According to the book "'Our Kin:' Bedford County, Virginia Families" (1936), Dr. Walker studied medicine in Philadelphia, probably at the University of Pennsylvania. It is speculated that perhaps he initially practiced in Franklin County, Virginia, about twenty miles south of his birthplace, which may explain how he met his first wife, Elizabeth Booth, whom he married in 1827. His younger brother, Robert Munford Walker, Jr. (1804-1896), also lived in Franklin County for a time. According to the marriage certificate of Dr. James A. Walker's eldest son, Robert, when he married Bettie Haley, Robert was born in Franklin County. That was in 1828, so apparently James and Elizabeth stayed there a short while before returning to Bedford County. James and Elizabeth had four sons, Robert Benjamin Walker (1828-1908), William J(ones?) Walker, Edward Thomas Walker (1835-1911), and James Edward Moses Walker (1837-1912). Elizabeth's death date has not been found, but she obviously died between January, 1837, when James E.M. was born, and on November 13 of that year, when Dr. Walker married Nancy Moorman Jopling. Elizabeth Booth Walker may have died giving birth to James E.M.

Dr. Walker's second wife, Nancy Moorman Jopling (February 16, 1814-February 11, 1873), was a daughter of James and Nancy Martin Jopling, who lived near present-day Peaksville in the northern part of Bedford County at the foot of the Peaks of Otter. Through the Moorman family, she was a third cousin once removed of the Missouri author Samuel Langhorne Clemens (AKA Mark Twain), whose paternal roots were in Bedford County. A brother, James Ware Jopling (1807-1900), married Emily Divers Booth (1816-1869) of Franklin County, who was a sister of Dr. Walker's first wife, Elizabeth Booth.

By Nancy, James A. Walker had six more children:

1. Alexander Smith Walker (January 9, 1839-May 25, 1902) married December 20, 1860 in Bedford County to Virginia Frances Johnson (September 1, 1843-February 5, 1935), daughter of Joseph and Emily Parker Johnson. They are buried at Hickory Grove United Methodist Church in Bedford County.

2. Rebecca Louise Fitzhugh Walker (January 6, 1840-January 5, 1867) married December 6, 1860 in Bedford County to Robert William Parker (August 31, 1838-April 9, 1865). Robert W. Parker was a Sergeant in the Confederate States Army and is said to have been the last man killed in the Civil War from the Army of Northern Virginia. His death occurred just before the firing ceased at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, and he was buried on the battlefield, according to his daughter-in-law, Lula Eastman Jeter Parker, in a book she coauthored, "'Our Kin': Bedford County, Virginia Families" (1936). He was a son of Ammon Hancock Parker and Frances H. Goggin, and on his mother's side he was only a second cousin of the author Samuel Langhorne Clemens (AKA Mark Twain).

3. Charles Pleasant Walker (September 9, 1844-October 26, 1924) married May 15, 1867 in Bedford County to Octavia Frances Wells (April 11, 1844-May 25, 1936), daughter of David James Wells and Florentine Morgan. Charlie and Octavia were later divorced. He was in the Civil War, and his reminisces are given below in the form of a letter written in 1915. Charlie is buried in the cemetery plot on his father's farm, and Octavia is buried at Wilson's United Methodist Church on Route 722 at Body Camp, Bedford County.

4. Lucy Frances Walker (August 14, 1846-September 28, 1914) married February 26, 1869 in Bedford County to Rice McGhee (October 30, 1836-February 14, 1928), son of Samuel Henry McGhee and Margaret Rice of "Berkeley," near Forest, Bedford County. Rice McGhee's sister, Martha Anne McGhee (1832-1893), married Andrew "Jackson" Perrow (1818-1901), whose nephew, W. Adolphus Perrow (1854-1926), married Lucy's half-niece, Ella Tunstall Walker (1859-1927). Since the Walkers were in Bedford County, the Perrows in Campbell County, Ella Walker grew up in Pittsylvania County, and since Ella never knew her father's family because he separated from her mother, this intermarriage between the Walker, McGhee, and Perrow families is coincidental.

5. Jesse Jopling Walker (January 14, 1850-March 3, 1912) married February 25, 1835 in Bedford County to Zalinda "Annis" Phelps (November 28, 1850-1939), daughter of Thomas Jefferson Phelps and Malinda Perkins Key. They lived on his parents' homeplace, later owned by their grandson, Richard A. Walker, until his death in 2001. He is buried in his parents' plot, and she is buried in Longwood-Oakwood Cemetery at Bedford.

