Were the Waltons a real family?
Lies the small town of Schulyer, Virginia, home of the Hamner family – the real-life family on which the Waltons were based. The mountain town of Schuyler is home to about 400 residents, and there the two-story Hamner family home still stands.
Bill Hamner (l) died in 1989. His wife, Brenda, lives in the Richmond, Virginia area. Bill's three children are Harold, Hope and Gail. Paul Hamner (r) lives in Tom's River, New Jersey and is retired from the Baker Shoe Store chain.
While the television series took place on a fictional "Walton's Mountain," in Virginia, and the book on "Spencer's Mountain" in Wyoming, both are actually based on Hamner's hometown of Schuyler, VA. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that the Walton's Mountain Museum is located right here in Schuyler, VA.
The love stories carried over behind the scenes. Ma and Pa Walton — Ralph Waite and Michael Learned — quietly fell on love on set. And remember Jason and Toni, who we just mentioned in the prior paragraph? Well, actors Jon Walmsley and Lisa Harrison tied the knot in real life in 1979!
The Baldwin sisters were loosely based on a mother-daughter duo that was well-known in Hamner's family because “they had a love of alcohol.” Hamner changed the relationship, gave them sweet personalities and made them a bit loftier and more elegant than their down-home, real-life counterparts.
They tied the knot in real life in nuptials officiated by Walton dad Ralph Waite, a minister in real life. “He took it very seriously and did a really terrific ceremony,” Walmsley said.
The final episode, titled “The Revel,” aired on June 4, 1981. In the episode, John-Boy goes to New York to pursue his writing career but arrives to find that his manuscript has been rejected. His publisher's secretary gives him enough money to return home and advises him to start a new book. He returned home dejected.
In The Waltons fifth season episode "The First Edition," John-Boy walks with a cane, and what many fans may not realize is that the actor Richard Thomas was acting through a real injury while filming.
Where is the real Waltons house located?
The house is located at 128 Tree Top Loop, Schuyler, Virginia 22969.
Michael Learned didn't like TV acting
The show indicates that she's being treated for tuberculosis in Arizona, but Learned didn't return to Walton's Mountain until the reunion films.
Learned reportedly decided to quit thinking she had enough money to sustain herself and her children but it proved otherwise in the future as she herself confessed. Michael Learned's exit from The Waltons was announced through tuberculosis of her character, Olivia Walton and her subsequent stay at the sanatorium.
The original house that served as the backdrop to Hamner's childhood was built in the early 20th century in the village of Schuyler in Nelson County, where it still stands today.
Andrew Duggan (John Walton) 1988 at age 64 of throat cancer in Westwood, CA. Edgar Bergen (Grandpa) 1978 age 75 of a heart attack in Las Vegas, NV. Ellen Corby (Grandma) 1999 age 87 natural causes in Woodland Hills, CA. Dorothy Stickney (Miss Emily) 1998 age 101 at her home in NYC.
While filmed on location in California, the fictional Walton family would have been at home in the tiny town of about 300 residents 40 minutes southwest of Charlottesville, Va., in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Lies the small town of Schulyer, Virginia, home of the Hamner family – the real-life family on which the Waltons were based. The mountain town of Schuyler is home to about 400 residents, and there the two-story Hamner family home still stands.
“Good night, John-Boy.”
All of the Waltons were based on real people — Hamner's family, his grandfather and grandmother, his father and mother, and his brothers and sisters, of whom there were seven in the show but eight in real life.
Hamner, whose own family included two children, is survived by his wife, Jane; son, Scott; and daughter, Caroline.
Are any of The Waltons cast still alive?
Andrew Duggan (John Walton) 1988 at age 64 of throat cancer in Westwood, CA. Edgar Bergen (Grandpa) 1978 age 75 of a heart attack in Las Vegas, NV. Ellen Corby (Grandma) 1999 age 87 natural causes in Woodland Hills, CA. Dorothy Stickney (Miss Emily) 1998 age 101 at her home in NYC.
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Michael Learned | |
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Learned in a publicity photo as Olivia Walton, 1972 | |
Born | April 9, 1939 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1961–present |
The original house that served as the backdrop to Hamner's childhood was built in the early 20th century in the village of Schuyler in Nelson County, where it still stands today.
The final episode, titled “The Revel,” aired on June 4, 1981. In the episode, John-Boy goes to New York to pursue his writing career but arrives to find that his manuscript has been rejected. His publisher's secretary gives him enough money to return home and advises him to start a new book. He returned home dejected.
Drew goes away to college. Drew later returns to Walton's Mountain to work in the mill, and Elizabeth tells her father that she will eventually marry Drew.
“Good night, John-Boy.”