Notes |
- "Immigration to USA & Canada
Pre-1820 Approximately 650,000 individuals of all nationalitiesarrived in America before 1820. Most were English and Welsh. Smallernumbers of German, Irish, Scotch-Irish, Dutch, French, Spanish,African, and other nationalities also arrived. These immigrants tendedto settle in the eastern, middle-Atlantic, and southern states. BeforeJanuary 1, 1820, the U.S. Federal Government did not require captainsor masters of vessels to present a passenger list to U.S. officials.The lists that remain for the period before 1820 are varied incontent. They range from name only lists to giving the person's fullname, age, and country of origin." www.olivetree.com
SURNAME: "Walter
Usage: English, German
Extra: Statistics
Derived from the first name Walter."http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=walter
SURNAME: "WALTER
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Scandinavian, Polish
Pronounced: WAWL-tur (English), VAHL-ter (German, Polish) [key]
From a Germanic name meaning "ruler of the army", composed of theelements wald "rule" and heri "army". A famous bearer of this name wasSir Walter Scott, a Scottish novelist who wrote 'Ivanhoe' and othernotable works."http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=walter
One thing we do know about the family is that they were in Americafrom early times in the 1700's at least if not earlier. At this pointin the research, it can only be surmised about the families originsand histories.
NOTE: It is curious however, that in Peter Walter's great grandsonsbiography, George Worley Walter, it is mentioned that Peter Walter'sparents were of English origin. One other thing that did take placewas an early migration of many Scotish and English protestants who hadended up in Ulster, Ireland due to the churches early religiouspersecutions and for various other reasons; From Ulster, NorthernIreland, many ancestors found passage to the Americas. SLJuhl,compiler.
Early History of "Walter" before America:
"THE SCOTCH-IRISH OR THE SCOT IN NORTH BRITAIN, NORTH IRELAND, ANDNORTH AMERICA"
Chapter's XXV and XXVI
Chap. XXV Title:" FROM BRUCE TO FLODDEN"
"King Robert Bruce was succeeded by his son David, then a boy sevenyears of age, who was crowned at Scone November 24, 1331." Severalpowerful Lords fought for the Regency. Para. three: "... in 1338, andwas succeeded by the High Steward of Scotland, a son of King RobertBruce's daughter Marjory, and a WALTER, the sixth Steward (A cousin toKing David)." Para. five: "In 1346, King David assembled an army atPerth, and, marching south of the Border, fought the English nearDurham on October 17th. In this battle the Scots were defeated, andmost of their leaders captured--including the King among the number;BUT THE STEWARD (WALTER) ESCAPED WITH A PORTION OF HIS ARMY."
Source: Family Tree Maker, CD276 Scotch-Irish Settlers in America,1500s-1800s, The Scotch-Irish, Volume I, Chapter XXV, From Bruce toFlodden, MyFamily.com, Inc., May 29, 2007. Copies of both chaptersare kept in the Walter Family Book. The chapters, XXV and XXVI,discuss Scotland's history and the reasons in Scotland for theReformation movement which lead to the Ireland and Americamigrations."
"The Migration From Scotland-Ireland To America
B. Isabel Lockard gives a descriptive story of the early immigrants ofScotch-Irish descent to America in her book, Joseph Washington McCoy1766-1840 of Coshocton County, Ohio, and then Cecil Woodham Smith(1962, p. 207) in his account, About the Migration of the Scotch-Irishto America wrote a slightly different account. See below forcomparison.
By, B. Isabel Lockard: ?Simon M. Lockhart (1976, p.1) reported, ??Hostilities between England, Scotland, and Ireland continued forcenturies. When James VI, son of Mary, Queen of Scots, became JamesI, King of England, in 1603, many things changed. English became theofficial language. The king ordered Scotland, as in England, only thenew English, King James Version of the Bible was to be read in thechurches. When he went to London, King James also moved to break therule of the Celtic Chiefs in Ulster. To this end he confiscated theirlands and offered territory to his English and former Scottish (nowBritish) subjects if they would immigrate to Ulster. Because numerouspirates who fell on the ships in those waters plagued the Irish Sea,it was dangerous passage for the English, but the Scots were closer toUlster, only 20 miles across the Northern tip of the Irish Sea. Forcenturies the Scots had traded, fought, and intermarried with thepeople in Ulster. The Scots were also more poverty-stricken than theEnglish, and seeking religious freedom, which they lacked at home, sixtimes as many Presbyterian Lowland Scots as English, in all 200,000,set sail for Ulster. In Ulster the new arrivals transformed theregion from a backward province to the most prosperous part ofIreland. But it was not a peaceful settlement. They evidently were abelligerent bunch and the Scots they left behind regarded them as Goodriddance. It was said that when they arrived in Ireland the Scotsfell on their knees and prayed to the Lord, and then they fell on thenatives and preyed on them. The newcomers were isolated, partly bytheir language, and their settlements became walled fortresses at warwith Gaelic-speaking Irish.
