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Walker and Lane Families

This Walker family is of Scotch origin, but has been WALKER known in Pennsylvania, in the vicinity of Somerset county, for generations. The American ancestor was Donald Walker. The name was originally spelled Walter, but inadvertently changed in recording deeds in Edinburg, as in shown by the deeds themselves. The later generations have intermarried with the well known Lane family.

(II) Peter Walker, son of Donald Walker, the ancestor, was born in Washington county, Maryland, but in 1746 left his native county and located in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, where he became for his time a wealthy farmer. The Walkers have all remained in Somerset county except John P., of whom further.

(III) John P., son of Peter Walker, left Somerset county, Pennsylvania, in 1839, removing to Loudoun county, Virginia, where he remained a short time, then moved to Ohio county in what is now West Virginia, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. Later he retired and lived in the city of Wheeling, where he died in 1852. He married Margaret, daughter of John and Catherine (Devlin) Lane. Margaret Walker died in 1874. She was a noted linguist and continued the study of languages until overtaken by old age. Children of John P. and Margaret (Lane) Walker are: William, a physician of Monmouth, Ohio, now deceased; Alexander, a civil engineer in the railway service of Newark, Ohio, now deceased; Mifflin, a farmer of Ottawa, Kansas, deceased; Kephart D., of whom further.

(IV) Kephart D., son of John P. and Margaret (Lane) Walker, was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, February 14, 1838. When sixteen years of age he entered the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, in 1853, as construction camp clerk, remaining in such position eighteen months, during which time he picked up enough in telegraphy to enter the telegraph department of the company. Later he became a brakeman, then rose to conductor. At the breaking out of the civil war he joined the secret service of the confederate army and had an exciting and varied experience; was under "Stonewall" Jackson and General John B. Walker (a relative). After the war ended he resumed work for the Baltimore & Ohio Company. He was made station agent at Fairmont, holding the position ten years. He was then promoted to superintendent of the Fairmont division, and when the Fairmont, Morgantown & Pittsburgh line was undertaken, he was assigned the duty of securing the right-of-way between Fairmont and Morgantown, and during the construction of this line was purchasing agent. He was in charge of the first train that ever run over the line to Pittsburgh. He then became passenger conductor and served until 1906. In 1870 Mr. Walker became a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, uniting with Lodge No. 9, at Fairmont, and in 1875 was elected grand master of the West Virginia Lodge. He has held all the chairs to past grand priest. He is now one of eight men in West Virginia who have advanced in the mysteries of Masonry to the thirty-third degree, taking the degree in Washington, D. C., under his personal friend, General Albert Pike. He is considered authority in the workings of Masonry. He has made a study of the Indian races which once inhabited West Virginia; has donated to the Smithsonian Institution many exhibits—skeletons, pipes, arrows, etc. These he had exhumed from mounds and other Indian burying grounds.

He married, in 1859, Josephine, daughter of Presley and Sarah Wigginton, of Loudoun county, Virginia. Presley Wigginton was born in Virginia, a son of Benjamin Wigginton, who came to America at a very early date. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Walker:

1. Charles W., deceased; was with the Penn Oil Company.

2. Mifflin Presley, died young.

3. Ettie Franklin, wife of E. J. Thomas, of Mannington, West Virginia.

4. Hattie Brownfield, wife of Fred W. Bartlett, of Mannington.

5. Amy Long, wife of George C. Jeffreys, of Grafton, West Virginia.

6. Gertrude Pike, wife of F. B. Jenkins, of Grafton, West Virginia.

7. Lillian Davisson, wife of J. J. Dorsey, of Fairmont.

8. Carlotta Roome, wife of W. B. Rector, of Belington, West Virginia.

9. Edna Whiting, wife of F. S. Thompson, of Clarksburg.

(The LANE Line)

The history of this Lane family is traced genealogically back to about 1655, and has been identified with the American continent since 1680, after a record of some five years near London in England. The family has been represented in almost every state in this country, and eminent members have appeared in nearly every vocation through the various generations, in the professions and trades, in the old and new world.

(I) John Lane, the earliest member of whom there is an authentic account, was born at Cleaves, near the river Rhine, on the northern border of Prussia, A. D., 1655. In 1675 he, with his three brothers, Abraham, Nicholas and Richard, moved to London, England. In 1680 all three, still unmarried, came to America, all locating in Pennsylvania. Abraham, Nicholas and Richard settled in Lancaster county, and John near Berlin, Somerset county. At the age of ninety-nine years, the last-named died in 1754. His wife's name and nationality are unknown. They had two sons: John, settled at Pipe Creek, Maryland; Peter, see forward.

(II) Peter, son of John Lane, was born 1719, died at Berlin, Pennsylvania, 1787, aged sixty-eight years. He married a Miss Irwin, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Children:

1. John, see forward.
2. Samuel, settled in Franklin county, Pennsylvania.
3. Abraham, died at Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsylvania.
4. Thomas, died at Berlin, Pennsylvania.
5. Seth, settled in Hagerstown, Maryland; children: John, Carlisle, Samuel, Mary (the names of the others not known).
6. Hannah, married a Captain Seabrook, of Hanover, Maryland.
7. Catherine, married Jacob Seylor, of Adams county, Pennsylvania, where she died in 1866, aged eighty-eight years, surviving all of her brothers and sisters.
8. Mary, married a Mr. Curry, of Spring Garden, near Baltimore, Maryland.

(III) John (2), oldest child of Peter Lane, was born at Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, October 21, 1757, died in the same place, September 6, 1843. He married Catherine Devlin, born at Mt. Joy, near Armagh, Ireland (Scotch-Irish), in 1760, died November 28, 1840, at Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, to which locality they removed in 1802. Her father, John Devlin, came to America and settled at Carlisle, where he died and is buried. John and Catherine Lane had children:

1. Peter, born near Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, January 17, 1782, died in the same county, June 14, 1864; married Maria Hoil, born near Berlin, 1787, died at Berlin, December, 1866. Her father, Walter Hoil, was born in southwestern Prussia, near Kirkshire, about 1732, died at Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, March, 1806, aged seventy-four years. He married Mary Barbary Martin, born in western Shinirk, Bavaria, 1739, died March 30, 1830. Her father, Michael Martin, was born and died in Bavaria. His widow Angeline, whose maiden name was Krestmars, came to America about 1735 and died in Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, 1800, aged eighty-five years. Peter and Maria (Hoil) Lane had thirteen children.
2. John, born in Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, 1783, died in 1835, aged fifty-two years; married Catherine Mantel; after living in Somerset county for thirty-five years, he removed to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he died; had eight children.
3. Samuel, married Rachel Montel, and had four children.
4. Thomas, died at Johnston, Pennsylvania, in 1863, aged seventy-eight years; married (first) Elizabeth Lohr, of Baltimore, by whom he had two daughters; married (second) Elizabeth Brown, of Baltimore, by whom he had four sons and three daughters.
5. Nancy.
6. Catherine.
7. Sarah.
8. Polly.
9. Amy.
10. Margaret, see forward.
11. Hannah.
12. Harriet, died about 1875, aged near seventy-six; married Daniel Landis, who died soon after she did; they had one son.

(IV) Margaret, daughter of John (2) and Catherine (Devlin) Lane, died in 1874. She married John P. Walker, and had four sons (see Walker III).

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Last Revised: November 25, 2007

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