loving nature hidden behind her stern exterior.  The image of them taking her body from the train station with relatives and friends walking behind, including William, is also powerful.

Around the same time, the Walker and Golden families moved to Kansas City . . . as the family notes said they did!  Now I thought it might be difficult to follow them, but it turns out that the families always either lived together or next door to each other and between the Federal census, the Kansas State census, and the City Directories for Kansas City I was able to find William and his family.  When they left for Kansas City, William and Cordelia had eight children. They settled in at 1012 Oakland Ave. along with her parents and her sister's family.  There were 17 people in the one house.  The house has been torn down now. I know because I looked for it using Google Maps hoping to help me visualize that many people in one house, but all that is left is an empty lot overgrown with grass and weeds.

A few months later, Cordelia's father, the listed head of the household, died.  The American Citizen is a newspaper that served the African American population of Kansas City along with several other newspapers, but the availability of them online is limited.  While the 1900 census indicates that they rented the house, later census records state that that John's wife Letitcia Golden, owned the home.  She and her extended family, including William and Cordelia, lived there for many years. Tommie arrived in the family about 1904 but sadly died of pneumonia in 1907.

When I found a January 1902 article about William in the Frankfort Review, My reaction was shock, sadness and disbelief. To try and verify it I immediately looked on the Kansas State Historical website because I knew they had prisoner listings for the state prisons.  Sadly, I found a William Walker from Wyandotte county who had committed highway robbery in 1901. So it looked like it was true.  The only bright spot to this record was that it indicated his record  included a mugshot.  So assuming it to be William, I sent off for his prison record -- along with a $20 check of course. When it arrived, I tore it open and instantly looked for the mugshot.  Now, I paused . . . because I was looking at a big burly black man who claimed he was from Australia and had been sentenced to 20 years but was let out in 1912.  My William had his toes frozen off as a child and was supposed to be blind in one eye.  This couldn't be him, could it? What are the chances there were two William Walkers from Kansas City who committed highway robbery in the same manner in 1901?  I realized that it was possible since there were multiple men named William Walker living in Kansas City at that time.  I made a weak effort to find out but discovered little more.  After that my research on William went into an extended hibernation.  

Recently however my interest has been rekindled, and I don't really know why. I think Black History month makes me think of William. I have always wanted to write William's story, but I kept waiting until I found "all" the answers then I finally admitted to myself that it may never happen so on a whim one morning I started to write. 

I have now found William and Cordelia in the Kansas City Directories along with Federal and State census records as follows:

1902 - Walker, Wm (c) driver r 1012 Oakland

1903 - Walker, Wm M (c) janitor  r 1012 Oakland

            No Cordelia listed but Tommie was born Abt. 1903-04

1904 -  Walker, Wm M (c) cook  r 1012 Oakland

            Walker, Cordelia (c) laundress  r 1012 Oakland

1905 - Walker, Wm (c) lab  r 1012 Oakland

            Walker, Delia (c) cook  r 1012 Oakland

            

1905 - Kansas State Census shows all the people living at 1012 Oakland Ave.  It was a busy place!

1907 -  Walker, Wm  lab r 1012 Oakland 

             Walker, Delia  cook  Home Hotel  r  1012 Oakland

1908 - Walker, William  lab r 1012 Oakland

            Note: Cordelia does not show up but several of his children are working

1909 - Walker, William  lab r 1012 Oakland av

            Note: Cordelia does not show up

1910 - Walker, William  lab  r 1012 Oakland av

            Note: No Cordelia

1910 - U.S. Federal census gives another glimpse of the household and includes Cordelia working as a dishwasher in a lunchroom while William is listed as having no job.

1911 - Walker, William  lab  r 1012 Oakland av

1912 - Walker, William  r 1012 Oakland av  Notice he no longer lists a job.

            

 

I did not find William listed in any city directories after Cordelia's death in 1912 at 1012 Oakland Ave.  Did he move in with one of his adult children? Did he also pass away?  These are questions with no answers.  I contacted the person who manages Cordelia's memorial at Find A Grave, and she said that the records for this cemetery are in a mess so she had not seen anything for William. 

And so his story ends.  I kept hoping I would find out when he died and where he was buried but it has not happened.  This part four may be way more detail than anyone wants to read but I wrote it for myself and for other descendants of Isaac and Winifred Walker who want to know what happened to the child they took into their home. 

 I don't know what kind of man he turned out to be . . . religious, loving, kind, generous, hardworking, moody, lazy, or angry.  I do know that he was NOT a thief and that the reporter at the Frankfort Review was wrong. If that paper was still in business I would demand a retraction! 

I hope William has descendants . . . lord knows he had enough children . . .who would also like to read his story.   

And I will continue to search for that law.

Searching for Billy Walker - Part 3

  The next time I find Billy in a record is in the 1880 Federal census . . . actually I think he is in there twice.  There is a William Walker (B), age 22, working as a farm laborer for the Hugh Trosper family in Rock Township.  Remember. . . the Walker family also lived in Rock Township.  According to the census, he was born in Missouri and his parents in North Carolina.  This census was taken on  08 Jun 1880 and he was identified as single.

