Wade & Webb Family History

Charles Sparks Walden1772–1833

Spotsylvania · Garrett Cemetery · Autauga

Charles Sparks Walden, said to have been born in Virginia in 1772, married Sarah Walker in Georgia in 1803 and raised a large family there before moving on to Autauga County, Alabama, where his son Westley was born in 1819. He died in Autauga County in November 1833, and an inventory of his estate taken the next year is said to have listed twelve enslaved people.

On this page
  1. Family Record
  2. Life
  3. Documents (2)
  4. Places
  5. Timeline
  6. Open questions
  7. Searches made
  8. Notes

Birth

  1. 1772 Spotsylvania, Virginia

Marriages

  1. 8 Aug 1803 Sarah Walker, at Greene, Oconee, Georgia 4

Death and burial

  1. 1833 Burial: Garrett Cemetery, Centre, Cherokee, Alabama
  2. 8 Nov 1833 Death: Autauga, Alabama 8

Family

Parents
Not recorded
Spouse, 8 Aug 1803
Sarah Walker 1783–1854
Children
Nancy Walden 1805–1870
Elizabeth Walden 1818–?
John Butler Walden 1816–1896
Thomas W Walden 1805–?
Sarah Walden 1820–?
Westley D Walden 1819–1863
George S Walden 1814–?

Line of descent Webb line

  1. Charles Sparks Walden
  2. Westley D Walden, son
  3. William Walker Walden, son
  4. Lila Walden, daughter
  5. Hilda Webb, daughter
  6. William Albert Webb Wade, son

3rd great-grandfather of Webb Wade, from whom this history is traced. Why Webb Wade?

Life

Charles Sparks Walden was born in 1772 at Spotsylvania, Virginia, according to the FamilySearch tree.1 No record attached to him names his birthplace or his parents, so both rest on the tree alone.1 He is also recorded simply as Charles Walden.2

Georgia

A biographical note on the tree says that "Charles Walden, in about 1800, moved to Green County, Ga."3 The tree gives his marriage to Sarah Walker, who was born in Virginia on 5 June 1783, as 8 August 1803, at a place it enters as "Greene, Oconee, Georgia".4 No marriage record is attached, and the place cannot be right as written, since Oconee County was not formed until 1875.4 Inference Greene County, which the biographical note names as his home from about 1800, is the likelier place of the marriage.3 The tree gives the couple nine children: Thomas W. (born 1805 in Greene County), Nancy (1805), George S. (1814), John Butler (1816, in Jasper County), Elizabeth (1818), Westley D. (1819), Sarah (about 1820), Martha Lynn and Charles S., the last two without dates of birth.5 Inference The children's birthplaces suggest that the family stayed in Georgia until at least 1818, moving within the state from Greene County to Jasper County.5

Autauga County, Alabama

By 1819 the Waldens were in Alabama: their son Westley D. Walden was born in Autauga County on 1 August 1819, and a daughter Sarah was born in Alabama in about 1820.6 A daughter, Martha Lynn Walden, married Elias Dubose in Autauga County on 19 April 1832.7

Charles Walden died in Autauga County on 8 November 1833, according to the tree; a note on his profile records that "some say that his death date was 12 November 1833", citing Find a Grave memorial 14322661.8 The FamilySearch index of Alabama estate files has an entry for Charles Walden in 1834, the year after his death.9 An estate file holds the papers of the probate court, the court that settled a dead person's property, such as inventories, accounts and the division among heirs.9 A note on the tree, citing WikiTree, says that an inventory of his estate taken on 31 May 1834 in Autauga County listed twelve slaves.10 Inference The estate file itself, rather than the summary on another website, is the record that would give the names of the twelve people he held, which inventories of the period usually listed with their ages and values.10 His widow Sarah died in Autauga County on 1 July 1854.11

