Walter Ker

1656 - 1748  (91 years)

• Name	Walter Ker
  Birth	1 Jul 1656	Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	1679	Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire, Scotland
  	Farm servant (hind) employed by Marion McCulloch, 2nd wife of the prominent Covenanter, Sir James Stewart of Coltness
  Military service	Jun 1679	Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland
  	Present at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge
  Residence	Jan 1681	West Lothian, Scotland
  	Became a member of a fanatical sect, the Gibbites (followers of John Gibb from Bo'ness) otherwise known as the 'Sweet Singers' (so-called after their practise of singing tearful psalms over the mournful state of the Church
  Residence	May 1681	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
  	Arrested with other Gibbites at Wolf Craigs in the southern Pentlands and held in the Canongate Tolbooth. Refused to acknowledge the authority of the King, but was released with the others on 2 Aug 1681
  Religion	1682	Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland
  	Presbyterian - Covenanter
  Role	1685	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA
  	Transported prisoner
  Residence	Jun 1685	Dalserf, Lanarkshire, Scotland
  	where he was re-arrested
  Residence	3 Sep 1685	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [2]
  	Banished to the plantations in East New Jersey and ordained to be "delivered to John Johnston, drugist, upon caution"
  	He "will not own the Kings authority and refuses to declare anent hsi being at Bothwellbridge"
  Departure	5 Sep 1685	Leith, Midlothian, Scotland
  	Aboard the Henry and Francis
  Arrival	7 Dec 1685	Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA
  Property	4 Feb 1690	Topanemus, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
  	Deeds transferring 50 acres from James Johnstone to Walter Ker, part of the granter's land at Topenames
  Property	2 Mar 1690	Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [3]
  	Purchased the 30 acres of headland of Thomas Parr, late servitor to Governor Gavin Lawrie
  Property	30 Jan 1690/91	Topanemus, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA   [4]
  	Purchased 100 acres on behalf of his son James from James Johnstone
  Residence	1692	Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
  	Instrumental in forming a Presbyterian congregation. The first minister was Rev John Boyd, appointed in 1705
  Property	8 Dec 1701	Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
  	Deed relating to transfer of 100 acres from John Johnstone to Walter Ker 'as ordered' 24 Feb 1699
  Residence	1705	Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
  	When signatory to a petition relating to the "Meeting House for Religious Worship belonging to the Protistant Dissenters Called ye Presbeterions"
  Property	14 Sep 1714	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA   [5]
  	On list of debtors to John Bowne of Matawan, listed in the inventory of his estate
  Death	10 Jun 1748	Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA   [1]
  Burial	Tennent, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA   [1]
  Person ID	I37972	East Jersey Genealogies
  Last Modified	16 Apr 2026

  
  

  Family	Margaret Johnstone,   b. Abt 1674, Scotland d. 1 Oct 1734, Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA (Age 60 years)
  Marriage	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA
  Children	1. John Ker,   b. 1692, New Jersey, USA  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. William Ker,   b. 1700, Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA d. 14 Jul 1777 (Age 77 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. Margaret Ker,   b. 6 Jan 1691, Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA d. 30 Sep 1765, Hunterdon, New Jersey, USA (Age 74 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. Joseph Ker,   b. 1714   d. Bef 13 Oct 1774, Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA (Age < 60 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   5. James Ker,   b. Abt 1690, Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA d. Abt 1692, Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA (Age 2 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   6. Samuel Ker,   b. New Jersey, USA  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F23557	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	16 Apr 2026

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 1 Jul 1656 - Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland Occupation - Farm servant (hind) employed by Marion McCulloch, 2nd wife of the prominent Covenanter, Sir James Stewart of Coltness - 1679 - Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire, Scotland Military service - Present at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge - Jun 1679 - Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland Residence - Became a member of a fanatical sect, the Gibbites (followers of John Gibb from Bo'ness) otherwise known as the 'Sweet Singers' (so-called after their practise of singing tearful psalms over the mournful state of the Church - Jan 1681 - West Lothian, Scotland Residence - Arrested with other Gibbites at Wolf Craigs in the southern Pentlands and held in the Canongate Tolbooth. Refused to acknowledge the authority of the King, but was released with the others on 2 Aug 1681 - May 1681 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Religion - Presbyterian - Covenanter - 1682 - Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland Residence - where he was re-arrested - Jun 1685 - Dalserf, Lanarkshire, Scotland Residence - Banished to the plantations in East New Jersey and ordained to be "delivered to John Johnston, drugist, upon caution" - 3 Sep 1685 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Departure - Aboard the Henry and Francis - 5 Sep 1685 - Leith, Midlothian, Scotland Arrival - 7 Dec 1685 - Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Property - Deeds transferring 50 acres from James Johnstone to Walter Ker, part of the granter's land at Topenames - 4 Feb 1690 - Topanemus, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Property - Purchased the 30 acres of headland of Thomas Parr, late servitor to Governor Gavin Lawrie - 2 Mar 1690 - Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Property - Purchased 100 acres on behalf of his son James from James Johnstone - 30 Jan 1690/91 - Topanemus, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Residence - Instrumental in forming a Presbyterian congregation. The first minister was Rev John Boyd, appointed in 1705 - 1692 - Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Property - Deed relating to transfer of 100 acres from John Johnstone to Walter Ker 'as ordered' 24 Feb 1699 - 8 Dec 1701 - Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Residence - When signatory to a petition relating to the "Meeting House for Religious Worship belonging to the Protistant Dissenters Called ye Presbeterions" - 1705 - Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Death - 10 Jun 1748 - Freehold, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA Burial - - Tennent, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S76] Ancestry.com, U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;). [S3611] Privy Council of Scotland, The Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 3rd Series, XI, p173. [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, D(EJ): Folio 142-143 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, Monmouth Co Deeds Volume C: Folio 152 (CMNCL001). [S3607] Nelson, William, Calendar of Records in the Office of the Secretary of State, 1664-1703, p53.