1. As quoted in John K. Nelson, A Blessed Company: Parishes, Parsons, and Parishioners in Anglican Virginia, 1690–1776 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001), p. 93. William R. Brock, Scotus Americanus: A Survey of the Sources for Links between Scotland and America in the Eighteenth Century (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1982), pp. 13–14.

2. Wallace Gusler, Furniture of Williamsburg and Eastern Virginia, 1710–1790 (Richmond: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1979), pp. 25–57. See also Wallace Gusler, “The Tea Tables of Eastern Virginia,” Antiques 127, no. 5 (May 1989): 1238–57. The author, Ron Hurst, and Tara Chicirda examined the Dunmore seating furniture illustrated in figures 30–34 of Gusler’s Furniture of Williamsburg and Eastern Virginia. Comparison of these objects with furniture documented and attributed to Walker revealed subtle but important differences in construction, style, and scale. This led to the conclusion that the Dunmore seating is by another, yet-to-be identified Virginia cabinetmaker. Similarly, a detailed genealogical study of the provenances for pieces that appeared to be outliers quickly identified matrilineal connections to the Rappahannock River valley. The Bassett family desk-and-bookcase, for example, belonged in the nineteenth century to George Washington Bassett (1800–1878) of Hanover County whose wife, Elizabeth Burnett Lewis (1808–1886), was a direct descendant of Charles Carter of Cleve and Mary Ball Washington, two of Walker’s patrons discussed in this article (see Bassett Family Papers, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond). This study emphasizes the importance of matrilineal descent when considering the history of American furniture. Esther Singleton, Furniture of Our Forefathers (New York: Doubleday, Page, 1922), p. 137.

3. David Dobson, Scottish Emigration to Colonial America, 1607–1785 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1994), p. 56.

4. Nelson, A Blessed Company, p. 94.

5. For more on Scotland and the tobacco trade, see T. M. Devine, The Tobacco Lords: A Study of the Tobacco Merchants of Glasgow and Their Trading Activities, c. 1740–90 (Edinburgh: John Donald Publishers, 1975); and A Scottish Firm in Virginia, 1767–1777: W. Cuninghame and Co, edited by T. M. Devine (Edinburgh: Clark Constable, 1984).

6. Nelson, A Blessed Company, pp. 94, 375. Marshall Wingfield, A History of Caroline County, Virginia (Baltimore: Regional Publishing Company, 1975), p. 18. Dobson, Scottish Emigration to Colonial America, p. 103.

7. Virginia Gazette, July 13, 1775. Hew Scott, Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae: The Succession of Ministers in the Church of Scotland from the Reformation, vol. 5, Synods of Fife, and of Angus and Mearns (Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1925), p. 460.

8. Colen Campbell, Vitruvius Britannicus, or The British Architect (1715–1725; reprint, New York: Benjamin Blum, 1967), p. i.

9. Francis Bamford, A Dictionary of Edinburgh Wrights and Furniture Makers, 1660–1840 (London: Furniture History Society, 1983), pp. 46–48, 94–100. Sebastian Pryke, “The Extraordinary Billhead of Francis Brodie,” Regional Furniture 4 (1990): 81–99.

10. National Art Galleries, XVII and XVII Century American Furniture, New York, December 3–5, 1931, lot 483, Rockefeller Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The Diary of Robert Rose: A View of Virginia by a Scottish Colonial Parson, 1746–1751, edited by Ralph Emmet Fall (Verona, Va.: Augusta-Heritage Press, 1985), pp. 52, 68.

11. John Mercer Ledger Book, 1725–1732, p. 82, bound MSS, d-13, Mercer Museum, Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Deposition of Landon Carter, August 2, 1770, Carter Family Papers, Sabine Hall Collection, Special Collections, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia.

12. The Register of Saint Paul’s Parish, 1715–1798, edited by George Harrison Sanford King (Fredericksburg, Va.: American Society of Genealogists, 1960), p. 146. Originally located in the cemetery of her cousin Henry Fitzhugh of Bedford, Elizabeth’s tombstone is now in St. Paul’s churchyard. The stone is inscribed “Here lies the body of Elizabeth, wife of William Walker of Stafford County and daughter of Henry Netherton, gentleman, deceased, who departed this life August the 26th, 1737, aged 29.” Margaret C. Klein, Tombstone Inscriptions of King George County, Virginia (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979), p. 20. For the Fitzhugh and Tucker families, see Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 1 (1894): 269–70, and 7 (1900): 196–99, 317–19, 425–27.

