Dianne Timmerman (May 30th 2015) wrote ..
Samuel Walker and family … help please
My Grandmother’s family came from Ilkeston. I have enjoyed reading this site. It has given me more insight into how they lived while here.
I do have a question that I hope someone can give insight into.
My great grandmother and great grandfather. were the only ones to come to USA. None of the family from either side came. They all stayed in the UK .With all my other families they came as a group. Maybe not all at once but, they did get here.
Samuel Walker and Harriet Winfield Walker were the only ones to go it alone. Why would they do that? Anyone have any ideas.
They had two young sons when they left and the rest of the family was born here. My grandmother and her twin sister being the youngest and born in 1884. I tried tracking down Samuel and Harriets brothers and sisters but, once the parents died I lost any trace of the few I had been able to track.
Thank you for your time.
Dave replied (May 30th 2015) …
I am assuming that your great grandparents were Samuel Walker and Harriet Winfield … married at Queen St. Baptist Chapel on Mar 20th 1866??
They had two sons born in Ilkeston … Samuel (1866) and Thomas Darington (1869) … before making their way to the USA about 1870?
I have found a fitting family on the 1870 census at Nebraska, the same family making their way to Iowa by 1880.
Why they went to the USA? There could be a generic reason, (let’s say associated with conditions in Ilkeston at that time?) or very individual/personal reasons (related to the family circumstances?)
I suspect that others reading your question would only be able to offer a general idea/guess.
If you could offer a little more detail about Samuel and Harriet?
You say that they had origins in Ilkeston.
Again I am assuming (guessing?) that Samuel was the son of Samuel senior and Mary (nee Hayes) of Park Road. There were several other children in the family and I have some details about several of them.
Harriet Winfield? … of Stapleford, Notts?… daughter of Richard and Elizabeth, born in 1844?
It would be interesting to hear what a life they made in the USA.
I believe that both Samuel senior and his wife Mary died in Ilkeston, in 1889 and 1894 respectively. Mary was buried in Stanton Road Cemetery.
Dianne added (May 30th 2015) …
Thank you for the quick reply.
Yes they were married at the Baptist Chapel. You have the correct family. I didn’t know them to ever be in Neb. so, may have to check that out. My info has them coming over at different times. Samuel first and then Harriet and the boys. But that could be wrong as none of us doing searching on this family were ever able to find a ship with them listed..Our info has them coming to Boone Iowa where Samuel was a coal miner. At that time Iowa was full of coal mines. My grandmother, Minnie, and her twin sister Mae were the youngest of the family. Mae never married and my grandmother had twins. My father Ralph and his twin sister Ruth. Samuel died in Polk Co, Des Moines, Iowa on June 22, 1921. Harriet dies several years earlier of cancer.
Years ago when I was heavy into searching for the branches of the families that stayed in UK I thought I had one very good clue. As it turned out I could never trace the family anywhere except Ilkeston. When one of the census was taken–sorry I don’t remember which one–Samuel and Mary’s grandson was visiting. His name was Samuel Wheatcroft. I find who I think were his mother, Sarah there daughter, and Samel Wheatcroft just a few doors down. So, I thought if I could find any living family member that trace back to this family then perhaps they would share info. That didn’t work out. Samuel had one brother and there were letters back and forth between John and Samuel but, no one knew what happened to the letters so, that trail was lost too. Mae did the writing for her father and it was thought that she had the letters. But, at her death no one could find them. At the time I was hoping to make contact with some family member that traced back to the Walkers and Winfields that might have the letters that Samuel sent and even family photos.. All of this was done long before we had so much on computers. I remember writing letters and then waiting for the replies. Now we wait sometimes only a few minutes and we have our answers..
My great grandparents didn’t acquire much in the way of material things. Neither did my grandmother Minnie. But, my father did well becoming a district fire chief in Des Moines. I was born and raised in Des Moines Iowa.. My husband is an aeronautical engineer. All three of our children went to University. Two became engineers. Ruth’s children have done well also. She had two son’s and both have engineering degrees.
Minnie’s husband, my grandfather was a real sweetheart. But, we have been told that Minnie’s father samuel was difficult to deal with. He died long before I was even born so I really don’t know the truth. I do know that my grandmothers favorite brother, Richard ,left home because of the treatment by his father. My grandmother got letters from him for several years and then they stopped and she never heard from him again. They just didn’t have what we have available today to find folks. It must have been very sad for her..
Dave wrote (Jun 2nd 2015) ..
Thanks for taking to time to send such interesting and valuable family information.
If you don’t mind I would like to incorporate it into a new page on the Walker family, close to the ‘Park Road‘ page.
It should appear shortly. In the meantime if there is anything else you would like to add, do feel free!!
Dianne (Jun 2nd 2015) replied …
That would be great. Please put the info on the Walker’s where you think they belong.
Dianne added (Jun 11th 2015) …
I have one more thing to add to the Walker family history that someone down the line may find informative.
Its a medical history of strokes within this family.
Since I only have the history of the family on this side of the pond I don’t know what the causes of death were of the folks that stayed in the UK. I also have no idea if it would have been a weakness from the Walker or from the Winfield side.
My grandmother Minnie Walker West died of a massive stroke in her 70’s.
So did her twin sister Mae. Mae lived a few weeks after her stroke but my grandmother died within a few days of her stroke.
Then my Aunt Ruth, Minnie’s daughter, had a massive stroke and she lived for at least a year but was bedridden until she died.
Then my father Ralph, Ruth’s twin, had a massive stroke that paralyzed one side of his body. He lived for ten years in this condition before passing away.
I have a death date for both Samuel and Mary Walker but have no cause of death listed.
All of my family lived to old age before hit with all these strokes But because so many of them had them I feel there is a weakness there in one of the family lines. Just don’t know which one.
If anyone in this family ends up doing a medical genealogy they will find this helpful.
Dianne asked (July 9th 2015) …
You mentioned in a reply to me that Mary Walker was buried at Stanton Rd. Did you find a listing on the cemetery site for her? If she is buried there would her husband Samuel also be there? I searched for years for a burial site for them even writing to the Baptist church with no luck. You have been most helpful and I thank you.
Dave replied (July 10th 2015) …
Mary Walker, aged 83, was buried in Stanton Rd Cemetery on Sunday, November 18th 1894, in grave no. 397 in the Second Class section. The burial fees were 13 shillings. The source for this information was the burial records of the cemetery.
I believe her husband Samuel, aged 78, was buried on November 19th 1889 but as yet, I don’t have the record details for him.
I will check all these details but please bear with me … it may not be soon, so please don’t hold your breath!!
I will try to be as quick as possible and will reply to you directly via your email address
Dianne added (July 12th 2015) …
Great info for me. Thank you so very much.
