24TH GENERATION

249. William Smith WALLER ⁽¹⁶⁾ was born on 6 Apr 1785 in Lancaster, Kentucky. He died on 15 Jun 1855 in "Sink Clear" Kentucky. At the age of thirteen was placed by his father as an apprentice, in the office of William Trigg, to whom his first cousin Susanna Smith was married. (This Susanna Smith was the daughter of Col. Francis Smith and Elizabeth Ann Preston. Making Susanna a cousin from the Preston side of the family) There was an express agreement that at the age of eighteen, if qualified to discharge the duties of said office, Mr. Trigg who had no offspring, was to resign in favor of William Smith Waller.

After remaining a short time in Frankfort the Waller family departed for Shelby County leaving William Smith Waller behind.

Upon reaching the age of eighteen, the age when, by agreement his apprenticeship was to cease and his clerkship to commence, Mr. Trigg refused to resign. The court having discovered the agreement between Mr. Trigg and William S. Waller, swore young Waller in as deputy.

In the latter part of the summer of 1803 Mr. George Madison employed William S. Waller as clerk in the Auditor's office at a salary of $300 a year. This not only allowed Mr. Waller the opportunity to become an exact accountant and man of business, but of acquiring general information of great advantage, and of making acquaintance and friends throughout the State of the most active and influential citizens of the different counties.

In the years following William S. Waller was elected clerk of the lower branch of the Legislature. When the First Bank of Kentucky was established in 1806 - 1807, the principal bank was located in Frankfort, the seat of government, with power to establish branch banks throughout the State. The President and six of the Directors of the bank were to be appointed by the State, and six Directors by the individual stockholders. The Governor appointed Robert Alexander President, and George Madison, John Brown, John Allen, Daniel Weisiger, William Hunter and Achilles Sneed, Directors. The stockholders elected Nathaniel Hart, William Trigg, Richard Dallam, William S. Dallam, George Greer and John Barry. William S. Waller was unanimously elected First Clerk.

Robert Alexander, the President, was a gentleman of rare intelligence and general learning. He had, at a very early period of his life, been the private secretary of that distinguished philosopher and stateman, Benjamin Franklin, when a minister of the United States at the court of France. Associated with such a man, the young Mr. Waller regarded him as his instructor, and they became greatly attached to each other, and labored together as the principal officers of the bank in mutual confidence and freindship.

The young Waller soon became thoroughly qualified to perform all his duties, and the amount of labor that came upon him was really enormous. The capital of the bank was increased a million of dollars, and eight counties. He had no teller, no officer but himself to receive and pay out all moneys. Thus, Cashier of a bank with three millions of dallars of capital, with twelve branches distributed over the State, and a correspondence with other banks from Boston to New Orleans, conducted solely by himself, it is difficult to conceive of an official position of more pressing duties and responibilities. Yet he bore and discharged them all with unfaltering fidelity for twenty-six consecutive years, with the approval and admiration of all who had any connection with or interest in the institution.

He was married to Catharine BRECKINRIDGE (daughter of General James BRECKENRIDGE and Amelia SEBASTIAN) on 17 Jan 1810 in Frankfort, Kentucky. William met Catherine in 1809. She was, at the time, living at her Uncle's, the Hon. John Breckinridge's residence. Catharine BRECKINRIDGE⁽¹⁷⁾ was born in 1788. She died in 1864. Nelson Co., Ky deed book 14, p 291-298 establishes that Catherine was not a child of Amelia Sabastian and Dr. James Chambers.

The Breckenridge's and Sabastian's were rivals and would not tolerate the marriage between James Breckenridge and Amelia Sabastian.

This is where the name Breckenridge is changed to Breckinridge. This could have been a misspelling on a birth certificate or similar document, but all of Catharine's offspring with the name spell it as Breckinridge William Smith WALLER and Catharine BRECKINRIDGE had the following children:

+438 i. Henry WALLER.
439 ii. Anna Maria WALLER died in 1812. She was born on 21 Dec 1812 in Frankfort, Kentucky.
+440 iii. Catharine WALLER.
+441 iv. James Breckinridge WALLER.
+442 v. William WALLER.
+443 vi. Edward WALLER.
+444 vii. Susanna Preston WALLER.

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