But wait, a William Walker (B), age 22, is also listed as working herding cattle for the Lee Hambilton farm in Guittard Township. This William Walker is listed as being born in Arkansas and no information about parents.  This census was taken on 02-03 Jun 1880 so could this be the same person working two jobs?? It was also two different census enumerators.  How many black men named William Walker age 22 and single do you think lived in this sparcely populated area of Kansas in 1880?  While we will never know for sure, I believe that they are the same person -- our Billy, who grew up to be William and with the surname of the family who took him in.

 Several years ago, I made a genealogy research trip to Marshall County, Kansas.  I have always intended to go back but life got in the way.  One of the places I stopped was at the Marshall County Historical Society research library and museum located in the Historic Courthouse on Broadway.  They were very nice and patient with me as I asked asked millions dozens of questions and found many records for my many ancestors who lived in Marshall County. 

It turns out that 1880 was a busy year for William. The most surprising record that I found was the marriage record for William and his wife Cordelia Golden. I gave the record a "golden" border just for her.  There is just one little problem.  Do you see the name of the groom?  Yeah, it says William Watkins. Oh, dear! They insisted that it could not have been a mistake, but anyone who has worked with genealogy records know that mistakes happen.  All of the subsequent census records indicate that this is William Walker, and I couldn't find a William Watkins anywhere in the area. The 1885 Kansas State census lists Cordelia married to William Walker with two children, Garfield, age 3 and Sadie, age 1 living next to her parents. It is interesting that in a 4-5 year span of time William is 4 years older but Cordelia is only 2 years older. Hmmm. . . there are several explanations for this.

 But by the 1895 Kansas State Census, they had moved into the city of Frankfort and their family had grown considerably.  In addition to William and Cordelia, there was Sarah/Sadie, Freddie, Henry, Willie and David.  Garfield was no longer there.  That pesky problem with Cordelia's age is still around but I will let you do the math!  Hint: Garfield was older than Sadie.

But 1895 wasn't done with the William Walker family yet.  The state census was taken the first day of March 1895.  Then look what happened the end of July!!

Welcome Phebe and Nettie!   

Between the 1885 and 1895 census records William occasionally showed up in the local newspapers.  He worked with his brother-in- law, Will Piner and must have been a regular church goer because he was baptized in 1893 in the river by the railroad bridge.  Lucky is the family historian whose ancestors lived in a small town because everyone and everything  makes it into the newspapers!

The year 1900 would bring big changes to the William Walker family but that will have to wait for part 4.  It is amazing how long it takes me to write these posts.

Searching for Billy Walker - Part 2

  I have spent quite a bit of time trying to decide how I want to present my findings.  Do I show them in the order they were found . . .or . . . should I present what I know of Billy's life in the order of his life?  I have decided on the latter, but be aware that my research discoveries sent me back and forth in his life often finding events that I did not have enough information to discover earlier.

  I want to begin with a quote by L.P. Hartley.  "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there." I believe this is important to keep in mind as family historians. Sometimes the language used by newspapers and individuals or the values they espouse do not seem appropriate by today's standards just as ours will not by future generations.

  I started my research using the information in the family notes that had been passed down. After all, that's all I had, and it turned out to be quite a lot.  My first question was how did he fail to show up in either the Federal Census or the Kansas State census, and this is where I discovered a black hole in my records. While I thought he had slipped between the census enumerations, it turns out that there is not an 1865 Kansas State Census OR an 1870 Federal Census for Rock Township, Marshall County, Kansas online. How did I not realize earlier that all of my Rock Township ancestors were missing the 1870 census? The Isaac Walker family lived in Vermillion Township in the 1865 census but Billy was not listed with the family.  I will update this when I receive responses to my inquiries.

  So the story of Billy Walker begins with his arrival in Rock Township, but, alas, there are conflicting stories.  The first is the one left in family notes: He was hiding in a cave on a farm adjoing the Walker property with other slaves who were making their way north to freedom in Canada. When he became sick and the severe cold caused him to lose several toes from frostbite he was left behind.  He was discovered there by Isaac Walker and taken into his home. It sounded like a family myth, but later, I found two newspaper articles that mentioned this child.  One was published in the Frankfort Review, Friday, 24 Feb 1899, page 4 and subsequently re-published in other local newspapers.  It tells a complicated story of a dying black man asking a Union soldier to find his family and check on them. When he did, he found the child starving and living with a struggling family after the death of his mother. The article then went on to talk about some "pious gentlemen" arguing over the fate of this poor child.  The "pious gentlemen" argued so forcibly that ". . .friends had to separate them to prevent bloodshed". "The result was that the child was adopted into the Isaac Walker family."  I like to think that Isaac was one of the friends and not one of the "pious gentlemen".  Regardless, this story seems very convoluted but maybe the truth is a bit of each.  I invite you to read the lengthy article for more details.

And then there was the 1899 obituary of Winifred Walker, Isaac's wife which also confirms that they did indeed take a young African American child into their family but the circumstances that brought about this event vary. I have tried to determine  how old this child was when he joined the Isaac Walker family. Later records indicate that he was born about 1858, but I believe that he was more than likely a bit older.  Realistically, he probably had no idea how old he was, and I picture him as frail.  

