Joseph Walker (b. circa 1831 - d. ?)
MSA SC 5496-51518
Maryland State Colonization Society Emigrant to Liberia from Caroline
County, 1835
Biography:
Joseph Walker was the freeborn son of Luke and Ann Walker, manumitted slaves from Caroline County. Joseph had eight brothers and sisters; the two eldest, Thomas and Laura Ann, had had their freedom purchased by their father. The remaining siblings—George, Mahalah, William, Mary Adeline, Elizabeth, and Allen—were all free born.1
On December 24 1835, the entire Walker family, as well as Allen's fourteen-month old nephew John Smith, emigrated to Liberia, where Luke hoped to set up a saw mill.2 The Walkers sailed from Baltimore on the brig Fortune, arriving at Cape Palmas, Liberia on February 4, 1836.3 Adjusting to the climate and diseases of the new land was often difficult, if not fatal, for colonists. Children of Joseph's age were especially vulnerable.4 However, by the time that the colony's first census was conducted in 1837, Joseph and the rest of the Walkers had successfully acclimated.5 Luke worked as a carpenter and was soon appointed to the position of Measurer of Lumber and Inspector of Shingles for the colony.6 However, the family did not remain in Liberia for long. Luke became disillusioned by the frequent material shortages and lack of opportunities in the new colony.7 In June 1837, the family returned to the United States on the Niobe. Colonial officials welcomed Luke's departure, believing that his attitude demoralized the colonists as well as dissuaded potential settlers from coming to Liberia.8
By December 1837, the family probably lived in Baltimore where Luke owned a grocery store in the Fell's Point area.9 In 1850, several of Joseph's family members were living in New York City in the home of Lewis Walker, who was probably a relative. Joseph, however, was not listed as a member of the household.10
2. Hall, Richard L. On Afric’s Shore: A History of Maryland in Liberia, 1834-1857. (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 2003), 156.
3. Ibid, 453.
4. Ibid, 60.
6. Hall, 453.
7. Ibid, 156.
8. "Luke Walker." Maryland Colonization Journal, December 1837, Vol. 1, No. 13, p. 54.
9. Ibid.
10. U.S. CENSUS BUREAU (Census Record, NY) for Ann Walker, 1850, New York County, 1st District, 8th Ward New York City, Page 235a, Lines 37-42. Page 235b, Line 1.
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