Formation of Hancock County began in 1844, but legal
issues delayed the official formation until 1846. For
the most part, the Walkers lived in one small sliver,
the northwest corner of the county in the area of Mulberry
Gap, and most of the history here is documented
under Mulberry Gap. The
Edward B. Walker clan began settling the area around
1816 or 1817, although friends and in-laws were there
no later than 1802, and some Walkers may have moved
earlier. Because of court house fires in 1885 and 1930,
the early period in this county is very difficult to
research; there are no marriages, for instance, recorded
before the 1930 fire.
Although the Walkers were quite close to the famed
home of the Melungeons, there is no evidence connecting
them to the Melungeons at all.
