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The WALLS of England: A journey from England to Iowa.
This family heritage line is a group of brothers who came from Dursley, Gloucestershire, England, to America. We are quite sure there were six of them who made the trip. Samuel, born on April 3rd, 1801; William, born on Dec. 10th; 1803; Abraham, born on April 1st, 1809; Nathaniel, born on Aug. 1st, 1811; George, born on May 4th, 1817; and John, born on Sept. 20th, 1818. (This information above was from family bibles and United States marriage licenses.) Found in the History of Wapello...
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The WALLS of England: A journey from England to Iowa.
This family heritage line is a group of brothers who came from Dursley, Gloucestershire, England, to America. We are quite sure there were six of them who made the trip. Samuel, born on April 3rd, 1801; William, born on Dec. 10th; 1803; Abraham, born on April 1st, 1809; Nathaniel, born on Aug. 1st, 1811; George, born on May 4th, 1817; and John, born on Sept. 20th, 1818. (This information above was from family bibles and United States marriage licenses.) Found in the History of Wapello County, Iowa, was this record: "On the 19th of Sept., 1844, John Wall and George Wall, subjects of Queen Victoria, were naturalized, being the first naturalization in the county, and the only ones at this term of the court." So John and George were first to become naturalized US citizens in that county of Iowa. Also in this history was noted this information: before the coming of the railroad, the merchants' goods had to be hauled by wagons. To accommodate the teamsters, taverns sprang up along the train roads. The first one in Richland Township was located near where the Community House stood. It was owned by John Wall. His sign read, " J. Wall-Cakes & Beer." (I wonder if they had live piano music.)
So Uncle John ran a tavern in Wapello County, outside of Ottumwa, IA. Here are a few notes from a descendant of Abraham Wall, another of the brothers. This was written by Glenn Wall from the State of Washington.
My wife and I (Glenn) had an interesting trip to England in the middle 1980's. Our ancestors lived in the little village of Dursley just outside of Stroud in Gloucestershire. They had moved there in about 1066 on lands granted to them by William the Conqueror for their service to him before and during the conquest. Our own ancestors lived there until they emigrated during the 1830's following the collapse of the textile trade in that area, most were weavers. I found a distant relative living in a nursing home who verified some of the family legend passed down to us by Abraham through his children. Another name, Wallingford, is also woven into the family fabric, but I haven't been able to nail down just how yet. The Walls came from Normandy in France where the name was de Val, or de Valle, or de Valler or de Waller. Literacy wasn't real big in those times and names were written by how it sounded to the few who could write. They acted as spies for William prior to the invasion and advised him of a propitious time to invade and continued to act as spies during the conquest and were granted the lands Gloucestershire for their service. Spies and Normans were none too popular with the local population at the time, especially those who had lived on the land granted to Walls. They were persecuted by the locals, some were introduced to uncomfortable new hemp neckwear. (Get it?) The rest changed their name to Wall to hide their identity and to save their skin. What was to become the de Vals in Normandy and then the Walls in England were Vikings in Scandinavia. They made their living raiding the coastal villages of England, Scotland, Ireland and Western Europe. Their resume read something like raider, looter, pillager, and rapine--an accepted vocation in those times. The King of France became so exasperated with the cost of keeping an army in Normandy to repel these forays that he offered the Vikings Normandy and the head Viking, Hagfgar the Horrible I think, his daughter's hand in marriage. The offer was accepted and the Vikings colonized Normandy and what became the de Vals moved there in about 750. I've always thought it was because of a better climate and more and better things from which to make booze. The climate in Scandinavia was even worse than in Minnesota. Sometime in the 1000's they became tight with William, Duke of Normandy (the bastard son of one of the immigrant Vikings). He seized power and cast covetous eyes at England and decided to conquer. He sent the de Vals to England to settle and mix with the local folks and to act as spies and to advise him of a precipitous opportunity to invade. It came