The Walker Families of Lee County, Iowa

JOEL CALVIN WALKER.

One of the distinguished citizens of Fort Madison and eminent politicians of Iowa at an early day was Dr. Joel Calvin Walker, who was born in Springfield, Ohio, February 7, 18 12, and came of an old and honored family, being a son of Joel and Margaret (Armstrong) Walker, both natives of Virginia. His father was born in Rockbridge county and his mother in Bath county. The former was a son of Samuel and Jane (Patterson) Walker, also natives of the Old Dominion. The parents of Samuel Walker were John and

Katharine (Rutherford) Walker, who were born in Wigtown, Scotland, where they were reared and where they were married January 7, 1702. They subsequently came to America, leaving the old country in May, 1726, stopping first in Pennsylvania and from there removing to Virginia. Elizabeth Graham Walker, the eldest child of Joel and Margaret Walker, was born near Natural Bridge, in Rockbridge county, Virginia, June 14, 1793, and at a very early day she and her sister Jane traveled on horseback three hundred miles when the family moved to Ohio. It was on account of slavery that John Walker left his native state and went to Ohio, which was a free state.

Dr. Walker was the eleventh child of a family of twelve children, ten of whom came to Fort Madison, but he was the first to arrive here, making the journey from Ohio on horseback in Januarv, 1836. He returned, however, to Ohio on a visit in 1841, traveling in the same manner. From 1836 until his death, which occurred on the 17th of October, 1888, he made his home in Fort Madison and was regarded as one of its most prominent citizens. After acquiring his literary education he took up the study of medicine in the office of Drs. Olds and Gibson at Circleville, Ohio, and attended lectures at the JefTerson Medical College of Philadelphia for some time. He was engaged in practice for only a short time in Fort Madison, however, as he early became prominently identified with public affairs, serving as clerk of Lee county and collector of internal revenue, being the first collector of the first district of this state, under appointment by President Lincoln. He became one of the organizers of the republican party in Iowa and was a delegate to the national convention at Chicago, where the martyred president was nominated. Previous to this time he had been an anti-slavery democrat and had visited the home of Andrew Jackson. He also attended the convention where James K. Polk was nominated for the presidency and was present when that executive was inaugurated. The greater part of his life was devoted to politics, and he was a recognized leader in public affairs. He was a man of wide intelligence, a constant reader of retentive memory and remained active throughout his entire life. He was reading a paper at the time of his death, just seven days after the fiftieth anniversary of his marriage. He and his wife were charter members of what is now the Union Presbvterian church of Fort Madison, which was organized in March, 1838, and of which he was an elder for many years, and he was a liberal contributor to its support as well as to other enterprises which he deemed would prove of public benefit. The bridging of the Mississippi river at this point was a project the consummation of which he much desired to see and he contributed seven hundred dollars to the fund given the Santa Fe Railroad as an inducement for it to construct its line through Fort Madison.

It was on the loth of October, 1838, in Fort Madison, Iowa, that Dr. Walker was united in marriage to Miss Martha Maria Stewart, who was born in Florisant, Missouri, January 20, 1820. Her grandfather, Abram Stewart, was born in Scotland in 1742. Her father, also Abram Stewart, was a native of Vermont and was assistant surgeon in the United States army at St. Louis. He died in Hannibal, Missouri, in October, 1834, and subsequently his widow, Mrs. Emily (Ayres) Stewart, born in Marietta, Ohio, January 22, 1795, came to Fort Madison with her children, Joseph Bufifon and Martha Maria, who subsequently became Mrs. Walker. Here Mrs. Stewart joined her father, Ebenezer Ayres, who had located here in May, 1834, and had taken up government land. His wife bore the maiden name of Deborah Davenport and was a representative of an old Connecticut family. They were members of the Connecticut colony who settled in Marietta, Ohio, in 1793. Mrs. Ayres died in St. Charles county, Missouri. Mrs. Stewart died in Fort Madison, July 18. 1879. She became a charter member of the Presbyterian church in March, 1838. She had come to this city in October, 1835, at which time there was only one frame house and three log houses in the place.

Six children were born to Dr. and Mrs. Walker. James Douglas was born January 3, 1841, and died in infancy. He was named for the Doctor's brother-in-law, who was the first postmaster of Fort Madison and who was killed on the boat Moselle at Cincinnati April 27, 1838, while on a business trip to secure his reappointment as postmaster of Fort Madison. He was the father of Mrs. John Van Valkenburg. Emily Stewart Walker, the next of the family, is now the widow of George D. Stewart, D. D., and resides in the old home, which has been the family residence since April, 1864. Miss Margaret Armstrong Walker is also a resident of Fort Madison. Chalmers and Helen both died in infancy. Bufifon Stewart Walker is a resident of Des Moines and is vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, of which he was president for two years, and is a man of great public spirit, interested in all philanthropic and civic matters. Mrs. Martha M. Walker, the widow of Dr. G. C. Walker, died May 14, 1905. "Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also and he praiseth her."

In Fort Madison, October 4, 1864, Miss Emily Stewart Walker was united in marriage to Rev. George D.

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

OLIVER D. WALKER, M. D.

