52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Washington Walker

My research into Washington Walker started many years ago, and sat stagnant for at least 5 years. About once a year I would go in and dust the information off and wonder if my research was correct, was he my ancestor and did he serve in the Civil War. I had NEVER researched an ancestor in the military when I originally discovered Washington. In the years that followed I had found my Revolutionary War soldier and joined the DAR. But, moving forward with research on Washington was something I was no ready to do, until this past spring. When I found all the information I was looking for and proved he was my ancestor and he did serve in the Civil War. Here is Washington’s story.

Washington Walker was born about 1833, supposedly in Pennsylvania, parents currently unknown.¹ Read BRICK WALL ANCESTOR ALERT! Unfortunately, no records have been found on Washington before his 12 April 1854 marriage to Lucinda Delong,² in Lawrence Co., Ohio.

They had the following children:

James E (1861 – 1914)
William M (1863 – unknown)
John C (1866 – unknown)
Mary A (1868 – unknown)
Hannah (1869 – 1871)
Dorcas (1871 – 1944)
Florence (1872 – 1947)
Charles E (1873 – 1964)
George Franklin (1875 – unknown)

Looking at the time frames of the birth of their children, you can see that there is a lull in having children in the later years of the Civil War (1864 – 65), a good reason to check military records. According to his draft registration papers, he was drafted in June of 1863 (and his place of birth is listed as Ohio).

Washington served with Company C, 126th Regiment, Ohio Infantry. From the small amount of reading I have completed in his 160+ pages of records, he was ill and when he was released back to duty, he went awol (absent without leave) for about a month. Once I have completed transcribing all of those records, I will post what I have learned from them.

On his draft registration papers, Washington is listed as a collier. That seems to be a fancy way of saying he was a coal miner.

Washington died on 12 Mar 1896 in Lawrence Co., Ohio.³