About 100 years later, with rising rents, poor crops, and religiousdiscrimination, conditions had deteriorated. The Ulster Scots, orScotch-Irish as they came to be known, began a second move. In the1720?s about 50,000 sailed to America. By 1776, it is estimated thatalmost half the Ulster population had crossed the Atlantic, and thatone in seven of the colonists was Scotch-Irish. Philadelphia becamethe main entry port for these immigrants. At first they were welcomedfor their frontier toughness, and it was hoped they could keep theFrench and Indians at bay. James Logan, the state secretary ofPennsylvania, granted a tract of land to a group of Scotch-Irish toestablish the frontier town of Donegal. It didn?t work out and thenewcomers moved on farther west. Some went on through the CumberlandGap.
About the migration of the Scotch-Irish to America, Cecil WoodhamSmith (1962, p. 207) wrote a slightly different account: during theeighteenth century emigration from Ireland was on a small scale: itis doubtful if the numbers exceeded 5,000 in any one season. Theemigrants came mainly from Ulster, they were Presbyterian small farmerof Scottish descent, and not paupers; they took some capital andexperience with them and their motive was to better their lot. Duringthis period emigration was not easy, all arrangements had to be madeby the emigrant himself, who traveled to the port and bargainedpersonally for his passage with the captain of the ship in which hewished to sail.
Later on, in the Revolutionary War, the Scotch-Irish became the shocktroops, and according to one British general, accounted for half therebel army (Americans). George Washington is said to have regardedthese troops highly, and to have remarked that ?with these men? hewould make his ?last stand for liberty.?
Taken from the pages of the above named book, p. 17-18."
[Transcribed 29 May 2007, SLJuhl, compiler]
The Term: Scotch-Irish
Who are the Scotch-Irish, and what does the term mean?
"The term "Scotch-Irish" is an Americanism, generally unknown inScotland and Ireland, and rarely used by British historians. InAmerican usage, it refers to people of Scottish descent who, havinglived for a time in the north of Ireland, migrated in considerablenumbers to the American colonies in the eighteenth century." TheScotch-Irish, A Social History, pg. i - James G. Leyburn.
The "plantation" of Ulster, in northern Ireland, with Scottishimmigrants, took place from roughly 1606 through 1700. The "GreatMigration" of Scotch-Irish to America took place from 1717 through1776. An estimated 200-250,000 Scotch-Irish migrated to America duringthis period. The period of the "Great Migration" of Scotch-Irish tookplace at approximately the same time as the German Palatine migration.
It is believed that, at the time of the Revolution, they comprised10-15% of the population of the United States. Their negative feelingstoward England played no small part in the emotion of the "stew" thatled to the American Revolution.
Although there is evidence of the use of this term, or others, (UlsterIrish, Northern Irish, Irish Presbyterians) to differentiate theScotch/Irish immigrants from other citizens of America, it is believedto have generally fallen into non-use by the 1840's, wherever it hadbeen used. The use of the term "Irish" in the United States up to thattime usually meant Scotch-Irish, as the Catholic Irish simply had notbeen a major immigrating force until that time.
All that changed, however, with the potato famine and the resultingcrunch of the greatest immigration America has ever experienced, fromthe southern regions of Ireland. An estimated 2 million Irishmen,mostly Catholic, and mostly from the southern parts of Ireland,immigrated to America during the period 1846-1856. They were poor.They congregated in the cities in which they landed in ghettoclusters. They were Catholic. They would work for next to nothingwhile native born American workers saw jobs threatened and the declineof value in their own labor. The Irish, as many new classes ofimmigrants are in a new country, were not looked on favorably by thegeneral population.
This caused a renewal in the resident population of Scotch-IrishAmericans to identify themselves in such a manner that they would notbe thrown in the same "class" of citizenry as the new, Catholic, Irishimmigrants. Thus, a renewal in the use of the term Scotch-Irish.
It is a useful term to the family historian as the Scotch-Irish peopleare definitely a different class of immigrant than the southern,Catholic Irish; nor, can they be thrown in the same pot as theirScottish brethren. "..the Scots who lived in Ulster before they cameto America simply were not, in background, religion, and many otheraspects of culture, identical with the Irish of the southern provincesof Leinster, Munster, and Connaught; neither were they, after manydecades, any longer identical with the people of Scotland." TheScotch-Irish, A Social History, pg. 333 - James G. Leyburn.
Time-Line of the Scotch-Irish History
Before 1603 - - Background: For centuries, England had triedrepeatedly and constantly to subdue the island of Ireland and theIrish had stubbornly resisted. There had been attempts over the yearsto transplant English settlers to Ireland in an attempt to"infiltrate" and/or "control" the Irish people and their society, butthese had failed. By 1603, the problem was even more acute:
? From a financial standpoint, Ireland was a drain on the treasury ofEngland.
? Ireland was one of the areas in Europe where the Catholic faith heldsteady while Protestantism had spread across much of the continent andeven into England and Scotland. Aside from the missionary goal ofconverting the Irish was the real consideration of not having aneighbor that might hold a religion in common with its enemies.
? In the closing years of the 1500's, England had sent a 20,000 manarmy to Ireland to quell an uprising. After an initial failure, thecommander was replaced by a man named Lord Mountjoy, who wasparticularly ruthless. He destroyed all the food, houses, and cattlehe could find. Starvation in their bellies and defeats on thebattlefields finally made the Irish submit to England, again, just asQueen Elizabeth lay dieing in 1603.
An area that had been hit hard during this destruction was the north,the "kingdom" of Ireland called Ulster, consisting of nine counties.
In the meantime, in Scotland, times were never all that good, but theturn of the century saw the typical Scottish farmer in dire straits.The western coast of Scotland is only 20-30 miles from the Ulstercoast.
Thus, the scene was set for a series of developments leading to:
? Ireland being carved into two pieces causing disharmony and discordto this day.
? A "double emigration" from Scotland: to Ireland and then to theUnited States of hundreds of thousands of immigrants we have come toknow as the Scotch-Irish.
? 1603.. Elizabeth I dies and James VI, King of Scotland, becomes KingJames I of England
1606.. The first Ulster colonies are settled. Ironically, by privateentrepreneurs, and Scottish at that. Some Scottish entrepreneurs hadcome up with the idea of acquiring some land and transplanting theirown countrymen to farm them. These beginning colonies were successfuland word quickly spread back to Scotland.
1607.. King James I declared that the land held by the defeated Irishrebel leaders, who had fled to the continent, was reverted to theCrown. This legal action was over-reaching, but when you're the King,what the heck. King James I took control of 3,000,000 acres of Ulsterland.
1609.. James I inform the Privy Council of Scotland: "the King.. outof his unspeakable love and tender affection for his Scottishsubjects, has decided that they will be allowed to participate in thisgreat adventure". Remember, James I, becoming King of England in 1603,had already been King of Scotland for 35 years before that (he wascrowned the King of Scotland when he was one year old.)
1620.. An estimated 50,000 Scottish (and some English) settlers arenow in northern Ireland (Ulster).
1625.. King James I died and his son Charles I was crowned King. KingJames I was a definitely pro-Anglican and anti-Presbyterian, but atleast he was somewhat of a politician about trying to convert theScots to the more traditional Church of England. Charles I, however,had no tact, he tried to force the Anglican church down the throats ofthe Scottish people and deprive them of their Presbyterianism. (Thisis the same climate that led to the first flight of Puritans to foundthe Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630.)
1637.. King Charles required changes in the churches of Scotland tomore closely resemble the Church of England. The Scottish people ariseand overthrow the episcopacy that Charles I has tried to implement.Presbyterianism in Scotland survived.
1640.. An estimated 100,000 Scottish (and some English) settlers arenow in northern Ireland (Ulster).
1642.. England is now in a Civil War, principally over the religiousissues of the day: Puritanism versus the Church of England. The Scotsare on the fringes of this war. They favor the more like-mindedPuritans, but, after all, Charles I is still a Scot.
1642.. The Catholics in Ireland rebel against the north. Estimates ofthe deaths in this uprising vary, but many thousands die. Theemigration of Scots to Ireland drops off.
1650.. The English Civil War ends with Oliver Cromwell responsible forthe beheading of King Charles I. Then, he invaded Scotland ,conquering the Scots at Dunbar. He then set out to crush the Scottishspirit.
1650.. Meanwhile, back in Ireland, the Irish rebellion went on for tenlong years, until Cromwell came from England in 1650 and crushed therebellion. He took neither side, however. He killed both Catholics andPresbyterians alike to let them know that England was in charge andwouldn't take disobedience from either side. He was particlularlycruel and viscious during his campaigns.
Whether the ends justify the means or not, at least peace did followCromwell's "policing action". The immigration of Scots Ireland nowresume in 1650.
1653.. Cromwell ordered venerated leaders of their church driven fromtheir places of meeting by English soldiers and led like criminalsthrough the streets of Edinburgh.
