William Walker was born in 1743 and died in 1819. He was buried in St. Andrew’s Anglican Church cemetery in Grimsby, Ontario.
William Walker lived in North Carolina in Orange County with his wife Sarah. During the American Revolution, William served in the British Army under Lord Cornwallis. He owned over 800 acres of land in Orange County, where he and his wife Sarah were raising a family during these troubled times. In 1793 he sold 600 acres of his real estate and packed up his family and their belongings, including cattle and chickens, to take the 1000 mile journey to Upper Canada. Their oldest son, Robert, chose to remain behind in North Carolina with his new fiancée and William deeded 200 acres to his son.
It was a long, tiring journey for William, Sarah, and nine of their ten children. They traveled by wagons pulled by horses or oxen to Grimsby Township in the Niagara Peninsula. Being a United Empire Loyalist, William was given a crown grant of 1,200 acres in Lincoln County, Grimsby. One of the lots was on the shore of Lake Ontario. This is where he chose to build his homestead, in Beamsville.
In later years other Walkers lived in the house, which was named Walker Hall. Other descendents of the Walkers moved to Walkers Line in Burlington. When I visited the home in Beamsville it had been restored with a tea room and antique sales around 1992. It was a popular place but closed in 2006. The new owners will open Walker Hall Winery in this historical home.
Submitted by Betty Stubbs UE