At the moment, our library is closed for renovations, and is not expected to open again until early November. In the meantime, I suggest that you contact the Prince George's County Genealogical Society, which may be able to help you - pgcgs@juno.com
Good luck with your search!
Susan G. Pearl, Historian
Prince George's County Historical Society
--Previous Message--
: I am trying to get to the bottom of the
: Toaping Castle Walker situation. Notes
: below.
:
: �� I have found little if any documented
: evidence to suggest the Toaping Castle
: immigration story is true or can be
: believed. The ��STORY�� goes - 3 Walker
: brothers Isaac, Charles, and Nathan were a
: loyal Catholic Jacobites, and tradition has
: it that they survived of the Battle of
: Culloden 1746. After the battle, Isaac,
: Charles and Nathan, were forced to flee and
: find temporary secrecy and security in
: France. His wife Elizabeth Stuart was a
: member of the Stuart clan and of royal
: blood. Isaac left his wife behind him with
: the intention of returning for her - not
: daring to write to her lest the whereabouts
: of himself and brothers should become known
: - a reward of 500 pounds being on their
: heads as rebels and felons. By a strange
: coincidence when he arrived at Alexandria,
: Va. to take passage for Scotland to bring
: his wife over, he met Lady Elizabeth at the
: wharf, she having come over in a vessel in
: which he intended to sail. He sought a land
: grant and named the estate Toaping Castle
: after the home he had to leave behind in
: Scotland. Does any hard evidence exist or
: are researchers relying on the internet or
: the story put forth by Samuel Walker in 1883
: �V 129 years after the supposed flight from
: Culloden field to Maryland??? I suggest much
: more documented evidence is needed before
: folks jump in with both feet. This story
: reads like other tale tales that permeate
: genealogy.
: �� Another inconstancy in the ��toaping
: castle�� story: The roadside marker erected
: by the PGC historical society about Toaping
: Castle states: ��On this site Isaac, Charles
: and Nathan Walker �K. which the three
: brothers had fled after the failure of
: attempts to unseat GEORGE I, King of England
: as ruler of Scotland. Isaac permanently
: settled here and obtained land grants��.
: This can��t possibly be right. George I,
: King of Great Britain came to the throne in
: 1714 and died in 1727 �V 19 years BEFORE the
: battle of Culloden in 1746 and the brothers
: supposed flight from Scotland. According to
: the 1776 census Isaac Walker SR wasn��t born
: until 1721 and was around 6 years old when
: George I died in 1727 �V Was he an infant
: warrior?
: �� The original land patent for Isaac Walker
: was called Toping Castle not Toaping Castle.
: There is a good reason for this. Reviewing
: historical and topographic maps is it noted
: that the old home place sat on TOP of a hill
: (elevation 250��). Hence the name on the
: original land patent - Toping Castle. I do
: not believe it was the name of the
: stronghold left behind in the old country. I
: find no evidence/record of such a place
: existing in Scotland. The only reference to
: a place with a similar name is Topping
: Castle on the Cumberland / Northumberland
: border in England. I doubt it has any
: significance to Maryland Walkers.
: �� Charles Walker Sr. and wife Rebecca Isaac
: of ��Bacon Hall�� had sons Charles Jr.
: (1698), Isaac (1705), Richard (1709), and
: Joseph (1715). The eldest - Charles Walker
: Jr. was born in 1698 St. Barnabas Parish PGC
: MD. This Charles Jr. then had children
: Isaac, Charles, Nathaniel.
: �� The eldest son �V Isaac Walker was born
: ca.1721 and married Elizabeth Ferguson.
: Elizabeth was born May 3rd 1730 in King
: George��s Parish PGC. She was the daughter
: of Duncan Ferguson and Catherine? (Per
: church records). Duncan Ferguson was
: supposedly a Scottish rebel who was
: transported to the colonies in 1716. He and
: Catherine then had three children one of
: which is Elizabeth �V all the children are
: born in Prince George��s County between 1730
: & 1743. Duncan was in Maryland by 1716
: and his daughter Elizabeth was born in
: Maryland �V Not Scotland or France.
: �� As stated before, records indicate that
: Dunkin Ferguson (Elizabeth��s father) was a
: Scottish rebel transported to Maryland in
: 1716. This is right after the 1ST Jacobite
: rebellion of 1715 led by The Old Pretender.
: So he probably was in fact a Scottish
: Jacobite. Later decedents of Isaac Walker
: and Elizabeth Ferguson were probably passed
: on the story of grandfather who was a loyal
: Jacobite Highlander, came to America,
: etc...etc�KI think it is entirely possible
: that the grandfather��s, Walker and
: Ferguson, got confused / mixed up in the
: telling.
: �� The will of Duncan Ferguson that names
: wife Catherine, Son-In-Law Isaac Walker, and
: John Ferguson. Appraisers are James Wilson
: and James Tannehill. Dunkin bought
: ��Hamilton��s Addition�� from Tannyhill in
: 1731. The property was originally granted to
: Gavin Hamilton in 1694.
: �� In 1760 Catherine Ferguson, wife of
: Duncan, leaves this- Recorded 29 Mar 1760 I
: Catharine Farguson do send Greeting. Know ye
: that I Catherine Ferguson of Prince Georges
: County in the Province of Maryland for and
: in consideration of the Love and good will
: and Natural affectin which I have and do
: bear towards my daughter Elizabeth Walker,
: have given granted unto the said Elizabeth
: during her Natural Life the use of my Negro
: Girl named Eastor with her future Increase
: and after the decease of my said Daughter
: Elizabeth I give the said Negro with her
: future Increase to be equally divided
: between my said Daughter Elizabeth Walker's
: children that she now as or hereafter may
: have by her present Husband Isaac Walker as
: their Proper goods and chattels absolutely
: without any manner of Condition. In Witness
: whereof I have hereunto put my hand and seal
: this third Day of March 1760. Signed
: Catherine (her mark) Farguson in the
: presence of Josa. Beall and Andrew Beall.
: [Frederick Co. MD Deed Bk BB2 p. 236]
: �� in 1783 Josias Ferguson and Isaac Walker
: conduct a bill of sale. In the deed Josias
: Ferguson is called brother in law by Isaac
: Walker �V meaning that Josias and Elizabeth
: Ferguson (Isaac��s wife) were brother and
: sister. Again, this highlights the fact that
: Isaac Walker��s wife Elizabeth last name was
: not Stuart.
: �� Josias Ferguson (born 1743) �V brother of
: Elizabeth Ferguson �V was married to
: Marjorie Duvall (born 1741), daughter of
: Mareen Duvall and Ruth Howard. One of my
: oldest Walker ancestors (Gideon Walker)
: married another daughter of Mareen and Ruth
: - Pricilla Duvall. We also know through DNA
: analysis of Group 20 that Gideon Walker is
: somehow connected to the "Bacon
: Hall" Walker's.
: �� Isaac Walker (b.1721) did have a wife
: named Elizabeth but her surname was Ferguson
: not Stuart and she certainly did not come
: over on a boat from Scotland or France. Nor
: did this Isaac Walker. This Jacobite
: ��story�� might have been misconstrued over
: time or later generations of Walker lines
: unknowingly attached themselves to the
: Toaping Castle Walker��s - If there is such
: a thing. Again, I think some hardcore
: documented evidence is needed to corroborate
: the ��Toaping Castle�� immigration story. I
: would hate to think that generations of
: researchers have taken the 1883 pamphlet at
: face value without digging a little deeper.
:
:
Message Thread
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