in the fall of 1066 when the Vikings raided England at about the Scottish border. King Harold of England, rode "hell bent for leather" north and absolutely annihilated the Vikings. While there, the de Vals gave William the high sign and he crossed the channel and invaded. By the time the word got to King Harold and they rode 500 miles back to southern England, they were bone tired from the Viking battle and their horses making three tracks, William was well dug in and the battle of Hastings ensued. Harold lost and was killed in the battle and William took over. In appreciation of their services William granted the de Vals lands in Gloucestershire. Anybody with the name de Val was not too popular with the local folks, first for their refusal to
fight the Normans and second because they dispossessed people on the lands they had been granted. Some were introduced to uncomfortable neckwear made of hemp (rope). The remainder changed their name to Wall to hide their identities and save their hides. About two generations later, a William Wall joined Lord Pembroke on his invasion of Ireland. They must have won, because he was granted lands in County Limerick, fraternized with the locals, and left four sons who were the founders of the family in Ireland. Our direct line continued to live in Gloucestershire engaged in the textile trade until about 1830 when the industrial revolution moved the textile industry to the north of England and coal fired mills. The Gloucestershire economy was devastated and people were reduced to starvation. Abraham killed deer on the King's game reserve to feed his family--a capital offense in those times. His church [Methodist] spirited him away to Bristol where he caught a boat to the US where he joined his brother Samuel Wall in Pa. There, that is the how and the why of it. On a NY Passenger List, we found Abraham 27, Manufacturer (sp), Elizabeth 36, wife, Henry 16 a boy, Elizabeth 9 a girl, Hannah 2 - 6 ( two years and six months) and Emma 1-5 (one year and five months.) They came on the ship Clarrissa Andrews and arrived in NY from Liverpool on 26 Oct 1837. Hannah died 13 Oct. 1837 on the voyage to America. The Ship Master was Theo Bassett. Thank you, Glenn, for our history lesson.
An uncle of the Wall boys above was in the British army and fought at the Battle of Waterloo, defeating Napoleon in 1812. This was in a letter from Dr. Luther Wall, found in Dorothy Wilkinson's things. He had been to the soldier's unmarked grave in Lisbon in 1950 while staying with his family relatives. His grandfather, Abraham Wall, was married to another woman in England who died before he came to America. The two families kept in touch and he went to visit. There is no name mentioned of the soldier.
The boys' parents were James Wall and Betty Spratt. (Chart # 40 & 41.) The information we have on James is that he was baptized at Wotton-Under-Edge on April 8th, 1778, the son of Abraham and Mary Wall (for more, see the English Walls chart notes). Betty Spratt was baptized at Dursley on May 27th, 1790, the daughter of George Spratt, and Elizabeth Ford.
(More on this couple is also in the section of English chart notes.) It is unclear how many other children the couple had. We're sure there were more. This chapter will mainly concentrate on Nathaniel Wall.
I must thank Dorothy (De Witt) Wilkinson. She was born in Red Oak, Iowa and lived in Oklahoma City, OK and traveled the world doing genealogy. She collected a house and a half of material, more than anything one person could ever use. But because of her work, it opened up many doors for us and others. She never lost track of her roots in Iowa. We must never forget Jim and Dorothy Wilkinson ever. A lot of her material is at the Elliott Library, Elliott, Montgomery Co., Iowa.
Dorothy was a member of the D. A. R.--Daughters of the American Revolution--from her other side of the family. (Not ours here in this book.) In honor of her work in the D.A.R., Oklahoma Historical Society, Doll club and her genealogy work, a flag of the United States of America that had flown over the Nation's Capitol, was given in her memory to the Cottonwood Cemetery, Hitchcock, Oklahoma, where she is buried. At that time the DAR marker on Dorothy's monument was also then dedicated. Many dignitaries were present. This relative of ours was truly an all American.
On with the Walls. Nathaniel was a weaver as well as his brothers. They grew up in the county of Gloucestershire around the town of Dursley and surrounding areas. Nathaniel saw a pretty girl walking with her father's cows each day back and forth to the pasture. Eventually he was walking with her and soon, Sarah Craddock became his wife on March, 29th, 1835 at the Cam Church. (See chart # 20 and 21.)