13. For more on Walker’s architectural career, see Carl R. Lounsbury, The Courthouses of Early Virginia: An Architectural History (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2005), pp. 176, 210–15, 238. Richmond County, Virginia, Order Book 11, 1739–1740, p. 96, Library of Virginia (hereafter cited as LOV), Richmond. Westmoreland County, Virginia, Order Book, 1739–1743, p. 123a, LOV. The Vestry Book and Register of St. Peter’s Parish, New Kent and James City Counties, Virginia, 1684–1786, edited by C. G. Chamberlayne (Richmond, Va.: Library Board, 1937), pp. 339–40.

14. Marcus Whiffen, The Public Buildings of Williamsburg, Colonial Capitol of Virginia (Williamsburg, Va.: Colonial Williamsburg, 1958), pp. 134–36, 217. The Diary of Robert Rose, pp. 52 (February 11, 1750), 73 (March 15, 1750).

15. Stafford County, Virginia, Will Book O, 1748–1767, pp. 83–84, LOV. In June 1750 Nathaniel Harrison, who “alone took upon himself the Burthen in the Execution,” sold Walker’s 465-acre plantation for £349.8.3 to John Fitzhugh, son of Henry Fitzhugh of Bedford. Six years later, Harrison and Fitzhugh sold the same land to John Stuart of Stafford County (Stafford County, Virginia, Deed Book P, 1755–1764, pp. 95–97, LOV).

16. Stafford County, Virginia, Will Book O, 1748–1767, pp. 83–84, LOV.

17. Stafford County, Virginia, Will Book O, 1748–1767, pp. 523–27, LOV.

18. Bamford, A Dictionary of Edinburgh Furniture Makers, pp. 68–69, 123, 128. There are no other records for William Walker Jr. in Scotland after 1719. For William Walker Sr.’s estate papers, see Edinburgh Commissary Court, Reference CC8/8/85, National Archives of Scotland. This material can be accessed electronically via the website of Scotland’s People at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. John G. Dunbar and John Cornforth, “Dalkeith House, Lothian I: A Property of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry,” Country Life 175, no. 4522 (April 19, 1984): 1062–65. See also Miles Glendinning et al., A History of Scottish Architecture: From the Renaissance to the Present Day (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1996), pp. 88–90. The author thanks Ian Gow and Sebastian Pryke for their assistance with theories on the Walker brothers’ Scottish origins.

19. Sebastian Pryke, “The Eighteenth Century Furniture Trade in Edinburgh: A Study Based on Documentary Sources” (master’s thesis, University of St. Andrew’s, 1995), pp. 11–12.

20. South Carolina Gazette (Charleston), October 27, 1739. Dendrochronology has confirmed that Stratford Hall was built during the late 1730s, placing William Walker in proximity at the time.

21. Glendinning et al., A History of Scottish Architecture, pp. 95–96. Smith’s Melville House also has an H-plan.

22. Edward Wenham, The Collector’s Guide to Furniture Design (English and American) from the Gothic to the Nineteenth Century (New York: Collectors Press, 1928), p. 216. The author thanks Luke Beckerdite for bringing this illustration to his attention.

23. For Mercer’s house construction accounts, see John Mercer Ledger Book, 1741–1750, pp. 32, 36, 48, 56, 63, 86, 115, Mercer Museum, Bucks County Historical Commission, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. See also C. Malcolm Watkins, The Cultural History of Marlborough, Virginia (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1968), pp. 34–39.

24. John Mercer Ledger Book, 1741–1750, p. 36. Stafford County, Virginia, Will Book O, 1748–1767, p. 523, LOV. Walker’s carver may have been an indentured servant, since Mercer’s ledger refers to the latter tradesman as “your Carver” and “his Carver.” Indentured craftsmen were a staple of the colonial Virginia economy, but regardless of his status this carver was an extremely valuable member of Walker’s workforce.

25. John Mercer Ledger Book, 1741–1750, p. 36. Like Walker, Mercer cited separate charges for the frames and carving. Stafford County, Virginia, Will Book O, 1748–1767, p. 523, LOV. Gusler, Furniture of Williamsburg and Eastern Virginia, p. 28.

