Biography of Frank Walker, pages 812/813/814.  History of 
DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., 
Indianapolis, 1914.



DeKalb county is favored in numbering among its 
enterprising farmer and progressive men of affairs the well 
known and highly esteemed gentleman to a brief review of 
whose life and achievements we now direct attention,  his 
well improved and valuable farm being one of the attractive 
places of Smithfield township, where he has maintained his 
home for many years.  Frank Walker was born in March, 1877, 
on the well known Walker farm in Smithfield township, 
DeKalb county, Indiana, and is the son of Eli and Susan 
(Wilderson) Walker. Eli Walker was born in 1844, in 
Smithfield township, this county, and was the son of John 
R. and Catherine (Krumrine) Walker, the former of whom was 
born in York county, Pennsylvania, and whose father was a 
native of England. Catherine Krumrine was of German 
descent. Eli Walker was reared on the home farm, and in 
1866 married Susan Wilderson, who was born in Columbiana 
county, Ohio, the daughter of Martin and Barbara (Crook) 
Martin, she having come to DeKalb county with her parents 
in about 1851. They located in Smithfield township on a 
farm adjoining the Walker place. After his marriage Eli 
Walker farmed on shares on the old home farm for three 
years, and in 1872 bought the farm where he now lives a 
short distance north of Waterloo, where he has resided for 
over forty years. He put in many years of hard and 
strenuous labor during the pioneer period and when but a 
youth he hauled many loads of wheat to Fort Wayne with 
oxen, the trip requiring three days and but few houses 
being passed on the way. The roads were only trails and 
were in such a condition that at two hills on the journey 
he was compelled to carry half of the load uphill a sack at 
a time. He has for many years been active in the Democratic 
party, having held various offices, was supervisor for two 
years, justice of the peace for fourteen years, and a 
member of the board of county commissioners for one term. 
To him and his wife were born six children, namely: Mary, 
the wife of William Bachtel, lives one and one-half miles 
west of Eli Walker, and they have two sons, Harry and 
Verne;  Dora, the widow of Douglas Kelly, who was killed by 
a falling tree about ten years ago, and left one son, 
Walker Kelly, and a daughter, Emma; his widow afterwards 
married Clark Campbell and lives near her father; the 
daughter, Emma, died from the effects of scalding in 1913; 
Laura is the wife of Bert Campbell, and lives three-
quarters of a mile north and one mile west of her father, 
and they have two sons, Edward and Jerry, Ceranda is the 
wife of David Hamman, and they have two children, Lester 
and Mabel; Frank married Dora Gfeller, and they have three 
sons, Floyd, Russell and Carl; Daisy is the wife of Wid 
Childs, and they live on the home place with her father, 
and have one son, Ralph. Eli Walker is a member of the 
Knights of Pythias and Masonic order, while he and his wife 
belong to the Pythian Sisters and the Order of Eastern 
Star.  Frank Walker was  reared on the farm of his father, 
where he remained until twenty-two years of age. He secured 
his preliminary training in the district schools and after 
wards attended the Tri-State Normal School at Angola, 
Indiana. When he was twenty-one years of age he rented a 
farm and operated it on shares with his father. The next 
year he bought eighty acres of his father's farm and on 
this he now resides, and to the cultivation of which he 
gives his undivided attention. Progressive and up-to-date 
in his ideas, he has made many permanent and substantial 
improvements on the place, which is now numbered among the 
best farms in the community. In 1900 Mr. Walker built the 
splendid residence in which he now resides, and three years 
later erected a large and commodious bank barn, besides 
which he has made many other improvements  which have added 
to the value and attractiveness of the farm, In1906 he 
bought eighty acres from W. H. Leas, adjoining his father 
on the south, and is now the owner of one hundred and sixty 
acres lying in close proximity, one hundred and thirty 
acres of which is under active cultivation.  On January 10, 
1900, Frank Walker was married to Dora Gfeller, the 
daughter of Fred and Mary Gfeller, who are mentioned 
elsewhere in this work, and to this union have been born 
three children: Floyd, born December 12, 1900; Russell, 
born August 18, 1904, and Clark, born August 10, 1908.  
Fraternally, Mr. Walker is an active and appreciative 
member of the Knights of Pythias, and in his daily life 
endeavors to exemplify the sublime teaching of that order. 
He has been successful in his financial affairs and among 
the luxuries, which he enjoys is an up-to-date automobile, 
this being but one of the many things which characterize 
him as a man of progressive tendencies. He has attained 
success through his own efforts, having been dependent 
practically upon his won resources since attaining manhood, 
and because of his business success, integrity of character 
and genial disposition he has won and retains a host of 
warm personal friends throughout this section of the 
county.

Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com