Sarah was born on March 12th, 1812 in Stroud, Gloucestershire, to Edward and MaryAnn (Spitell) Craddock, who were married on July 26th, 1807. Edward Craddock was born on Dec. 2nd, 1780 and died on Dec. 27th, 1854 in Cam, Gloucestershire.
Edward Craddock didn't like the idea of his daughter marrying a weaver. According to Madge Holland Henley, a family researcher, Sarah's parents, Edward and Mary Ann, were against the marriage at first and then let them go ahead and marry. In Edward Craddock's will, she is not mentioned even though her siblings in Australia are. So what do you think? Did the old geezer disinherit his daughter, Sarah, because she married the love of her life? Probably. Madge even states in a story she wrote that Edward threatened to disinherit Sarah if she married Nathaniel. (Nathaniel was Madge's grandfather.) But Madge never saw the will and there is no mention of Sarah, his daughter, in it. My researcher in England said that maybe, and just maybe, Edward gave his daughter Sarah a dowry (of money) when she married. Who knows?
From this will we found out that in the Craddock family there were at least seven children: Elizabeth, John, Sarah, Edward, Samuel, Ann, and Mary. Three of these children went to Australia: Edward, Samuel, and Mary Anne, all settling near Sydney, South Wales. The trip from England to Australia took almost five months in 1839. In this book is a letter from Sarah's brother Edward Craddock in Sydney, to her back in Iowa. Mary Anne Spittal Craddock married William Organ on April 14th, 1841 in Wallongong, NSW, Australia. I hope we get emails from Australia. There must be some Craddocks there.
While doing research in England, I uncovered a story about Sarah and her sister Elizabeth Craddock. Elizabeth was working for Edwin Smith. She was his servant at his home in
Cheltenham. He filed charges against the two sisters, that on the 20th of June, 1831, they had stolen a silk handkerchief, five pieces of glazed calico, one pair of kid gloves, and other articles. (Can you believe it? All the girls wanted to do was DRESS UP.) This all happened on June 21st, 1831. The trial was on June 28th, 1831, and Sarah was found innocent. But Elizabeth was found GUILTY. She was sentenced to six months in the House of Corrections at Northleach. Elizabeth was removed July 1st, 1831 to Penitentiary and Sarah was released on July 2nd, 1831. (Why was Sarah in jail four more days when she was found NOT GUILTY on the 28th of June? Paperwork? Not fair.
Total days in prison were eleven for Sarah.) In the court records it states that Sarah Craddock was a dress maker. Did Elizabeth take the items for her sister? I doubt it. I feel that this lousy Edwin tried to make advances to Elizabeth and she refused him. So the story was made up and the evidence was planted or didn't exist at all. Wish I had been there. Too bad Edwin Smith didn't go to prison. (And be placed at "Hard Labor.") Remember an English prison/jail in 1831 was not a pretty picture. Very cruel. Where are those gloves and that handkerchief today?
Now Nathaniel and Sarah ended up in London looking for work. Their first child Mary Ann, was born there on April 9th, 1836. Tom Baird is a descendant from Mary Ann. We want to thank Tom and Joy for all their hard work and endless traveling for our cause, the Wall history.
In less than six months, they were on their way to America. Shirley Wisner of Colorado, found for us the ship and passenger's list. Walls on the Ship Franconia leaving Liverpool and arriving in New York, 11 Aug. 1836 were: Abraham Wall, age 55, Occupation: Weaver. (This is not Nathaniel's brother, Abraham. He came over in 1837.) Betty Wall, age 55
John Wall, age 17; Occupation: Laborer Nathaniel Wall, age 25, Occupation: Weaver Sarah Wall, age 24, Occupation: Seamstress
Mary Wall, age 6 months
All this was found on the Family Archive Viewer, CD273 Passenger Lists: New York, 1820-1850. Now is it possible that Nathaniel's mother, Betty, came over to America? Possible. You can see a Betty Wall on the shipping list here above (and folks, it is not my mother). We do know that the John on the shipping list was Nathaniel's brother.