6. Nannie Moorman Walker (September 16, 1852-November 9, 1926) never married. She is buried in her parents' cemetery plot.


Rebecca Walker Parker never got over the tragedy of her husband's death in the Civil War and died two years later at the age of twenty-seven, leaving three orphaned children, at least one of whom was raised afterwards by his Grandfather and Grandmother Walker. One of the coauthors of the book "'Our Kin'", Lula Eastman Jeter Parker (1873-1954), was the wife of one of the two sons of Rebecca Walker Parker. She included a chapter on the Walker family in her book, and because of her close connection, her statements on the Walkers and Dr. Walker's medical training can be assumed accurate. Her book covered well the descendants of Dr. Walker and his second wife up to the 1930's, but as the descendants of Dr. Walker by his first wife were few and far-between, she did not elaborate on these four oldest sons.

It is not known what became of Dr. Walker's second son, William J. Walker, but as he is not mentioned in his father's will, apparently he died before 1869. Dr. Walker may have been angry at his first wife's father, Benjamin Booth (1762-1838), for not leaving him much of an inheritance, for in his own will, he makes it clear that he was not leaving nearly as much to his three sons by the Booth marriage because they received so much from their Grandfather Booth's estate, from which he "received comparatively nothing," whereas he received a lot from the estate of his second wife's parents.

Dr. James Alexander Walker lived on a farm adjacent to that of his father on present-day Route 43 about eight miles south of the town of Bedford, known then as Liberty. His home is still standing and is located on Route 667, a short path which intersects with Route 43 and takes one back to this home and the former home of Dr. Walker's grandson, Jesse "Bibb" Walker (1881-1968). Dr. Walker's home was inherited by his youngest son, Jesse Jopling Walker (1850-1912) and wife Zalinda Annis Phelps Walker (1850-1939). Jesse's son, William Richard Walker (1885-1948) married Iva Virginia Wright (1892-1991), and they inherited the home and raised their children here. Their youngest child, Richard Alexander ("Dick") Walker (1931-2001), a bachelor, owned the farm, graciously restored the Dr. Walker cemetery plot, and erected a fence around it to protect it from the surrounding cowpasture. He completed this project in 1992 when the graves on the Robert Munford Walker farm nearby were relocated to make way for the Bedford County Landfill.

In a July, 1998 interview with Mr. Richard A. Walker which occurred as he was giving Bryan Godfrey and Jerry Williams a tour of his farm, he praised Dr. Walker as a man of integrity and hard work. Needless to say, he owned slaves, and some of the remains of the slave quarters on the plantation are still visible.

Mr. Walker died suddenly in 2001 and was buried in the same cemetery plot. After his death, the farm was sold out of the family, and in April, 2016, the home, "Montevideo," was totally destroyed by fire, with only the chimneys remaining.

The following note was handwritten by Charles Pleasant Walker (1844-1924), third child of Dr. James A. Walker by Nancy Jopling, and is in the possession of his great-grandson, Howard "Walker" Young of Farmville, Virginia. It contains detailed history on the Walker family and a lot of reminiscences about his family's experiences in the Civil War. Although it is more a biography of Charlie's life than of his father, it is included under Dr. James Alexander Walker because of the family background it provides and also because of its inclusion of so many names of Dr. Walker's immediate family:

This is a brief and as far as it goes-an accurate history of my life-leaving out much that will be of no use-if not harmful to my posterity. This writing begins at night Nov. 29th 1915.

My name is Charles Pleasant Walker. I am a son of Dr. James Alexander Walker-who was a son of Robert Mumford (sic) Walker of Bedford County, Va.-who was the son of Col. David Walker of Dinwiddie County, Va.-who was Captain, afterwards Colonel during the Revolutionary War between the American Colonies and Great Britain. My Great Grandfather Col. David Walker had another son living in Bedford Co. by name William James (sic) Walker who was also .....?... Revolutionary ...?... I have in my possession ...?... a gourd which my Great Grandfather-Col. David Walker-then a Captain-Captured from a band of Tories which he with a squad of soldiers had been sent to break up-said gourd being filled with gunpowder when captured. My great uncle Wm. J. Walker at his death bequeathed to my father three pistols-which he, Capt. William J. Walker carried during said War-two long barreled pistols and one short screw barreled pistol about eight inches long. This last one has been taken by someone from an old sack at my home between the years 1881 and 1898. The two long barreled pistols are made of brass and have the name J. Walker engraved on them and dated 1774.