26. Gusler, Furniture of Williamsburg and Eastern Virginia, p. 28. Ann Dibble initially identified this chair group in “Fredericksburg-Falmouth Chairs in the Chippendale Style,” Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts 4, no. 1 (May 1978): 1–25. David Jones to Tara Chicirda and Robert Leath, January 12, 2005. The author thanks Scottish furniture historians David Jones and Sebastian Pryke for their opinions on these construction details.

27. Caroline County, Virginia, Order Book, 1755–1758, Part One, 1755–1756, pp. 187–88, and Part Two, 1756–1758, p. 233, LOV. Spotsylvania County, Virginia, Will Book D, 1761–1772, pp. 88–95, LOV.

28. Christopher Gilbert, Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture, 1740–1840 (Leeds, Eng.: Furniture History Society, 1996), pp. 51, 442. Bamford, A Dictionary of Edinburgh Wrights and Furniture Makers, p. 46.

29. Pryke, “The Eighteenth Century Furniture Trade in Edinburgh,” p. 301. Sebastian Pryke to Robert Leath, November 30, 2005. The author thanks Mr. Pryke for this reference.

30. King George County, Virginia, Order Book, 1735–1751, p. 331, LOV. Ledger F, 1743–1747, p. 41, Edward Dixon Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. King George County, Virginia, Deed Book 3, 1743–1752, pp. 2–3, LOV.

31. King George County, Virginia, Deed Book 3, 1743–1752, p. 136, LOV. The Diary of Robert Rose, p. 52. King George County, Virginia, Deed Book 4, 1753–1765, p. 388, LOV. King George County, Virginia, Order Book, 1735–1751, p. 471, LOV. King George County, Virginia, Order Book, 1751–1765, p. 873, LOV. Ledger F, 1743–1747, pp. 41, 208, Edward Dixon Papers; for Robert Walker’s ongoing accounts with Turner and Dixon, see the ledger book series in the Edward Dixon Papers.

32. Ledger F, 1743–1747, pp. 41, 208, Edward Dixon Papers. King George County, Virginia, Deed Book 3, 1743–1752, pp. 314–15, LOV.

33. Carter’s payment to Walker for the completion of Cleve is in Charles Carter Genealogical Material, Box 8, Minor Collection, Carter Family Papers from the James Monroe Law Office Museum, Trinkle Library, Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Virginia. The author thanks Camille Wells for this reference.

34. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 31 (1923): 39–69.

35. King George County Deed Book 6, 1745–1784, pp. 103–7, LOV. Esther Singleton illustrated one of the Virginia Historical Society chairs in Furniture of Our Forefathers, p. 137.

36. Gusler, “The Tea Tables of Eastern Virginia,” p. 1250.

37. James Noah Hillman, Kilwinning Cross Lodge Number 2-237 A. F. & A. M. (Bowling Green, Va.: Kilwinning Cross Lodge, 1955), pp. 21, 115.

38. “A Memorandum of the effects not mentioned in Mrs. Washington’s Will,” Account 21056, Library of Virginia, Richmond. Colonial Williamsburg upholstery conservator Leroy Graves removed later coverings on the Washington easy chair, exposing the original linen foundation, stuffing materials, and fragments of original show cloth. The stuffing was a mixture of horsehair, tow, and other materials; the show fabric was red and yellow wool damask; and the tape trim was emerald green. This easy chair and its conservation will be published in greater detail by Graves.

39. Cat. no. W-135, Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, Mount Vernon, Virginia.

40. For the recently discovered lower section of a desk-and-bookcase with a gadrooned base molding, carved prospect door, and paw feet attributed to Robert Walker’s shop, circa 1750–1760, see research file VT-8-124/VT-68-32 at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The author thanks Sumpter Priddy for sharing information on this object. Westmoreland County, Virginia, Records and Inventories 4, 1756–1767, pp. 178–80, LOV. The side chairs were valued at nine pounds. The section of the page with the value of the other chairs is missing.

41. Ledger R, 1764–1765, p. 148, Edward Dixon Papers.

42. Dibble, “Fredericksburg-Falmouth Chairs in the Chippendale Style.”

43. Wallace Gusler identified the structural characteristics of this case work in Furniture of Williamsburg and Eastern Virginia, pp. 41–42. Ledger M, 1759–1760, p. 127, Edward Dixon Papers. See also Ronald L. Hurst and Jonathan Prown, Southern Furniture, 1680–1830: The Colonial Williamsburg Collection (New York: Harry N. Abrams for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1997), pp. 452–57.