Those newspaper accounts included additional information which led me to a sad and dark part of Billy's life. After he came to live with the Walker's they decided that Billy should go to school.  Winifred Walker had a great interest in schools and had worked with her sister-in-law, Mary McKeever Barrett to organize the first school in Marshall county - the Barrett school.  I haven't been able to definitely determine which school Billy attended yet, but it couldn't have been too far a distance from the Walker farm.  One 1899 newspaper article describes its location as "six miles northwest of Frankfort in what was known as the Walker district".  This would put it near Winifred, Kansas.  "The school district at that time (Abt. 1863-1870) was 15 miles long by about seven wide." While the Walkers and others in the south part of the district felt that schooling would be good for Billy, there were others in the north who violently opposed it.  Now I am going to include a lengthy quote from an 1899 article in the Frankfort Review because I could not do it justice by summarizing it.  So Billy was sent to school, and he was barely seated when people in the north found out about it . . .

Another article written in 1901 by my great grandfather, David B. Walker, for the 15 Nov, 1901 edition of the Marshall County news titled "Early History of Marshall County" describes the events in this way.

The first article above in the 1899 Frantfort Review tells us, "The building has now been razed to the ground . . . yet around this old building clings an incident which gave life to a law now upon the statute books of the state which provides that all children, whether white or black, shall not be denied admission to the public schools of the state."  However, the 1901 Marshall County News article says that the law was voted on BEFORE the attack. Was it a state law or a local law?  I have not yet found that law but I keep searching.  Somewhere else I read that the law came after the attack but for the life of me, I cannot find it now. This is why I wanted to write a blog post.  I needed to document and organize this history because I am not the only descendant who never knew the story of Billy Walker.

In part 3, Billy grows up and becomes William Walker.

 

Searching for Billy Walker. . .

 

I have been searching for Billy Walker since before I knew his name.  

  It started one summer evening when an offhand remark by a newly found genealogy cousin sent me on a quest.  She was a descendant of Isaac and Winifred Walker as am I, and she invited me to her home - 7 hours away -  to discuss our common ancestors and share family information.  I, of course, had no stories to share since my parents divorced when I was seven years old, and I never saw that side of my family after that.  All of my information came from my research, but I am a damn really good researcher and had already found a pile of information about the Walkers and the Barretts. In fact, I smugly thought I had found the whole basic structure of the family and just needed to fill in photos, newspaper articles, and maybe some land information - you know, the fun stuff.  I had already read stories online and even a book about the Walker and Barrett families during those early days of Marshall County, Kansas.

  We were having a great time comparing records. She shared some wonderful photos of my ancestors who had only been names on paper up to that point, and I tried to help with her computer genealogy program. Then that night with papers and photos spread across the floor, she casually said, "I was told that Isaac Walker adopted a black child."  WHAT. . . wait a minute!  I had never seen that in the stories online, in the census records, or in newspaper articles about the family.  I knew they took two boys from the orphan train and that was a shock, but I had never heard about them adopting a black child.  She continued. . ."I heard he had been left behind by a group of slaves that had been hiding in a cave near the Walker farm, and he had frostbite so severely that he lost several toes." Isaac Walker, sometimes called "Free Soil Walker" was a staunch abolitionist who had been raised a Quaker and supported the underground railroad as slaves came through on their way north.  I asked his name but she had no idea and had no documentation. It was just a family story. You know. . . probably not true.

  Time went by and I searched a bit but could not find evidence for this family story. After all it is difficult when there is no name.  Then I made an online connection with another cousin who also descended from Isaac and Winifred and while she lived across the country, she happened to live only one hour from my son and his family.  So the next time I visited, we made arrangements to meet.  As usual, it was so interesting to hear about family squabbles and secrets in addition to some new photos and documents. We chatted for a while, and then she and her daughter smiled at each other and said, "Did you know Isaac Walker adopted a black child?"  My mouth dropped open as I told them that I had heard that from another descendant.  BUT they had notes that had been left by earlier family members!  This was just too much of a coincidence.  There had to be something to this story . . . some bit of truth, and I wanted to find it.

   But now from their notes I had a name . . . Billy Walker!   

  In addition, the note had multiple other tidbits of information.  

• It also said he moved to Kansas City.  Oh dear, I could imagine that there were many men with the common name of William Walker in a town the size of Kansas City. 
• It also said, ". . .this little boy was found in a cave nearly frozen while the rest of the slaves moved on to Canada. They left him behind."  "He was hungry, blind in one eye, and toes frozen off."  While this was not exactly the same, it was very similar to the story from my other genealogy cousin.
• It said that he wrote a letter to the editor expressing sadness and love for Winifred Walker when she died in 1899.  Now this did sound like a myth! 

  I now felt like I had something to work with but, in my usual fashion, I was easily frustrated by brick walls and sidetracked by other interesting family ancestors so Billy's story has languished inside my computer in a folder titled "William Walker".  

 

 His story is not finished, but what I have discovered is more that I could have imagined yet always less than I hoped for.  Research findings in my next posts. . .