The Walker Families of Harrison County, Iowa

ANDREW D. WALKER, a farmer of section 3, Washington Township, came to Harrison County, in February, 1880, and settled on his present farm, which he had bought three months prior to his moving here. It was all wild land, and the first year he broke thirty-five acres, built a house 16x34 feet one and a half stories high, which forms a part of his present house. His present farm consists of one hundred and sixty-nine acres, in Harrison County, and eighty acres in Shelby County. One hundred and thirty acres are under the plow, forty acres in tame grass, and the balance in meadow and pasture land. The entire place, shows the hand of good husbandry, and the annual harvest from this rich soil, is fast making our worthy subject an independent man.

Mr. Walker was born in Blair County, Pa., May 15 1838. He is the son of James and Ann (Cherry) Walker, and he is the fourth child of a family of thirteen children, four of whom still survive. The father was a farmer, and our subject remained at home as a young miller of the soil, and attending the district school until he was sixteen years of age, and then set out to learn the cooper’s trade, in Ashland, Pa. He served three years as an apprentice, after which he worked at general labor, until the breaking out of the Civil War, when he enlisted as a member of Company D, One Hundred and Eighty-fourth Pennsylvania Infantry, and was Corporal, serving nearly three years, during that terrible conflict, the like of which has never been recorded on the pages of history; he received an honorable discharge near Washington, D. C., July 14,

1865, after having participated in the bat des of Petersburgh, Cold Harbor, Hatch e’s Run, Bull Run, Deep Bottom and Gettysburg, Weldon Railroad. Notwithstanding the hotly contested fields upon which he fought, he was never wounded, but had many narrow escapes. At the battle of Cold Harbor, he had a bullet put through his hat, and his gun shot from his hands. After coming out of the service he had about $1,000, and came to Iowa City, Iowa, in company with his parents. In a short time they removed to Iowa County, where the father purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land and there our subject remained until he came to Harrison County.

Mr. Walker was married November 29,

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Our subject has always been a hard working man, and is now reaping the re ward of his labors in the possession of a comfortable and pleasant home. He votes with the Republican party, and belongs to Grand Army Post No. 353 at Persia.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JOHN VALENTINE WALKER, a native of Indiana, born in Franklin County, April 10, 1829, came to Harrison County in 1868. He is the son of Albert and Elizabeth (Malone) Walker, both deceased. Our subject’s parents had nine children. His early life was spent in the Hoosier State and was educated in the common-schools, and began farming for himself in 1850. He was a soldier of the Civil War, a member of Company E, Twelfth Indiana Infantry, and was assigned to the Army of Tennessee. He was under Gen. John A. Logan, and after the war returned to Indiana and resumed farming. When he came to Harrison County he located in Magnolia Township and remained there until 1883, then moved to Allen Township, remained three years, and then moved to his present home on section 25, of Little Sioux Township, where he owns six hundred and ninety-five acres of land.

Our subject was married in Indiana in September, 1851, to Miss Rachel Whitelock. Our subject and his wife are the parents of two children now living and two who died in infancy. The living are Ozias and Viola, now Mrs. Smith of Missouri. Mr. Walker is a Republican, “voting as he shot.” He is a member of Magnolia Masonic Lodge.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

ORRIN B. WALKER, of Missouri Valley, was born in Magnolia Township, Harrison County, Iowa, January 6, 1864. He is the son of Wells F. and Candace E. (Hopkins) Walker, who came to the county in the month of May, 1857. The father located on section 16, and coupled farming with carpentering (see complete sketch of our subject’s parents elsewhere). Our subject’s early education was received in the common schools of Harrison County, and later he attended Pierce’s Business College, at Keokuk, Iowa, from which school he graduated in September, 1884. During the winter of 1884-85, he taught school in his native township, and the following spring went to Missouri Valley, and entered the employ of the Sioux City & Pacific, and Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Bailroad Companies. He began his duties there as clerk of material accounts, and later on took charge of time departments. In the spring of 1890, he was elected to the office of City Clerk, and re elected in the spring of 1891. In the fall of 1890 he was a candidate on the Democratic ticket for the office of County Re order, and was only defeated by sixty-six majority. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias order, Anchor Lodge No. 66, and adheres to the principles of the Democratic party.

Though yet a young man, by strict attention to all business entrusted to his care, he has built up a good reputation and is looked upon as a first-class accurate business man, who county his friends by the one word — Legion.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.