Burial

The tree and the Find a Grave index place his burial in 1833 in the Garrett Cemetery at Centre, Cherokee County, Alabama.12 His widow is recorded as buried in the same cemetery in 1854, and so is their son John Butler Walden, who died at Centre in 1896.13 Inference Since both Charles and Sarah died in Autauga County, and Cherokee County was not created until 1836, three years after his death, the Garrett Cemetery stones may be memorials raised by their son's family rather than graves; the burial place should be treated as unconfirmed until a cemetery record or a probate paper confirms it.14

The tree also cites an entry for him in the Geni World Family Tree on MyHeritage, which is a compiled online tree rather than a record of his life.15

Documents

  1. 1888 Northern Alabama: John Butler Walden, son of Charles and Sarah (Walker) Walden Northern Alabama, Historical and Biographical (Birmingham, Alabama: Smith & De Land, 1888) · book
  2. 18 May 2006 Find a Grave memorial: Charles Sparks Walden Find a Grave · memorial

Places

  1. 1772Spotsylvania
  2. 1803Greene
  3. 1833Garrett Cemetery
  4. 1833Autauga

Timeline

  1. 1772BirthSpotsylvania, Virginia
  2. 8 Aug 1803Marriage, Sarah WalkerGreene, Oconee, Georgia
  3. 1833BurialGarrett Cemetery, Centre, Cherokee, Alabama
  4. 8 Nov 1833DeathAutauga, Alabama

Open questions

Birthplace, death year and service (raised 2026-11-09)

His son John B. Walden's sketch (Northern Alabama, 1888) says Charles and Sarah were "natives of South Carolina," that he moved to Greene County, Ga., about 1800, then to Jasper County, was a lieutenant under General Floyd in the War of 1812, came to Autauga County in 1819 and died in 1832, leaving seven sons. The tree has born Spotsylvania, Virginia, and died 8 November 1833. Look for his War of 1812 service (Georgia militia under Gen. John Floyd, 1813–14) and his Autauga County estate.

Was William Walden of Jones County, Georgia, his kin? (raised 2026-11-09)

Two Jones County Inferior Court writs of 31 January 1821 (Telamon Cuyler Collection, Hargrett Library, University of Georgia; May v. Walden, Billingslea v. Walden) foreclose mortgages a William Walden gave on enslaved people, one dated 29 January 1820. Jones County borders Jasper, where Charles lived until 1819. William was not a son of Charles and Sarah (married 1803), but he may have been a brother or cousin (inference, untested). Check the Jasper and Jones County deed and tax digests of 1810–1820 for both men, and the 1820 census of Jones County.