44. Essex County, Virginia, Will Book 16, 1800–1805, p. 19, LOV. MESDA research file VT-7-143/VT-303-9. For a more in-depth discussion of the Beverley, Taylor-Galt, and Carter-Lewis-Bassett case pieces, see Gusler, Furniture of Williamsburg and Eastern Virginia, pp. 43–53.

45. King George County, Virginia, Will Book A, 1752–1780, pp. 82–89, LOV. Ledger F, 1743–1747, p. 41, Edward Dixon Papers.

46. King George County, Virginia, Deed Book 5, 1765–1783, pp. 1171–72, LOV. King George County, Virginia, Bonds, 1765–1789, pp. 244–46, LOV.

47. After Elizabeth Netherton’s death, William Walker remarried and sired William, John, James, and Elizabeth whose births between 1744 and 1747 are recorded in the St. Paul’s Parish register (King, The Register of Saint Paul’s Parish, p. 147). Thomas and Robert are not in the parish register, appear to have been born much earlier, and may have been children from the first marriage, but their relationship is identified in Thomas’s will that refers to “my brothers Robert Walker of the said Town of Fredericksburg & William Walker of Stafford County” (Fredericksburg Hustings Court Will Book A, 1782–1817, pp. 39–40, LOV). John Walker’s identity can be pieced together through various store accounts. As early as 1750 purchases in Edward Dixon’s store were made on Robert Walker’s account by young men described as “our son” and “yr. Kinsman.” John Walker and Robert Walker later appear by name; see Ledger C, 1750–1751, p. 153; Ledger F, 1752–1754, p. 172; Ledger G, 1754–1756, Edward Dixon Papers. In 1769 Henry Fitzhugh (1723–1783) made a one-pound payment to John Walker for “yr. Father for mending the Chair” (Account Book of Henry Fitzhugh, p. 123, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond). By 1772 he had established an account in Falmouth with William Allason under the heading “John Walker, House Carpenter, King George” (Ledger 1, October 1769–September 1772, p. 73, Allason Papers, LOV).

48. King George County, Virginia, Deed Book 6, 1745–1784, p. 257, LOV. William and Mary Quarterly 1, no. 4 (1895): 273–74. Westmoreland County, Virginia, Records and Inventories 5, 1767–1776, pp. 285–86, LOV. Spence Monroe was Robert’s earliest known apprentice. The former is best known as the father of James Monroe (1758–1831), fifth president of the United States.

49. Ledger C, September 1762–October 1763, p. 121; Ledger 1, October 1769–September 1772, p. 38, Allason Papers. Samuel T. Freeman, Executor’s Sale, Antique and Modern Furniture, Collected by the Late George W. Childs, Philadelphia, November 20–23, 1928, lot 291. William Walker died on February 2, 1807. The following day the Virginia Herald (Fredericksburg) reported, “Yesterday departed this life, Mr. William Walker, Cabinetmaker . . . one of the oldest inhabitants of this town.”

50. Account Book, Unidentified Cabinetmaker, 1767–1777, Manuscript No. 63x11, Joseph Downs Library, Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware. Loose pages in the back of the account book regarding Robert Cockburn’s son-in-law Adam Black confirm the unidentified cabinetmaker’s identity. For Black’s 1805 marriage to Elizabeth Cockburn, see Greenbrier County Marriages, 1782–1900, edited by Larry G. Shuck (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Publishing, 1991), p. 459. By 1768 Robert Cockburn was working for William Walker Jr. In that year Walker spent nine shillings on a pair of men’s shoes “for Cockburn” (Ledger F, October 1767–September 1768, p. 118, Allason Papers). By 1773 Cockburn had relocated to Orange County, gone into business for himself, and opened an account with the merchant Andrew Shepherd (who is named in the account book). Shepherd referred to his new customer as “Robert Cockburn, Cabinet maker” (Andrew Shepherd Account Book, 1773–1790, John D. Rockefeller Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation). By 1800 Cockburn had moved further west to Greenbrier County, presently West Virginia, where he died in 1810, leaving a will that named Adam Black as one of his executors (Greenbrier County, West Virginia, Will Book 1, pp. 272–74, LOV). Robert Cockburn forms a fascinating portrait of an immigrant artisan who came to America as an indentured servant, gained his freedom, and gradually moved westward.

51. Account Book, Unidentified Cabinetmaker, 1767–1777.