Walker, Newton

Born: 1803-12-18 Virginia

Died: 1899-09-13 Fulton County, Illinois

Flourished: Fulton County, Illinois

In 1834, Walker married Ann E. Simms, with whom he had four children. He was appointed major while living in Virginia. After the death of his father, Walker moved his wife and mother to Illinois in 1835. He was chosen to supervise the construction of the Fulton County Courthouse and drew all of the plans. In 1837, voters elected Walker as a county commissioner for Fulton County. Walker served alongside fellow Whig Abraham Lincoln in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1838 to 1840, where he represented Fulton County. In 1850, Walker was a merchant in Lewistown, and he owned $5,000 in real property. Ten years later, he was a farmer and owned $12,000 in real estate and $3,000 in personal property.

History of Fulton County, Illinois (Peoria, Illinois: Chas C. Chapman, 1879), 775, 816, 977; John Clayton, comp., The Illinois Fact Book and Historical Almanac, 1673-1968 (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1970), 208; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Fulton County, IL, 187; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Fulton County, IL, 26; Gravestone, Oak Hill Cemetery, Fulton County, IL.