Rutherfordiana/DISCUSSION

White, 1902 indicates that this line is related to Rev. Samuel Rutherford (c1600-?, and to the Rev. Joseph Alleine (?-?). Rutherford was a well known memer o f the Presbytrian clergy, and author of the work Lex Rex, a treatise significant in the evolution of the limitation on the rights of the monarchy.  Alleine was a member of the Puritan clergy, and also well known for his Alarm to the Unconverted, a work still in print today.  In both cases, the connection is established through the marriage of John Walker II (c1682-1734) to Katherine Rutherford (c1682-1738).  These relationships are frequently questioned as unsupported by primary source material.  The main purpose of this set of collective articles is to provide information about these relations, so that the interested reader can evaluate the available information that bears on this question.  The following is an attempt to point out various aspects of this problem.

There are a half dozen or so documents that bear on this problem. Chronologically ordered these include

1. The Rutherford Family Bible: 2. The Joel Walker Record: the JWR is a work compiled by Joel Walker about 1840. This work was cited by White, 1902 as the primary source of information for the early family history of the Wigton Walker line. There are no known extant copies of the JWR, and all that we know of its contents is what is given by White, 1902 3. MS left by William McPheeters, 1842 4. Davey, 1957:  The Gatherine of the Clans, Part 1:  The Rutherford Story 5. WKR, 1986: 6. KRD, 1987: 7. GRH, 2002: