The Walser Homestead
This beautiful old home, built iu 1825, still
stands in Davidson County; monument to a
family that has been prominent in that see-
tion for many generations.
IT was in 1770 that Frederick
Walser came with his wife,
Margaret Ernst Walser, to North
Carolina. He purchased a large
plantation from I/»rd Granville in
the present Davidson County, near
Yadkin College. Hardly had he com¬
pleted his pioneer homo before the
call to fight for American freedom
came. The plantation, which was
barely more than a wilderness, re¬
mained in its wild state until the
Revolutionary War had been won.
It was on this historic plantation
that his son, Henry Walser, first saw
the light of day, November 10, 1803.
From the day of his birth. Henry
Walser was acclaimed a comely child ;
healthy, vigorous, and intelligent.
Although the Walser plantation ex¬
tended for miles along the Yadkin
River, and Frederick Walser had a
number of slaves to work the fertile
soil, tho son Henry entered actively
into the general farm work. He
loved the life on the plantation, and
was soon purchasing additional lands
in his own name.
By HARRY X. TUCKER
“Henry is a fine son." the father
told the pastor of the German con¬
gregation.
Frederick Walser had right to be
proud of his brawny son, who labored
in the fields in summer and taught
the neighborhood school in winter.
It was from his mother, member of
a prominent family of educators in
Germany, that the son had imbibed
his love for learning.
Henry Walser was married to
Elizabeth Warner in 1824, a daughter
of Daniel and Priscilla Bryan
Warner, and began the erection of
his home, a house of brick, the plans
for which had been drawn by him¬
self. Sturdily built, the house today
stands in much of its pristine beauty.
It is an honor to the builder and to
the slaves who made the red bricks.
From the day of its completion,
the Walser home was known for its
unstinted and gracious hospitality.
Many of the prominent men and
women of the Old South were enter¬
tained there as guests, among whom
were John C. Calhoun. Congressman
beach, and Governor Vance.
Mrs. Sally Oakes Wright, of Salis¬
bury, the gracious wife of Judge R.
l.oe Wright, says that there was al¬
ways music at Walser manor, hut
never dancing. Indoor games and
hunting, fishing and boating, were
regularly enjoyed; but the host did
not approve of dancing. Mrs. Wright
is a granddaughter of Henry Walser.
It was shortly after his marriage
that Henry Walser entered the politi¬
cal life of his county and district. At
once he became prominently connect¬
ed with public affairs. One of his
first acts was to petition the authori¬
ties at Washington to establish a mail
route from Lexington to Statesville.
Early in life and while the Whig
party was a dominant party, Henry
Walser was a staunch Whig. Illustra¬
tive of hi- ability and shrewdness as
a politician the following episode is
related: During a certain campaign
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