So they got to America. President Andrew Jackson was in office. They went on to live near Nathaniel's brothers, first in Salem, Columbiana County, Ohio where one Wall child, Thomas, was born on Dec. 10th, 1838 and then came Sarah Ann, born Dec. 25th, 1840 (Dorothy Wilkinson's grandmother), at New Lisban, Jefferson Co., Ohio. The family moved in the early 1840's to Beaver Falls, Beaver Co., Pennsylvania. Here another boy was born to Nathaniel and Sarah, George Robert Wall, born on April 5th, 1844 (Randy Calvin Wall's ancestor). But this was not going to be the final home yet. There was good farm land being offered in IOWA. So the family packed up and headed for the corn state. This was a journey by water and took many months. The party floated from East Liverpool, Ohio on the Ohio River, using a flatboat (see picture). First they headed west through the states of Kentucky and the border of Indiana, then joined up with the Mississippi River, at the bottom of Illinois. Then they headed north to Keokuk, Iowa on the Mississippi and got on the Des Moines River and went north again to Ottumwa. What a journey. They had to paddle, pull, push, and wade to get from one place to another. Many places the water was low. Other places it was too high and dangerous, with lots of rapids. I bet they got tired of fish for supper! But at least they didn't stink. They always had the river to wash up in. They settled in Center Township, Wapello County, by Ottumwa, Iowa.
The little town where they farmed was called Salem (it is not there today). Here, the last two children of this Wall family were born. John Edward, born on Jan. 2nd, 1848 and Lucy Armonia, born May 7th, 1849 (Shirley Wisner's ancestor). Thank you, Shirley, for all your help. You are rarer then gold !
Everything was falling into place. They had a nice piece of land for farming and everyone was healthy. A story was found in family records that Nathaniel always took a jug of water and a jug of whiskey to the field. Sometimes he was cutting grain with a scythe. When the whiskey got low, he would send George R. (Randy Wall's ancestor) back to the house for more. George would sip a little on the way back to the field and then Nathaniel would also give him a drink. He slept all afternoon. I wonder if they ever ran out of water. Sarah used to keep two jugs of whiskey by the door at her tavern. Of course this was years later. Anyone was welcome to a swig. One of these jugs was in the procession of Dorothy Wilkinson. Is there any whiskey in it today?
One hot summer day, Nathaniel came home sick and went to bed. Supposedly the doctor was summoned and he said it was cholera. But other family research members feel it was heat stroke because he was out cradling wheat grain in the hot sun. We will never know for certain. There was no autopsy. So on July 21st, 1850 Nathaniel left this world. He left behind a wife who could not read nor write and six children, 12 years old and younger.
Nathaniel was buried at McElroy Farm Cemetery. It got its name from the McElroy family who bought the land in the late 1800's. Only two people are known to be buried there. Both are husbands of Sarah. It was located in section 12, Center Township, which is today inside the city of Ottumwa, IA. south of Bryan Road. The land was deeded in 1884 to the Phillips Coal Company and the graves were lost in the mining areas and the stones were tossed aside. There are several reports of people seeing the stones. Yes there were stones. Nathaniel Wall had a grave marker. In a WPA project of registration of gravestones for Wapello County, it is recorded;
Nathaniel Wall Died 21 July, 1850 aged 38.
This information is recorded at McElroy Farm Cemetery, Center Township. So we have proof he had a stone. I went there and saw that all there is today in the area were homes. I kicked at a few stones and turned some over hoping to find his gravestone. Nothing. All lost. My parents, Cal and Betty Wall, had me leave a feather for Nathaniel in the approximated area of his grave. Thank you Ed and Barbara Kent for your help in Ottumwa Co., and placing that very important feather.
Because of this work and work of others, your final resting place, Nathaniel, will not be forgotten.
