Benjamin, Deborah, George, James, John, Sally, and William J. Walker, whose names appear in this collection, were presumably members (or their wives) of the Walker family long established in Taunton. Identifying their family relationships is complicated by the repetition of first names in successive generations. The names of several Walkers also appear as influential members and financial supporters of the West Congregational Society in documents ranging from 1808-1824. As the documents show, Benjamin and Sally Walker each played a part in the appointment of Samuel Wood Colburn (1751-1854) as the first minister of the West Congregational Society in 1809. Benjamin Walker also supported the appointment in 1815 of its second permanent minister, Alvan Cobb (1787-1861), who also operated a school that trained numerous young men in theology. George Washington, Guilford and Abraham Briggs, who collaborated with various Walkers and others to build the ship James Lloyd, came from neighboring Dighton and were apparently brothers. The ship was presumably named after James Lloyd (1769-1831), U.S. Senator from Massachusetts from 1808 to 1814. John West, mentioned in several documents, was a Boston merchant who came to Taunton, built a paper mill in 1809 and a cotton mill in 1823-1824, and continued to run the mills until his death in December 1827. The cotton mill was located in an area of Taunton named Westville after him.
From the guide to the Business and personal papers of Benjamin Walker and his family and business associates., 1793-1877, (University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Department of Special Collections)
