Captain Richard Walker is the earliest known WALKER immigrant. He came from England in 1630 to Lynn, MA. He was an ensign in 1631, afterwards a lieut. and captain. He was made a freeman in 1634. He was representative in 1640 and 1641.

Richard's brothers were Samuel, Israel, and John. There was also possibly a Robert.

There appears to be some confusion in the literature between Richard [I] and his son Richard [II]. For example, Donald Walker writes: "His [I] wife, Marjorie had died sometime previously in England." "In 1628 he married Jane Talmadge; she died and he married Sarah Hempstead." Others indicate that Jane was the wife of Richard [II]. So, was Sarah Hempstead the wife of Richard[I] or [II]?

Richard [II] apparently came from Newton Stacy, Southampton, England.

Richard or his son represented Reading in 1648, 1649, 1650 and 1660 in the General Court of Massachusetts, and was the leader of the military band in that town in 1644, mentioned by Johnson, [Hist. N. E. 192] without any Christian name, which Whitman [Hist. Sketch of Ar. Co.] erroneously supplies with Robert. There was a Richard Walker in Boston in 1638.

Cutter (a more than usually dubious source) claims that Capt. Richard Walker had a son, John, whose birthdate is given as 1838 (1638?)--40 at Lynn and who was a resident of Charlestown where he died 1711. Cutter reports [Historic Homes, etc.p. 1462] "He died May, 1687, and was buried May 16, aged ninety-five years. Administration was granted June 19, 1688 to widow Sarah, who died December 21, 1695." The mother of most of his children is usually given as Jane Talmadge, an earlier wife.

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Excerpted from The Walker Family Notes - Eastern Digital Resources, 1996

NOTE:

References for marriage of daughters: Lewis, A. & Newhall, J. R., History of Lynn, Essex County, MA, Boston: John L. Shorey, 1865, p. 130.

Historic Homes, Cutter p. 1462

Johnson's History of New-England, 1st edit. 4th, London, 1654.

A Genealogical Register of the First Settlers of New-England, by John Farmer, published originally in Lancaster MA in 1829, reprinted in Baltimore in 1989 by the Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., p302.

The 3 references in brackets are to 3 sources which Farmer is citing, only one of which he includes in his bibliography:

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