Nathaniel died. Now what? What was his wife, Sarah, going to do? We have found in records that she purchased 40 acres north of Ottumwa, on June 9th, 1851 to start a tavern and bed & breakfast. It was a place where the stage coaches could rest their horses as they headed to the new lands in the west. The land cost $50. The land today is part of the Ottumwa City Airport. Her brother-in-law, John Wall, also had a place nearby. (Remember? J. Wall--Cakes & Beer.) We find in records that Sarah Wall remarried a Samuel Pointer on Nov. 4th, 1851.
That was only a few months after she bought her new land. We do not know anything more on Mr. Pointer. He must have died, for on Feb. 5th, 1855 Sarah married a Silas H. Kent. All of his first family had died of smallpox. Mr. Kent operated a dray service, hauling freight by horse and wagon. There was no railroad yet. In three short months after his marriage to Sarah, he died on May 6th, 1855 and was buried in the McElroy Cemetery, the same place where Nathaniel is buried. It has been written in family letters that Mr. Kent had been a good family friend and that he made the casket for Nathaniel (Sarah's first husband).
Sarah was alone again and wondered what she should do. There was a letter from Australia from her brother, Edward, telling about life in that part of the world. Sarah made no immediate changes. After a while in 1865, she moved to Montgomery County, Iowa and lived with her children, mainly Tom. The towns that surround this area are Milford (Grant today), Elliott, and Red Oak. Sarah (Craddock) Wall-Pointer-Kent died on June 1st, 1872 in Elliott, Iowa and is buried at the Mewhirten Cemetery, also called the Mercer Cemetery, north of Elliott, but very close to town on Co. Rd M-55. Take Elm Street off of Highway 48 through Elliott. You will end up in a corn field. Sarah has a beautiful stone. There are other Walls buried with her. I feel that now is the place to put in Dorothy Wilkinson's words;
"Behold the work of the Old, Let your Heritage not be lost, But bequeath it as a Memory to be treasured. It is our Obligation! Gather the Lost and Hidden and PRESERVE it for the children."
Sydney, N.S.W., May 19, 1865
For: Mrs. Painter [Sarah Craddock Wall] In America Dear Sister and Family: I write these few lines hoping to find you all in health, as it leaves us all at present. I am sorry that a war should have broken out in your country [civil war]. I made inquires respecting the passage money from California to the colonies; it is from 15£ to 20£ per head. And from New York, it is about the same. You might be in California, perhaps 2 or 3 months before you get a vessel for these parts. There are vessels oftener leaving New York than what these in California for the Colonies. The passage money from London or Liverpool is 28 to 20£ per head and a vessel leaves every month. Dear Sister, you must take it into consideration that when you break up one home you will have another one to form, and an expensive journey before you. Though land is cheap here, it requires a person with a small capital to commence with any one with a family of grown useful children have an advantage, as it does not pay to have to hire labor. You can select from 25 to 500 acres of land or more. You can pay 5% deposit and the remainder in 10 years, or you can pay 1£ and you are entitled to run your cattle on government land. The Country is much like it is in America, some of it is heavy timbered and some lightly, so it is the selector himself who has to look to that. There is no government land near to Sydney, but there is plenty on the sea coast about 8 hours run where steamers call in 3 times a week for produce and taking goods constantly, or there is plenty within 100 miles of Sydney where the railway are being made and are not completed quite half way good land. It will be needless for me to tell you about the expense of clearing land, for you having been so busy in America and have no doubt could tell one more than I can, you having been the most part of my time in the city expect the first 18 months of my arrival in the Colonies which was spent in the country. The price of cattle averages Milk Cows £2-10 to £3, working oxen from £8 up to £12. Now I have given you all the information I can, of course it lays entirely with yourself how to act. The climate is a most beautiful one and any person having a small capital to start with can do well as I said before especially where they have a family. The price of good young working horses runs from £10 up to £20. Light saddle horses from 3£ up to 5£. The price of wheat ranges from 6 to7£, Indian corn 2 to 3£, they mostly sow that after they reap the wheat. The price of beef in the country about 11/4 the pound by the quarter. The very small settlers generally buy till they have their own cattle to kill. Mutton by the carcass much about the same. Dear Sister, I cannot give you any more information so will conclude with kind love to yourself and Family and Remain . . . Your Affectionate Brother, Edward Craddock.