Searches made

  1. 2026-11-09Find a Grave search: Charles Walden, b. 1772 ±3, d. 1833 ±3: 1 resultsbest: [Charles Sparks Walden (1772 – 12 Nov 1833), Garrett Cemetery, Centre, Cherokee County, Alabama](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14322661/charles-sparks-walden); score 13 (high, before review)
  2. 2026-11-09Find a Grave memorial recorded[memorial 14322661](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14322661), high confidence: [record](../documents/findagrave/14322661-charles-sparks-walden.md); 2 headstone photo(s)
  3. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Charles Sparks Walden", Alabamano matches
  4. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Charles Walden", Alabama885 pages; first: [1964 Holmes Community College Yearbook (Horizons), 1964, p. ](https://archive.org/details/HCCHORIZONS1964?q=%22Charles%20Walden%22); [Dickerson and Walden families., 1961, p. ](https://archive.org/details/dickersonwaldenf00dick?q=%22Charles%20Walden%22); [Minutes of the fifty-first annual session of the Cherokee Baptist Association (Ala.) 1895, 1895, p. ](https://archive.org/details/minutesoffiftyfi00cher?q=%22Charles%20Walden%22)
  5. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Walden", inside minutesofsixtyse00cherno matches; 0 with the given name (Charles, Sparks)
  6. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Walden", inside virginiagazettei02capp1 page; first: [Virginia gazette index, 1736-1780, 1950, p. 604](https://archive.org/details/virginiagazettei02capp/page/n604/mode/1up?q=Walden); 0 with the given name (Charles, Sparks)
  7. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Walden", inside memorialrecordof00tayl2 pages; first: [Memorial record of Alabama. A concise account of the state's political, military, professional and industrial progress, together with the personal memoirs of many of its people, 1893, p. 123](https://archive.org/details/memorialrecordof00tayl/page/n123/mode/1up?q=Walden); [Memorial record of Alabama. A concise account of the state's political, military, professional and industrial progress, together with the personal memoirs of many of its people, 1893, p. 159](https://archive.org/details/memorialrecordof00tayl/page/n159/mode/1up?q=Walden); 0 with the given name (Charles, Sparks)
  8. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Walden", inside historyofalabama01owen2 pages; first: [History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, 1921, p. 143](https://archive.org/details/historyofalabama01owen/page/n143/mode/1up?q=Walden); [History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, 1921, p. 416](https://archive.org/details/historyofalabama01owen/page/n416/mode/1up?q=Walden); 0 with the given name (Charles, Sparks)
  9. 2026-11-09Internet Archive: "Walden", inside alabamaherhistor00brew5 pages; first: [Alabama, her history, resources, war record, and public men : from 1540 to 1872, 1872, p. 179](https://archive.org/details/alabamaherhistor00brew/page/n179/mode/1up?q=Walden); [Alabama, her history, resources, war record, and public men : from 1540 to 1872, 1872, p. 497](https://archive.org/details/alabamaherhistor00brew/page/n497/mode/1up?q=Walden); [Alabama, her history, resources, war record, and public men : from 1540 to 1872, 1872, p. 497](https://archive.org/details/alabamaherhistor00brew/page/n497/mode/1up?q=Walden); 0 with the given name (Charles, Sparks)
  10. 2026-11-09Internet Archive assessment: "Charles Walden", Alabama (885 pages); "Charles Sparks Walden" (none)Not him: modern yearbooks, a Cherokee Baptist Association delegate of 1895, Kingston (N.Y.) news, the Dickerson and Walden families of Virginia.
  11. 2026-11-09Internet Archive assessment: "Walden" inside *Northern Alabama* (1888), pp. 132–133Match (high): sketch of his son John Butler Walden (born Jasper Co., Ga., 1 Sept 1816), "son of Charles and Sarah (Walker) Walden, natives of South Carolina … The senior Mr. Walden, in about 1800, moved to Green County, Ga., and from thence to Jasper. He was a lieutenant under General Floyd in the War of 1812. He came into Alabama in 1819, and located in Autauga County, near old Fort Jackson. He died in 1832. Of his seven sons John B. is the only one now living." Conflicts: birthplace (tree Spotsylvania, Va.) and death year (tree 1833). [Northern Alabama record](../documents/1888-northern-alabama-john-butler-walden.md).
  12. 2026-11-09Internet Archive assessment: "Walden" inside the Cherokee Baptist minutes (none), Virginia Gazette index (Ambrose Walden, 1777), Owen vol. 1 (Samuel Walden, early settler of another county)Not him.
  13. 2026-11-09Internet Archive hits assessed: 7 searchesOne match (Northern Alabama; record written).
  14. 2026-11-09DPLA: "Charles Sparks Walden"no matches
  15. 2026-11-09DPLA: "Charles Walden", Alabamano matches
  16. 2026-11-09DPLA assessment: William Walden of Jones County, Georgia, 1820–1821 (found by his great-grandson William Walker Walden's search "William Walden", Alabama)Possible kinsman, not him: two Jones County Inferior Court writs of 31 January 1821, July term 1821 (Telamon Cuyler Collection, Hargrett Library; [May v. Walden](https://dlg.usg.edu/record/guan_1170_031-003-001), [Billingslea v. Walden](https://dlg.usg.edu/record/guan_1170_031-003-002)), foreclose mortgages William Walden gave Benjamin May (dated 29 January 1820) and James Billingslea on five enslaved people. Jones County borders Jasper, where Charles lived until he moved to Autauga in 1819. William cannot be a son of Charles and Sarah (married 1803; eldest known son born 1805), but a brother or cousin is possible (inference, untested). Lead added to Open questions.
  17. 2026-11-09DPLA hits assessed: 2 searchesNo hits for him.

