Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1915
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 971
WELLS FRANKLIN WALKER

One of the oldest residents of Harrison county, Iowa, a native of the Hoosier state, who is now retired and is living with F. H. Cadwell, of Magnolia township, Harrison county, is Wells Franklin WALKER, who was born in Indiana, October 14, 1832, the son of Elbert and Elizabeth (Malone) WALKER, the former a native of Georgia, and the latter a native of Ohio. The WALKER family were pioneers in the middle west. The subject's grandfather, John Malone, settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, when there were only three houses in the city. Mr. WALKER's father had migrated from his native state to Franklin county, Indiana, when a young man, and here he was married to Elizabeth Malone. Wells Franklin WALKER was born in Franklin county, Indiana. His father, a farmer and cobbler by occupation, followed these two occupations during his entire life. He and his wife died in Franklin county, Indiana, after having reared a family of several children, all of whom are now deceased, except the subject of this sketch. Two children died in infancy. The others were Emeline, Zella Ann, Augustus Henry, Mary, Caroline, Elizabeth, Charles, John, Margaret and Orleffa.

Educated in the common schools of Franklin county, Indiana, Wells Franklin WALKER has experienced a most interesting career, as a pioneer, in the region of the country west of the Mississippi river. After having helped his father on the home farm until he was twenty-two years old, he came to Independence, Iowa, where, after remaining for two months, he left to come to Harrison county in 1857. Having driven through with a young man and his wife, the party first located in Magnolia township, where they remained two years, and where Mr. WALKER worked at the carpenter trade. Subsequently, he went to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he worked for Frederickson and Jackson. In the meantime, however, this firm had established a branch store in Denver, Colorado, and all of the goods and merchandise were freighted overland by team and wagon. Mr. WALKER was driver for this freight route for three years, from 1860 to 1863. He made his first trip west to Colorado in 1859, and here he worked in the mines for one year. During 1858 and a part of 1859, he carried the mail from Magnolia to Adel, Iowa, and also from Sioux City to Denison, Iowa. During this period he had many thrilling experiences, since Indians were numerous and wild game might be seen in abundance.

Wells Franklin WALKER returned to Harrison county in 1863 and on April 5, of that year, was married to Candace Elizabeth Hopkins, the daughter of Benjamin and Delilah (White) Hopkins, natives of Kentucky and early settlers in Harrison county, having lived in Magnolia township. Mr. and Mrs. WALKER had eleven children, two of whom died in infancy, and one other, Mary, is now deceased. The living children are Orrin B., Alberta, Morton and Maude, twins, Preston G., John W., Jennie R. and Harriett J. The mother of these children and the wife of Mr. WALKER died January 20, 1904, while the family was living in Jefferson township. Mr. WALKER had retired in 1900.

A Democrat in politics, Wells Franklin WALKER was at one time a school director and also a trustee. He also held other minor offices. While the family leans to the Christian church, Mr. and Mrs. WALKER and family were not actively identified with any religious denomination.

Wells Franklin WALKER has lived to see a vast prairie, comprising the great state of Iowa, land that was formerly little more than a treeless waste, transformed into beautiful farms that produce abundantly the good things of the earth. As a pioneer resident of this section, he has had no small part in this wonderful transformation. Today, in the evening of life, he is well known in the community where he lives, admired and respected by all the people with whom his active life has brought him into contact, and at the same time loved and cherished by the family of children he helped to rear to honorable and useful lives.

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