Biography of Eli Walker, pages 814/815/816. History of 
DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., 
Indianapolis, 1914.



This venerable and honored pioneer of DeKalb county is 
approaching the psalmist's span of three score years and 
ten, but is still hale and vigorous and find a full measure 
of contentment and serenity as the shadows of his life 
begin to lengthen from the west. He has made his days count 
for good, has acquired a competency and is satisfied in 
that he has done the best possible and has wronged no man 
in thought, word or deed. He has been a life-long resident 
of DeKalb county and has here acquired a good farm, 
reclaiming much of the land himself and being one of the 
sterling old citizens of this locality.  Eli Walker was 
born in 1844 in Smithfield township, DeKalb county, 
Indiana, and is the son of John R. and Catherine (Krumrine) 
Walker. John R. Walker was born in York county, 
Pennsylvania, in1808, and was there reared and married to 
Catherine Krumrine, who was born in Maryland in 1810. In 
1835 they moved to Columbiana county, Ohio, and lived there 
until their removal in DeKalb county in 1844, when Mr. 
Walker bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in 
section 35, Smithfield township. Mr. Walker's father, 
Nicholas Walker, was a distiller and in his youth he had 
learned the business and followed it a number of years in 
Ohio. He was a native of England. Catherine Krumrine was 
the daughter of George Krumrine and wife, both of whom were 
natives of Germany. When John R. Walker purchased his land 
in Smithfield township it was as the Indians had left it, 
with no improvements whatever and a very small patch of 
ground cleared. Here he made his permanent home, cleared 
and cultivated the soil, and spent the remainder of his 
life, he and his wife dying there. They were the parents of 
seven children, one of whom died in infancy, the others 
being Mrs. Sarah Vogtman, Manuel, Amanda McEntarfer; Lydia, 
who died in infancy; Humphrey, who died in boyhood; Eli and 
George, Of these, only Eli, George and Mrs. Vogtman are 
living. Eli Walker was reared on the home farm, where he 
lived until his marriage in 1866, when for three years he 
farmed on his father's place on the share. In 1872 he 
bought the farm, where he now lives, located a short 
distance north of Waterloo, which has been his home for 
more than four decades. He retains a strong recollection of 
many of his experiences in pioneer days, among which is the 
fact that when a youth of but fourteen or fifteen years he 
hauled many loads of wheat to Fort Wayne with oxen,  the 
trip requiring three days and but few houses passed on the 
way. Two hills over which he journeyed were so steep and 
rugged that he found it necessary to carry half the load 
uphill a sack at a time. In those early days the only roads 
were blazed trails and Mr. Walker well remembers the first 
train that went through on the Airline railroad.  Mr. 
Walker at one time owned three eighty-acre tracts of good 
land, but he has let his children have all but eighty 
acres, which he retains on the home place.  In 1866 Eli 
Walker was married to Susan Wilderson, who was born in 
Columbiana county, Ohio, the daughter of Martin and Barbara 
(Cronk) Wilderson. She came to DeKalb county with her 
parents about 1851, they locating in Smithfield township on 
a farm adjoining that of Mr. Walker. There her parents made 
their permanent home and there her father died. His widow 
and children then spent five yeas in Elkhart, but at the 
end of that period returned to DeKalb county and the mother 
resided in Grant township until her death. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Walker have been born the following children: Mary, wife of 
William Bachtel, and they have two sons, Harry and Verne; 
Dora is the widow of Douglas Kelly,  who was killed by a 
falling limb about ten years ago, leaving a son, Walker, 
and a daughter, Emma, and the widow afterwards became the 
wife of Clark Campbell, and she lives near her father; 
Laura is the wife of Bert Campbell, of this township, and 
they have two sons, Edward and Jerry; Ceranda is the wife 
of David Hamman, who is represented elsewhere in this work, 
and they have two children, Leslie and Mabel; Frank, who 
married Dora Gfeller, living north of Mr. Walker, has three 
children, Floyd, Russell and Carl; Daisy is the wife of 
Williard Childs, and lives on the home place with her 
father, and they have two children, Ralph and Hazel. For 
many years Mr. Walker was a very active in the support of 
the Democratic party and held a number of important local 
offices including that of supervisor for two years,  
justice of the peace for fourteen years and in the fall of 
1907 was elected as a member of the board of county 
commissioners. Assuming the duties of his office in 
January, 1909, and serving until January, 1911. During this 
term he helped prepare the plans for a new court house, an 
a new building at the county farm, and so conducted his 
official duties as to avoid any cause of criticism. It is 
noteworthy that upon the completion of the new building at 
the county farm it was discovered that he and his 
associates had completed it at a much less cost that the 
original appropriation. Fraternally, Mr. Walker is a member 
of the Knights of Pythias and the Free and Accepted Masons, 
and he and his wife belong to the Pythian Sisters and the 
Order of the Eastern Star. Mr. Walker has been first of all 
an honorable and upright citizen of noble aim and worthy 
purpose, progressive in his ideas and enterprises, carrying 
out his well-devised plans. He has literally grown up with 
the county in which he was born and has witnessed it 
remarkable growth and development, contributing of his 
energies the meanwhile to bring about the high state of 
civilization of which DeKalb county is now distinguished. 
All movements having for their object the advancement of 
the public welfare have received his cordial endorsement, 
and his influence has ever been potent for good in his 
community and to those with whom he has had business or 
others relations. As a neighbor or citizen, as a husband 
and father, he has been all that he should be in these 
several capacities and his career may be studied with 
profit by the young man whose character is yet to be formed 
and life work achieved.

Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com