Once again, mysteries hide some of the important facts about Jacob Walker. We know when he was born, March 11, 1643 and that he was born in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, a son of Robert and Sarah Leager Walker. He was one of 12 children and was born about 10 years after his family arrived at Boston. His parents apparently stayed in Boston their whole lives after arriving in the New World, as his father died there as did his mother.
Jacob, however, was different. He went to Stratford, Connecticut, where he married Elizabeth Wheeler Blackman, a widow who was the daughter of Moses and Miriam Hawley Wheeler. Elizabeth had two or perhaps three surviving children from her marriage to Adam Blackman, two girls and a son who "died young". Apparently she was ready for more children, for the couple had seven children after their December 5, 1670 marriage. I have seen comments that Jacob had his hands full with the Blackman family but I haven't found a lot to substantiate that claim.
There are ongoing court records involving suits by Mrs. Jane Blackman against Jacob. I'm unable to untable the details, but it seems to be a dispute over land. The local jusries seemed to side with Jacob and then the other side appealed. If Jacob lost an appeal, then he appealed further.
From the few details I found, it seems that Jacob must have been a farmer, for he is accused of using the farm land of the Blackmans. Mrs. Jane Blackman was Elizabeth Wheeler's mother in law during her first marriage, and finally the court asked Jacob to forego using land that was probably his until the death of Jane Blackman, since his use of the land was causing grief to the widow.
We don't know for sure how religious Jacob might have been, but Elizabeth's first hsuband was the son of a pastor, and Jacob had at least one brother who was a pastor. Probably this was a religious, Puritan family.
I am thoroughly confused about Jacob's death date. The last Walker child was born in 1681. As far as I can tell, Robert Walker's will in 1687 doesn't mention Jacob. There is a 1718 estate for Jacob Walker, the son of our Jacob, and there is a reference to his father in it, but I can't make out the details. He, the younger Jacob, seems to leave a small estate to his surviving brothers and sisters.
It is entirely possible that Jacob and Elizabeth left Stratford after the brith of .Mercy in 1681. I don't know when Elizabeth died, either, or where. Their daughter Elizabeth married in 1695 in Springfield, Massachusetts, but I've not found Jacob there yet, either. So for now, it's a mystery to me which is a bit of a surprise. Usually the death date is not that hard to locate.
Jacob seems to have been a man of little means, or perhaps he died too early to really accumulate that much of an estate. He was probably a farmer, and probably a church goer, but he is definitely our ancestor and deserves to be included in our family history.
If someone knows more of Jacob's story, particularly his death date and location, I would love to hear from you!
The line of descent is:
Jacob Walker-Elizabeth Wheeler
Elizabeth Walker-Luke Hitchcock
Ruth Hitchock-Jonathan Church
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
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