Maggie Page Walker
Maggie Page
daughter of
Mr. & Mrs. W. F. Walker
Aug. 2, 1891
Oct. 11,1893
Photo Credit: Rosa G. Gonzales
Biography
The gravestone of little Maggie Page Walker records with dates the brief life of a little girl who was born 2 August 1891 and died only two years later on 11 October 1893. The granite marker also notes that she is the daughter ofMr. and Mrs. W. F. Walker. This would seem to mean that she is the same little Maggie Page Walker whose baptism is recorded in the First Methodist Church under date of October 30, 1892. In that entry she is listed as infants of Nuecestown and the daughter of "J. W. F. & S. E." (Texas Marriage Records etc. collected by Mrs. C. C. Miller under the auspices of the Daughters of the American Revolution, page 134-call # CCTx, 929.3, D238t in the central branch of Corpus Christi Public Library). Based on other entries the initials appear to signify "Josie W. Frank" and "Sophronia Esther" Walker. The name of Maggie's father is sometimes written W. F. Walker, at other times Frank W. Walker or even Josie F. Walker. In the 1900 census record of Nueces County (page111A) Frank and his wife (name given here appears to read "Sepronia E.") are listed with five children, and they do not acknowledge that they have had another child who died as a toddler. However, there is a sizable gap between the birth of William W. Walker in July of 1887 and the birth of Robert B. Walker in April of 1894. Maggie would easily fit between those two birth, and it may be that the couple found some consolation in the birth of Robert only about six months after the death of little Maggie. Frank reports that he is a native of Georgia, born in 1857. His wife is listed as a native of Texas, born in 1863. It appears that these are the same two buried in Rose Hill Cemetery where they are listed as "father" W. F. Walker (1857-1932) and "mother" S. E. Walker (1863-1940). Sophronia Esther Walker died December 15, 1940; and her obituary notes that she had been a resident of Corpus Christi and a member of the First Methodist Church for 50 years (since 1890). Her maiden name was "Barber" and she was born near Rockdale. The articles in the Corpus Christi Caller (16 Dec. 1940 page lA, column 6) and Corpus Christi Times (16 Dec. 1940 page 3B, column 4) report that she came to Corpus Christi with her late husband (who died eight years previously) in 1890 during the Ropes' boom. The couple's surviving children included sons William W. Walker of Corpus Christi and Robert B. Walker of Waco. Their surviving daughters were Mrs. Amos Roark of Corpus Christi; Mrs. Clyde Overman of Leadville, Colorado; Mrs. area Ehlers of adem; Mrs. Dewey Worden of Calallen; Mrs. Stanley McMurray of Alice; and Mrs. R. E. McClary of Taft. W. F. Walker and S. E. Walker rest in Rose Hill Cemetery near their daughter Claudia (Mrs. Amos Roark) who died in 1955. When Mrs. Walker died in 1940 she was residing at 2324 Antelope Street in Corpus Christi, not far from the cemetery where the remains of her small daughter were resting in peace. Information submitted by Eddie Jensen and Junior Calvin Wade and found on Family Search website indicate that Frank's full name is "Franklin" and that he married Sophronia in Milam County on 9 October 1884. She was the daughter of Isaac Newton Barber, Sr. and Tabitha Gardner who are found in the 1880 federal census of Milan County (p. 241A) with their daughter "Sopronia E. Walker". These genealogical records also report that the couple had two other daughters who do not appear in the 1900 census record: Olive Walker born about 1895 and Stella Irene Walker born about 1897. This may mean that two other daughters of Frank and
Sophronia also died as infants since they are not listed in the 1900 census. However, there is no record on paper or on stone (gravestone) to indicate when they died or where they were buried.
Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell