Biographical Sketch of Judge Ralph Walker, Greene County, Missouri,
Springfield

>From "History of Greene County, Missouri," St. Louis: Western
Historical Company, 1883.

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Judge Walker is the son of Ralph and Ann (Bigley) Walker, and was born
in Cloncanon House, County of Galway, Ireland, November 27th, 1831. He
was educated at Ranella College Athlone, in the central portion of Ire-
land, and subsequently in that historic city Londonderry, where his 
family name became associated with the memorable defence of that place
under the leadership of Governor George Walker in repelling the attacks
of the forces by King James.  At the age of eighteen he came to America
landing at Philadelphia in 1851, and in that year he went to St. Louis
and accepted a position under his brother John, who was the agent of 
the Adams Express Company at that city.  He continued in that position
until 1854, when he accepted the first clerkship on the steamer Badger
State, plying between St. Louis and St. Paul; then on the steamer 
Thomas Swann, from Louisville to New Orleans, and afterwards on the Ed-
ward Walsh and Michigan, between St. Louis and New Orleans.  From 1858
to 1862 he was general freight and passenger agent of the Wabash rail-
road in St. Louis.  In the latter year he made a trip to Liverpool,
England, taking over the first cargo of petroleum oil that ever crossed
the Atlantic ocean.  In 1865 he returned to St. Louis, and in 1866 he
came to Greene county and engaged in the mercantile business at Ash
Grove; organized and laid out that town.  In 1870 he was elected county
judge by those who favored internal improvements regardless of party
fealty.  He served six years.  In 1876 he assisted in the reorganiza-
tion of the Kansas City and Memphis railroad, in which he became a
director, and since the sale of that road to the Fort Scott and Gulf
company he has laid out and organized the towns of Everton, Seymour,
Cabool and West Memphis.  He is also proprietor of the Ash Grove mines.
In 1857 he was married in the city of Dublin, by the Bishop of Cork, to
Frances J., daughter of Major Henry Wilson, of Her Majesty's 32nd regi-
ment of foot.  They have had eight children, seven boys and one girl,
two of whom died in infancy.  His eldest son, Harry W., is at present
connected with the Globe-Democrat of St. Louis.  Judge Walker is a
Mason and Senior Warden of Christ's Episcopal Church, Springfield.

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