William and Mary Walton

 

 

Miriam S. "Mary" Price Walton was born in Cincinnati in 1881 and died January 7, 1971 at the age of 89 years.  Her parents were born in England.

William Ernest Walton was born April 1, 1876 and died September 12, 1950.
        Brother - Robert Samuel, 1888-1974, married Ruth Hartsock in 1919. 
        Sister - Edith, 1869-1949, married Col. Edward A. Deeds, 1874-1960, in 1900.
                            Edith took her love of music and her civic-minded nature and created the Deeds Carillon Bells.  She planned and supervised the arrangement of over
                            400 musical selections to be played on the bells.
                    

        William's parents were Samuel Walton and Mary Amelia Weller, married in 1863.
               -Samuel Walton, 1838-1891
                      His parents were Moses Walton, 1809-1897 and Mary Cook.
                            Moses and Edward Walton laid out the plats for Spring Valley in 1842.  It was a small settlement called Transylvania, established in
                            1803 on the west bank of the Little Miami River.  When plans for a railroad to be built on the other side of the river were announced,
                            they moved the town across the river.
               -Mary Amelia Weller, 1845-1931
                      Her parents were William Weller, died 1883 and Martha L. Young, died 1911.
                            William Weller farmed Centerville's southeast quadrant.     

 


William (right) and Robert Walton

 


Sam Walton


Mary Amelia and Edith Walton
                           

 

 
 

William and Mary were married June 26, 1910. 

     
                              

 

          William owned and operated W.E. Walton's Boot and Toggery Shop, located in the arcade in downtown Dayton.  Established in 1903, William's business was ruined with the 1913 flood.
William became a farmer.  He farmed Hole's Creek Farm in Washington Township from 1914-1918.  He then farmed 150 acres in Greene County known as the Justin Austin farm, one mile north of Bellbrook on Bellbrook-Alpha Pike

 

 

The Walton's enjoyed fishing, gardening, and traveling. 

      

 
The Walton's purchased the stone house at 89 W. Franklin St. in 1927.  The property was originally owned by Benjamin Robbins, one of the founders of Centerville.  His sold the land to Henry Reese, who built the house in 1838.  There were many owners over the years and the four-room home was well taken care of.   The Walton's added four more rooms, matching the exterior as closely to the original building as possible.  They took down the partition in the original house, transforming the space into a 30-foot living room with fireplaces at each end.  They preserved the old chair-rests and wallpapered the walls with period style paper, the dining room using the same found in the George Washington home at Mr. Vernon.  They filled their house with antiques which were diligently researched for authenticity by Mary.  The home attracted curiosity seekers and art lovers who would stop by and ask to inspect the grounds and the interior of the house.

  

Mary Walton was a musician.  In 1927, when the Walton's purchased their stone house, they bought an old yellowed-key melodeon for the living room.  She was also interested in the stock market.  After William died, in 1950, Mary continued to live in the stone house.  She didn't drive, so she took the bus to Dayton to conduct business and the train to Florida for the winter.