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James Phillip Walker (abt. 1590 - abt. 1625)

James Phillip Walker
Born about in Weymouth, Dorset, Englandmap
Ancestors ancestors
[sibling(s) unknown]
[spouse(s) unknown]
[children unknown]
Died about at about age 35 in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusettsmap
Profile last modified | Created 25 May 2011
This page has been accessed 2,214 times.
Research suggests that this person may never have existed. See the text for details.

Biography

There's a fairly elaborate narrative constructed around the origins of Sarah (Walker) Tisdale and James Walker who emigrated to New England in 1635, aged 17 and 15 respectively, as servants and likely niece and nephew of emigrant John Brown(e).

The "widow Walker" family speculation, discussed in detail on her profile, is at least based on a few sketchy facts.

Their alleged father "Sir James Walker, Elector of Suffolk", on the other hand, appears to have been pure fiction. Of him, it is claimed that:

  • he was knighted
    • no evidence
  • he was an "Elector of Suffolk"
    • there is literally no such thing as an Elector of Suffolk
  • he and his children were born in Weymouth, Dorset, England
    • Suffolk and Dorset are different places
  • alternately, he and his wife and children and their uncle John Brown were born in Hawkedon, Suffolk, England
    • at least this one's in Suffolk
    • some say that the John Brown of Hawkedon died in Watertown in 1636, though Anderson doesn't agree that there's any evidence for this either
    • the Walker children's uncle John Brown died in Rehoboth in 1662
    • Anderson gives this Brown's origin as London
    • a Hawkedon origin might pan out, but is at best unproven
  • he married "Elizabeth, Great Grand Daughter of Henry Gray Duke of Suffolk and Great Grand Daughter of Lord Guilford Dudley and second cousin of 'Elizabeth' daughter of King James the 1st of England"
    • this is basically ridiculous and a great illustration of how writers in the 19th and 20th centuries just made stuff up to claim royal ancestry
  • alternately, he married Elizabeth Browne on 6 Jun 1614 in Radcliffe, Lancashire, England
    • this appears to be a real marriage record
    • Radcliffe is nearly 300 miles from Weymouth, 200 miles from Suffolk
    • a Radcliffe lead might pan out, but is at best unproven
  • he and his wife and three or five or six children, including Sarah and James, emigrated together to New England prior to 1625
    • there is no record of him in New England then or at any other time
    • Sarah and James are known to have emigrated in 1635
  • he settled Rehoboth before dying in Taunton in 1625
    • Taunton wasn't founded until 1637
    • Rehoboth wasn't founded until 1643

Altogether, although there were undoubtedly plenty of men named James Walker in England during this time period, there's no evidence connecting any of them to the Walkers who migrated to New England, and the story told about this "Sir James Walker" is almost certainly fiction.

England, Select Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991 VIEW RECORD Name James Walker Gender Male Spouse Elizabeth Child Sarah Walker Household Members Name Age Elizabeth James Walker Sarah Walker

Sources


  • Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Volume 1, A-F. Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1995.
  • Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634–1635, Volume 1, A-B. Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1999.
  • Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634–1635, Volume 7, T–Y. Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 2011.

https://search.ancestry.com/collections/61157/records/1168427

Place: Massachusetts; Year: 1635; Page Number: 67 https://search.ancestry.com/collections/7486/records/1445196 Citation

"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGY-TCY8 : 15 December 2020), James Walker, ; Burial, Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States of America, Walker-Blake Graveyard; citing record ID 131045783, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

"England Marriages, 1538–1973 ", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NKSV-LQM : 12 March 2020), James Walker, 1694.


"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQBL-8MG : 19 September 2020), James Walker in entry for Richard Walker, 1627.

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JWDQ-HML : 19 September 2020), James Walker in entry for James Walker, 1620.





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Comments: 2

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Walker-23399 and Walker-2946 appear to represent the same person because: Both represent the disputed father of Sarah Walker Tisdale.

No idea where middle name Philip comes from. Middle names bot used then.

posted by Jillaine Smith
Walker-3268 and Walker-2946 appear to represent the same person because: With same vital dates, spouse( including profile ID) and same profile manager, these must be the same & should be merged.
posted by [Living Woodhouse]

Rejected matches › James Walker (abt.1620-abt.1691)

W  >  Walker  >  James Phillip Walker

Categories: Uncertain Existence