1660.. The Puritan Cromwell dies and Charles II resumes the crown.Here we go again, a pro-Anglican as head of the country. As bad astimes were for the Scots under Cromwell, worse times were ahead.During the 1660's, the Scottish suffered through what is called the"killing times", as the English tried again to force the Church ofEngland down the throats of the Scots. This was the time of the riseof the term "covenanter", those Scots that, in effect, were guerillasfighting against the English landlords.
We have an example of the "killing times" that has been passed down inour family. A fourteen year old girl was arrested because of herfailure to give allegiance to the English King in a way that connotedhis being head of the church. This fourteen year old girl was orderedto DEATH BY DROWNING for refusing. This is how cruel things weregetting over there at that time.
Emigration from Scotland to Ireland increased with the killing times.
1679.. The Covenanters (protestant rebels) are decisively defeated atthe Battle of Bothwell Bridge in Scotland.
1690.. The King of England, William of Orange soundly defeats James IIat the Battle of Boyne in Ireland. William is staunchly protestant,James is Catholic. This assures the continuation of the protestantIrish of the north, most Scottish descendants, to continue theirprotestant faith.
A result of of the English victory at the Battle of Boyne isreponsible for the last wave of immigrants from Scotland to England inthe last decade of the 1600's. An estimated 50,000 Scots leaveScotland for northern Ireland.
1717.. The Exodus of the Scotch-Irish from Ulster to America nowbegins in earnest. Five thousand Ulstermen leave for America thatyear. Between 1717 and the American Revolution, approximately aquarter of a million Scotch-Irish will leave Ireland for America.Approximately 100 years after the original Ulster plantations havebeen planted they have succeeded... and they have also failed. In 100years, Ulster had been transformed from a totally obliteratedlandscape to a respectable area with an economy that produced goods.Plagued by high rents, four years of drought, English import/exportpolicies, and the religious factor thrown in (although religion wasn'ta prime motivating factor in the Scotch/Irish migration as it was,say, with the Puritans.), many Scots look for a better life inAmerica.
It is interesting to note that even though the Catholic Irish enduredmany of the same hardships as their Northern counterparts, theCatholic Irish did not participate in this Exodus. The emigration was99% Protestant, Ulster-Scots leaving for the America's. Although therewere Catholic Irish who fled to other Catholic countries, principallyFrance and Spain.
1776.. The American Revolution marks the end of this immigration era.Approximately 200-250,000 thousand Scotch-Irish have immigrated toAmerica since 1717. There are more than that by 1776. If one is toassume the doubling of a population every 30 years, and a ratable rateof immigration, one could expect the Scotch-Irish numbered perhaps10-25% of the 2 1/4 million Americans in 1776. At the time of theRevolution, the Scotch-Irish comprised the second largest ethnic groupin America after the English, and ahead of the Germans.
(PS. As you do your census work, you may see the results of a studydone by the census bureau by categorizing names based on where thename "might" have come from in estimating the ethnic make-up of the1790 census. That study is a joke. Pay no attention to it. (How canone look at a Scottish name and tell if it is Scottish orScotch-Irish? Or look at Smith or Taylor and tell what nationality itis?).
One parting word. All of the above history speaks in terms ofgeneralities. As we family historians try to discover and unlock thesecrets of the past of our individual ancestors, there are alwaysindividual exceptions to account for. There were English settlers innorthern Ireland. There were French Huguenots (the French protestantrebels, "roughly" equivalent to the Puritans in England and theCovenanters in Scotland) in northern Ireland. There were GermanPalatine refugees in northern Ireland. There were refugees from otherparts of the world to Ireland, as well, at various times.
My recommendation is to not worry about the actual blood line of yourancestry, but to appreciate the historical significance of the aboveevents that your ancestor lived through, no matter how he or she gotthere. (e.g. your ancestor passing through Scotland for a generationor two, or three, or four, was simply one more stop on thegenealogical chain of your past, just as significant as two or threegenerations of your ancestors living in Ohio in the 1800's.)"[Transcribed 29 May 2007, SLJuhl, compiler]
A great deal more research needs to be done on the Walter Family yet.To contact the compiler:
SLJuhl1234@yahoo.com; 3810 - 10th Avenue Place, Moline, Illinois 61265(niece of George Robert Walter). No information on living individualswill be given out without their permission.
All available records are kept with the family of, George RobertWalter Family of 5273 East Sycamore Street, Rockville, Parke County,Indiana 47872-9595. A great deal of the source information, but notall, has been included in the individual persons notes of thisregister report rather than as end notes mainly for betterclarification of the subject/s. As with all genealogy works, someimprovements may be needed and it is always a work in progress. Asalways, suggestions and sharing is always welcomed.
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