Capt. Wm. J. Walker was a captain in the Army of the United States during the war with Great Britain during the War of 1812 and 14. My half-brother Major Edward J. (sic) Walker was an adopted son and heir of Capt. William J. Walker. He rose from the rank of Captain to that of Major during the War Between the States 1861 to 1865. I was born of the 9th of September 1844 on my father's plantation seven miles south of Liberty (now Bedford) Bedford County, Virginia on Triggs Road leading from Liberty to Leesville. My boyhood days were spent like most of Southern boys whose father owned negro slaves-in (...?...) mostly until war broke out between the States when in August 1862-I joined in Lynchburg Capt. Page's company known as Lee's body guard-but was stricken down with Typhus fever and lay at the point of death for several weeks but a merciful Providence raised me up. I had to use crutches about three months. On the 3rd of March 1863 my brother in law Robert W. Parker have come home on furlough-I returned with him to the Army and became a member of Company F-second Virginia Cavalry C.S.A.-near Culpepper Courthouse Va. My Brother in Law-R.W. Parker was killed on Lee's retreat from Richmond in 1865 and buried on a Wil Walton's place in Appomattox Co. He went out at the beginning of hostilities and until killed had not received a scratch. He was the last man in Lee's army killed. My sister Rebecca Loisa (sic) Fitzhugh Parker never recovered fully from the shock of his death but lingered on for perhaps two years and finally died of a broken heart. She left three children-Robert Moorman, George Pleasant, and Rebecca Frances Parker. My first experience at fighting was on March 19th 1863 when the enemy crossed the Rappahannock River at Kelleys ford. Fitzhugh Lee having but eight hundred effective men to (...?...) three brigades of the enemy-about four thousand men--They fought near the river nearly all day--finally forcing the enemy to retire. The first man I saw killed in battle was that day--who was General Stonewall Jackson's chief of artillery the gallant Major Pelham--an Alabamian. I saw service in the Battle of Chancellorsville and many minor fights and skirmishes from the 19th of March 1863 until the eleventh of November 1864 when I together with Asa Gills and Davie Hunt were captured a short distance in rear of our fighting line in the valley of Va. I had been sent by General Munford to move the ambulance train (I had a short time previous to this been promoted with the rank of sargent (sic) as Orderly for Gen. Munford) and on my way to move said train I was accosted by Davie Hunt who was wounded in the wrist telling me to take care of him--Asa Gills riding up at that time. We three rode together to the point indicatred by Munford that I would find the ambulance train at which point we rode right into a squad of Yankees--about fifteen. I had seen the squad at least four hundred yards away but being so near in the rear of our fighting line. I naturally supposed them to be our own men--until I was halted by a Sergeant. Looking up I saw we were captured. We were carried that night first before Gen. Custer who treated me almost as a friend instead of an enemy. I sat in a room with he and his wife about three hours that night by a warm fire. It was a cold night--he and his wife treated me very affably. It was always a wonder to me that of the three of us, I was the only one to go into the General's room. It was the same thing when we arrived at Ge. Sheridan's headquarters at Kennstown when instead of only three of us there were fifteen of us prisoners. I was then a boy about 19. I carried with me the mail of our entire regiment--2nd Va. Cavalry. I was detected opening the letters of my company to see if anything of value (military information) was in them then burning them. I did not answer Sheridan's questions to suit him as to our strength that (...?...) within his lines. I told him I had seen no command but Fitzhugh Lee's brigade when in fact I knew we had three brigades fifteen miles within his lines when with an oath he ordered me out of his presence calling me a D...Rebel Son of a B... He had not in him the first principle of a gentleman. I was a prisoner. What a chasm between Sheridan and Custer. No one but a coward at heart would insult a prisoner of war. Custer; generous and brave. Sheridan; (..?...).

Sometime in October 1864 in the valley of Va. when we were camped in a skirt of wood--I cannot now remember the exact location nor county--being then Orderly of Colonel Munford, I carried the mail for the Regiment and orders (if there were any) over to Brigade Headquarters about a mile and a quarter from our camp--twice a day--morning and evening--when late one evening (on Saturday I think it was) I was very near our camp when someone off to my left behind a rail fence grown up with bushes shot four times direct at me but did not strike me at all. Whoever he was, he was about one hundred yards off to my left. Two of his bullets I thought cut very close to my head. The other two cut the weeds just in front of me. A kind and merciful Providence I believe shielded me from harm. Not long after that I was captured. If I had an enemy in the world, I did not know it. I have thought it many have been a spy and knowing I carried orders back and forth to and from headquarters thought he might learn something from my papers that might be useful to his own commander who was our enemy. I remained in prison at Point Lookout Maryland until March 3rd 1865 when I as one of two thousand was exchanged for a like number of Federals. I arrived home to my father's house about the 8th of March. I never returned to the army again for Lee surrendered on the 9th of April following my arrival home. My furlough expiring the day after Lee's surrender.