Notes

  1. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile K2FG-GXD: birth 1772, Spotsylvania, Virginia, United States; no parents; no record names the birthplace back to the text
  2. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile K2FG-GXD: alternate name Charles Walden "Alabama, Estate Files, 1830-1976", FamilySearch, Charles Walden, 1834. Record: Charles Walden, 1834 back to the text
  3. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile K2FG-GXD: biography note: Charles Walden, in about 1800, moved to Green County, Ga. back to the text
  4. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile K2FG-GXD: marriage 8 Aug 1803, Greene, Oconee, Georgia, United States; no source; Oconee County formed 1875 (research/places/georgia/oconee.md) FamilySearch Family Tree, profile L83Y-7R8 (their page): Sarah Walker, born 5 Jun 1783, Virginia back to the text
  5. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile K2FG-GXD: children of Charles Sparks Walden and Sarah Walker FamilySearch Family Tree, profile L71H-GWH (their page): Thomas W, born 1805, Greene, Georgia FamilySearch Family Tree, profile KH4K-KPV (their page): Nancy, born 1805, Georgia FamilySearch Family Tree, profile G7ZM-3XM (their page): George S, born 1814, Georgia FamilySearch Family Tree, profile K85G-FCW (their page): John Butler, born 1 Sep 1816, Jasper, Georgia FamilySearch Family Tree, profile L83Y-7RN (their page): Elizabeth, born 1818, Georgia FamilySearch Family Tree, profile 9W1J-PM3 (their page): Martha Lynn, no birth date FamilySearch Family Tree, profile G7C1-TRS (their page): Charles S, no dates back to the text
  6. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile KCR9-YLT (their page): Westley D Walden, born 1 Aug 1819, Autauga, Alabama FamilySearch Family Tree, profile 9NR5-96G (their page): Sarah Walden, born about 1820, Alabama back to the text
  7. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile 9W1J-PM3 (their page): married Elias Dubose, 19 Apr 1832, Autauga, Alabama back to the text
  8. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile K2FG-GXD: death 8 Nov 1833, Autauga, Alabama; note: Some say that his death date was 12 November 1833? FindAGrave.com: ID 14322661 back to the text
  9. "Alabama, Estate Files, 1830-1976", FamilySearch, Charles Walden, 1834. Record: Charles Walden, Alabama, Estate Files, 1830-1976, 1834 back to the text
  10. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile K2FG-GXD: note: Wiki Tree show May 31, 1834 estate inventory of 12 slaves. Autauga Co., Alabama "Alabama, Estate Files, 1830-1976", FamilySearch, Charles Walden, 1834. Record back to the text
  11. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile L83Y-7R8 (their page): death 1 Jul 1854, Autauga, Alabama back to the text
  12. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile K2FG-GXD: burial 1833, Garrett Cemetery, Centre, Cherokee, Alabama "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch, Charles Sparks Walden. Record: Charles Sparks Walden, Find a Grave Index back to the text
  13. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile L83Y-7R8 (their page): burial 1854, Garrett Cemetery, Turkey Town, Cherokee, Alabama FamilySearch Family Tree, profile K85G-FCW (their page): death 18 Feb 1896, Centre, Cherokee; burial Garrett Cemetery, Turkey Town, Cherokee back to the text
  14. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile K2FG-GXD: death in Autauga, burial in Cherokee; Cherokee County, Alabama formed 1836 (research/todos.md, FS-019) FamilySearch Family Tree, profile L83Y-7R8 (their page): death in Autauga, burial in Cherokee back to the text
  15. Geni World Family Tree MyHeritage.com [online database], MyHeritage Ltd. Charles Sparks Walden Record: Charles Sparks Walden, Geni World Family Tree on MyHeritage back to the text
Every FamilySearch record attached to Charles Sparks Walden (3)
  1. 1834Charles Walden, "Alabama, Estate Files, 1830-1976"
  2. Charles Sparks Walden, "Find a Grave Index"
  3. Charles Sparks Walden, 'Geni World Family Tree' on MyHeritage