Category: Cumberland County Connections

William Walker of Cumberland County, Virginia – my 5x great grandfather

William Walker of Cumberland County, Virginia – my 5x great grandfather

William Walker, my 5x great grandfather served twice in the American Revolution and found himself in some of the war's most iconic New Jersey battles including serving in the vanguard at Trenton crossing the Delaware with Washington at Trenton. He spent a winter at Valley Forge. In his second enlistment he was at the Battle of Yorktown. Here is his story.

Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied, Part 1: Essex and Sall . . . and Their Increase

Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied, Part 1: Essex and Sall . . . and Their Increase

In March 1851, a jury in Cumberland County ruled that three men—Sam, John, and George—were entitled to freedom as stipulated in Osborne Jones' 1820 will, which had been ignored for over two decades. Awarded one cent each for their unlawful bondage, their story reflects systemic legal neglect and local hostility towards emancipation.