Henry Nelson Walker

Henry Nelson Walker, the husband of Emily Virginia Norvell, the daughter of US Senator John Norvell and Isabella Hodgkiss Freeman Norvell, (born November 30, 1811 -died February 24, 1886), the son of John and Nancy Hines Walker from Chautauqua County, New York. He arrived in Detroit in 1835. His obituary stated, " He brought with him a diploma from an academy at Fredonia, and entered the law office of Farnsworth & Bates as a student. In due time he was admitted to practice, and finally to a junior interest in the firm. Mr. Farnsworth was eventually elected circuit judge and withdrew from the firm, and a few years afterwards Mr. Bates retired from active practice. The firm was then reorganized under the name of Walker, Douglas and Campbell. Mr. Walker in early life identified himself with the temperance movement and was closely allied to it up to the day of his death."

In 1845 he became Attorney General of Michigan, in 1844 a State Legislator, in 1849 he organized the Detroit Savings Bank, and later served as President of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad in 1856. In 1859, he became Postmaster and later was Editor of the Detroit Free Press. Later he owned the newspaper, but in 1875 resigned his position. In 1870, he organized the Spurr iron mine in Baraga County, Michigan. The mine lost about $250,000 and from this financial disaster he never recovered. Emily and Henry had three children: John Norvell Walker (born 1862) a metallurgist and mining engineer. He married Louise Boynton and had two children; Henry Lyster Walker (born 1867) , president of the Henry L. Walker Company, who married Alice Ives in New York in 1902; and Elizabeth Gray Walker (born 1871).* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Sep 15 2019, 3:23:10 UTC