No 6 Edward Street
Old South Road
Sydney, Australia
The Walls of England chart notes.
The Parents of James Wall (chart # 40) were Abraham Wall, who was baptized at Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire, on Sept. 19th, 1754 and Mary Hine (she was buried on Nov. 4th, 1783). This couple, Abraham and Mary, were married on Dec. 4th, 1777 at Wotton-Under-Edge. (Chart # 80 and 81.)
Now the parents of Abraham Wall above were Nathaniel Wall and Ann Curnock (chart # 160 & 161). This Nathaniel Wall was baptized on March 1st, 1712 at Uley, the son of William and Hannah Wall. Nathaniel married Ann Curnock on Oct. 15th, 1749 also at Uley. Nathaniel died on May 7th, 1778. Ann was baptized on March 14th, 1721 at Cam and was buried on April 17th, 1763 Hawkesbury.
Ann's parents were John Curnock, Baptized on Dec. 28th, 1678 and Mary Baglin, baptized on Dec. 28th, 1685 who were married on May 29th, 1710. John Curnock's parents were William and Mary Curnock from Cam. Mary Baglin's parents were Peter Baglin and Jane Webbe, who were married on Feb. 27th, 1677 in Dursley. Jane Webbe's father was John Webbe from Stroud.
William Wall (father of Nathaniel) was married to Hannah Smith and was baptized at Uley on Feb. 18th, 1685 the son of another William Wall and his wife, Mary Robbins/Robbines.
William Wall married Mary Robbins/Robbines on July, 16th, 1676. He was born 1650 at Uley, buried on June 13th, 1713, and Mary was buried on Nov. 6th, 1715, both at Uley.
It may be harder to get more information and to go back further, because Cromwell burned the churches in 1650. All towns mentioned above are no more than 5 or 6 miles apart, in the Cotswold Hills.
Now for the family chart history of the Wall boys' mother, Elizabeth (Betty) Spratt, who was married to James Wall on Jan. 6th, 1799 (chart # 40 and 41). She was born Oct. 15th, 1780 at Uley, Gloucestershire, England. We think she came to America and died in the Ohio River Valley around the 1840's. Her parents were George Spratt and Elizabeth Ford (chart # 82 and 83). George Spratt was baptized on March. 10th, 1755 and Elizabeth Ford was baptized on July 1st, 1748 both in Uley.
George's parents were Thomas and Sarah Spratt. We know nothing more about them. (Chart # 164 and 165).
Elizabeth Ford's parents were James Ford, baptized June 24th, 1719 and Ann Smith, baptized Oct. 27th, 1725, both of Uley and they married on June 8th, 1747 (Chart # 166 and 167).
James Ford's parents were John Ford (who was born May 22nd, 1698), and Mary Walking. They were married on Dec. 5th, 1718. John Ford's parents were Oswald Ford, born Oct. 23rd, 1675 and he married on July 15th, 1694 to Mary Allen, who was born on Feb. 27th, 1676. Oswald's father was Will Ford.
Ann Smith's parents were Aaron Smith, baptized on Nov. 27th, 1698 and married on Nov. 4th, 1722 to Esther Hill, who was born on July 18th, 1698 in Uley. The parents of Aaron Smith were Aaron and Elizabeth Smith, who were married on Feb. 3rd, 1690. Esther Hill's parents were John Hill, baptized on April 8th, 1660 and Elizabeth Hancock, baptized on March 18th, 1665. They were married on Dec. 31st, 1691. John Hill's parents were John Hill Sr., who also married a woman named Elizabeth, on June 26th, 1659 in Stratton. Elizabeth Hancock's father was Thomas Hancock, born around 1630 in Uley.
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