East  Providence
250th Celebration

Colonel Timothy Walker Jr was born on July 26, 1718 in Rehoboth, MA to Timothy and Grace (Child) Walker. On December 10, 1741 in Attleboro, MA, he married Elizabeth, daughter of Ebenezer and Mehetable (Bishop) Carpenter. Together they had seven children: Lepha, Sarah, Betty, Lydia, Timothy, Huldah, and Martha. Timothy was the great grandson of Dea. Philip Walker, son of one of the original proprietors of Rehoboth. 

 

Walker’s military and civic service spanned roughly 30 years. He first served in the Bristol County Militia in 1746 as a Corporal under Capt Jonathan Peck. This militia would have been involved in defending against French and Native American threats, particularly during King George’s War. The 1746 deployment coincided with that war’s Northeast Coast Campaign. 

 

In 1753, Walker served as captain in Col Thomas Bowen’s regiment in the expedition against Crown Point on the western shore of Lake Champlain. This was a significant colonial effort to secure the fort. The regiment included men from Rehoboth, Attleborough, and surrounding towns, indicating local participation in these French & Indian War campaigns. From 1757-1759 he represented Rehoboth in Massachusetts’ General Court. 

 

Timothy Walker also served as a major under Colonel William Bullock, the commander of the 1st Bristol County Regiment of the Massachusetts militia in 1772, prior to the outbreak of major hostilities. 

 

The First Provincial Congress convened in Concord in October of 1774 to establish a committee to oversee military preparations. With the involvement of patriots including John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Dr Samuel Warren, a committee of 13 representatives, one from each of the 11 Massachusetts counties and 2 from Suffolk, met to consider what was to be done for the defense and safety of the province. Major Timothy Walker was the Bristol county representative. Soon after, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and selected to participate in the Second Provincial Congress in February of 1775. 

 

On April 19, 1775, Walker led over 200 men to respond to the alarm on Lexington. They marched as far as Dedham before being ordered to reorganize and wait for further command. 

 

Between April and July 1775, he was placed in command of the 3rd Provincial Regiment under the Massachusetts Provincial Army.  Reorganization occurred in July and his regiment was renamed the 22nd Regiment of the United Colonies. He served in and about Roxbury through the year during the Siege of Boston, which was an eleven month operation where colonial militia surrounded British forces in Boston, ending with a decisive American victory and British evacuation. He commanded as many as 500 men stationed there. 

 

By January 1776, many of his men were absorbed into the 13th Continental Regiment. Later in the war, he served  on duty at Tiverton, Rhode Island, from May 9 to July 5, 1779. His presence was part of the ongoing "Army of Observation" efforts to prevent British incursions into the mainland. Walker also appears on a list of men from Rehoboth who provided money to raise Continental soldiers.

 

Not much is known about his life after his service. We do know he returned to the Walker homestead in Rehoboth . He lived in the house which is still standing at 432 Massasoit Ave. in Rumford, RI that was built by his father Timothy Sr. His father left the house to him in his will when he died in 1745.

 

Timothy died on December 26, 1796 at the age of 78.  He is buried in Newman Cemetery in Rumford. His gravesite is marked with a slate stone, carved by the Tingley Shop, which had broken apart over the years. In the spring of 2025, TNT Gravestone Solutions was hired by the city of East Providence to repair 112 gravestones and Timothy Walker’s was one of them. 

 

Colonel Timothy Walker Jr is remembered for his service in the fight for American independence. His contribution helped secure freedom for future generations.