Prof. Oliver D. Walker, engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery at Keokuk, has attained high standing as a representative of the profession because of his excellent qualifications and his devotion to the duties which devolve upon him in this connection. He was born in Emiwria, Kansas, December 3, 1860, the son of George Morton and Zipporah (Maxwell) Walker. His father, who was by profession a civil engineer, was born in Western Pennsylvania.

in early life removed to Washington,

Iowa. Later he located at the present site of Emporia, Kansas, which city he himself platted and surveyed. His eldest son. John M., was the first white child born in the city. George Morton Walker became an extensive property holder, and remained at Emporia until the beginning of the Civil W'ar, when he sent his family back to Iowa, and volunteered for the service of his country. He went to the front as a lieutenant in the Eleventh Kansas Cavalry, with which he served for more than four years. Some time after the close of the war he removed to Lawrence, Kansas, and there he gave increased attention to civil engineering, he having located and surveyed the entire route of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway, from Junction City to Dennison, Texas. Since then he has given his time exclusively to locating and Iniilding railroads, and at present he is an engineer for the Kansas City Belt Railway, with his home at Kansas City, Missouri. The mother of our subject is a sister of Dr. Thomas Maxwell, of Keokuk, and an account of her genealogy will be found in the review of his life which appears elsewhere in this volume.

Dr. Walker made it his first care in life to secure a thorough schooling and education, and with that object in view entered the University of Kansas at Lawrence. He was-graduated from that institution with the class of '83, earning the degree of Bachelor of Science, and having determined to devote himself to the practice of medicine, began reading soon after in the office of Dr. T. J. Maxwell. In 18S4 he matriculated in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, and was graduated in 1886. On his graduation he began the practice of his profession in Lawrence. Kansas, remaining there for a year and a half, then locating at Keokuk, where for two years he was associated in practice with Dr. Maxwell. During this period he also acted as demonstrator (if anatomy in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, for the purpose of perfecting his own knowledge of anatomy. In 1R89 he was elected to the chair of chemistry in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, I)ut before the beginning of that year's session received a government appointment in connection with the Indian service as physician in charge at Haskell Institute near Lawrence. Kansas, and occupied that post four years. In 1893 he resigned in order to associate himself with Dr. Maxwell under the firm style of Maxwell & Walker, this partnership continuing for four years. During that lime he was engaged in general practice and the practice of surgery, and also had charge of the surgical clinic at St. Joseph's Hospital at Keokuk. He took a post-graduate course in 1894 at New York Polyclinic Institute. Since 1897 he has been engaged in general practice in Keokuk, and gives special attention to nervous diseases.

In 1894 Dr. Walker was elected to the chair of physiology and nervous diseases in Keokuk Medical College, which he held un-

56 till the consolidation of the two medical schools of Keokuk, and also later in the consolidated school. He was secretary of Keokuk Medical College and the College of Physicians and Surgeons from 1897 till 1903, when he resigned on finding that there was danger of his official duties interfering with his private practice. At the present time he has charge of the neurological clinic at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Dr. Walker is in close touch with all progressive tendencies in the work of his profession. He is a member of Keokuk. Lee County, Eastern Imva. and Iowa State Medical Societies and of the.Vmerican Medical Association, and is a member and the secretary of the board of pension examiners. He also holds a directorship in the Lee County Building and Loan Association. Religiously he is a member of the Congregational church, and was a director and secretary of the board of directors of the Young Men's Christian Association at the time of the erection of the magnificent building now occupied by that society. In his fraternal affiliations he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Greek society of BetJTheta Pi.

Professor Walker was united in marriage to Miss Mary L. Simpson, of Lawrence. Kansas, and they have two daughters, Genevieve and Margaret. The family home is a Ijeautiful residence erected liy the Doctor at Xo. 528 Morgan street. Doctor Walker takes rank as one of the foremost practitioners of Lee county. He has continually broadened his knowledge of reading and original investigation, and few men of his profession in this section have made more thorough preparation for their task. He is well equipped for his work of alleviating human suffering.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JOHN R. WALKER, M. D.

Dr. John R. Walker, engaged in the general practice of medicine at Fort Madison, is a native son of Iowa, his birth having occurred in Wayne county, April 8, 1875. His parents were James W. and America (Niday) Walker, the former a member of the bar. The father was also born in Wayne county and is a son of Saunders Walker, one of the pioneers of that section of the state, so that the family has been represented in Iowa through three generations.

Dr. John R. Walker acquired a public-school education and afterward had the benefit of further instruction in the Lfniversity of Nebraska at Lincoln. He is a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, where he completed his course in 1904, and since that time he has practiced continuously in Fort Madison. It was not long before he had demonstrated his ability to cope with the intricate and complex problems that continually confront the physician. He has ever been careful in the diagnosis of his cases and is seldom if ever at fault in foretelling the outcome of disease. He belongs to the city, county and state medical societies, and is now president of the Lee County Medical Society and of the Fort Madison Clinical Society. Broad reading keeps him in touch with the advanced thought of the profession and he readily adopts new methods of practice, yet is never over-hasty in discarding the old-time and tried methods, the value of which has been proven.

In 1900 Dr. Walker was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Hutchinson, a resident of Humeston, Iowa, and they have become parents of two children, Robert and John. Ir. Walker belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and his religious faith is that of the Christian church. He is now serving as president of the church board. Politically he is a republican and, while he has never held political office, he has served the public as a member of the school board for six years, his term having but recently expired.

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