|Born|| March 22, 1799| |Died||May 1, 1878| Lake Harbor,
Michigan |Spouse||Jane Gage Walker| |Parents||Seth & Marcy
Walker| Captain Jonathan Walker (1799-1878) was a carpenter and
shipwright who aided the escape of seven Pensacola slaves, for
which he was imprisoned in the city's calabozo and his hand
branded "SS" (for "slave stealer"). After his release he became
a champion for the abolition movement. Walker lived with his
family in Pensacola from 1836 until 1841, then returned to his
native Massachusetts "because he would not bring up his children
among the poisonous influences of slavery." He traveled to
Mobile in 1843 to engage in the ship-wright trade. On June 2,
1844, he sailed to Pensacola aboard his own vessel, intending to
raise a copper-laden wreck, and arrived on June 4. After touring
the area, he met several men "that were disposed to leave the
place. I gave them to understand that if they chose to go to the
Bahama Islands in my boat, I would share the risk with them."
Seven slaves left with Walke