I neglected to mention in proper order that I was wounded on the 7th of May 1864 in the third day of fighting in the Wilderness in Spotsylvania Co. between Todd's Tavern and the Courthouse. Lilburn Johnson was shot dead just to my right a few seconds before I was shot. We were fighting behind old logs gathered up in the woods and Lafayette Pullen was in front of me. He squatted flat on the ground when I crawled over him--lying flat on top of him and was peering through a crack between the logs (which were pretty well rotten) when I was shot and supposed to be killed. Moses Peter Rucker and I think Louis Reilly carried me off the field for a dead man--behind a slight knoll behind a large tree and Rucker was pouring water from a canteen on my face when he says I blinked and then opened my eyes. He says he remarked to Riley "why Charlie is not dead." I remember Rucker saying to me "Charlie our men are falling back." I then thought they ran and left me but Mr. Rucker said I jumped up and out ran he and Reily (sic). I remember running along with our men and after running perhaps a hundred yards I was about to give down when James Harrison and Ben Turman of my company put me up behind Davie Hunt who was bringing in ammunition to our Command. Ammunition had given out was the reason our men had to fall back but I was told afterwards that our men drove the enemy again beyond the line we had formerly occupied and that our men (we were dismounted cavalry) were fighting infantry. And before our men fell back in the first instance, they fought hand to hand across the logs until the ammunition gave out. Creed Hubbard of my company was killed in the hand to hand fighting. I am now seventy-one years of age and all the old animosity engendered by the war has died out and I look upon those who fought on the other side as Brothers and am true and loyal to the stars and stripes. And I pray God none of kindred will every (sic) have to become a soldier in war. I am satisfied that if Peter Rucker had not carried me off the field I would not have revived for had the enemy captured me then, I would not have got the attention I did in our own lines. I love Peter Rucker like he is my own dear brother. I hope to spend eternity with him a Brighter world above. My Mother was Nancy Moorman Jopling before she married my father. she was born and grew to womanhood near the foot of the Peaks of Otter and the old hall clock which is now in the possession of Ida Braxton Wilch--my daughter--came down from my maternal grandfather--his father had the clock made to order somewhere about 1786. It is an eight day clock and still keeping good time--seconds, hours, month, and moon. The pistols spoken of on page 1 were all fling (sic) lock until the beginning to the War Between the States when my father got Solomon Lindsay to put tubes in the two long ones to shoot with cap and ball for my brother Alexander Smith Walker. He was a Lieutenant in Co. F 2nd Va. Cavalry but was discharged at Lynchburg as being Physically unfit for the service. The short pistol remains as a flintlock until the day wherever it is. C.P.W.
I will remunerate anyone handsomely who will locate and return this pistol to my son C. Fitzhugh Walker.

This letter was received by Marie Powers, who wrote an article about Ninninger, the section of Bedford County along Route 43 and Route 667 where Machine Creek runs across, for the book "Bedford Villages: Lost and Found," Volume 1, compiled by the Peaks of Otter Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Bedford, Virginia. Ms. Powers reproduced this letter in her article, which covers pages 285-291 of the book.

Each July the Walkers of Bedford County hosted a reunion at Hickory Grove United Methodist Church in Bedford County, near the James A. Walker plantation, but since 2005 the reunions have been held at larger churches in the vicinity. Although the reunion is always open to all descendants of Robert Munford Walker and his sisters who came with him to Bedford, most who attend are descendants of Robert's son, Dr. James Alexander Walker, and his second wife, Nancy Jopling. I, Bryan S. Godfrey, have attended several times since 1995, and I am an exception, since I descend from Dr. Walker by his first marriage to Elizabeth Booth. Not intending this as a boast, as it is merely an accident of birth, but I feel a special claim to the Walker family because I am the elder child of the elder child of the eldest child of the eldest (surviving) child of the eldest child of the eldest child of Dr. James Alexander Walker. The only exception in this claim, where "surviving" is inserted, is the fact that my great-grandmother, Virginia Perrow Pearson, was actually the second of her parents' fourteen children. The oldest was a girl who died at birth.

There is a portrait reproduction of Dr. James A. Walker on page 685 of " 'Our Kin'".

Walker Family Cemetery is located at 1972 Montevideo Road, South of Bedford near Five Forks; lat 37.244749, long -79.500793