Because Ianthus Walker doesn’t mention anything about his parents or siblings in all of his Civil War Pension Papers, I was intrigued when an Abram Walker gave a deposition on Ianthus’s behalf in an affidavit dated 1891. In the Commemorative Biographical Record by J. H. Beers, an extensive account of Abram Walker and his life is given – that he had lived in Brandt before his enlistments in the Civil War and then in Lanesboro after the war had ended. So, I didn’t know if it was mere coincidence that he and Ianthus shared the same last name or if they were indeed brothers or cousins. It has been something that I have been trying to find out now for the last few years….
Abram Walker was born in Sanford, NY in July of 1833, to William and Debbie (Monroe) Walker. CBR goes on to state that Abram was one of a family of thirteen children, (five of whom died in infancy) and it does list the remaining seven brothers and sisters but– Ianthus is not one of them. Because Abram’s father died when he was just a small boy, he was placed with a family in Deposit, NY (Delaware County). It was there that he learned to be a mason, and later, in 1856, he married Susan Finch. After the marriage, they settled in Brandt until 1861 when the Civil War broke out. Like Ianthus, Abram mustered into the army but served a longer term with two different companies.
In Abram Walker’s Civil War Pension Papers, there isn’t any reference to relatives at all. No children are mentioned in the papers – just one brief account by his wife on a Widow’s Pension Application that states “there aren’t any children under the age of 16 living in the household”. But in Beers’ Commemorative Record, it states that Abram and Susan had five children; three daughters and two sons but both sons drowned.
It seems probable that Abram and Ianthus Walker were related- they were both born in Sanford, NY just a few years apart. Ianthus lived in a household with a Thomas and Debbie Henderson. Both were married in January of 1856 – by the same minister. Familiar signatures appear on affidavits for Abram, giving the same testimonies as for Ianthus. Being that Brandt and Lanesboro were such little towns with only a few miles apart, it seems likely that they certainly knew each other and were possibly well acquainted.
Four years of soldiering took its toll on Abram Walker and his family – after his return from the Civil War, he was plagued with ill health and unable to keep steady work. Through his pension papers that I have posted in the gallery, you can read and appreciate this life story of another small family from Harmony Township…
Abram Walker gravestone in Lanesboro Cemetery
Abram Walker Tombstone
I have posted numerous pages of Abram’s pension papers in the Abram Walker gallery.
