The first pioneers of Walker were the White Family headed by Samuel White. They rode into the area from Canada in a line of Conestoga Wagons, Samuel and his wife, Lydia and at least 7 of their 9 children. The two oldest girls had married and came to Kent County very early as well but it is not known for sure if they lived in Walker Twp. but there is proof by births of children that they spent some time in Walker at least.

The family wintered with the local indians whose village was on the west side of the Grand River. It is reported that they spent New Year's Eve 1835 there. The whole family came down with measles sparing one son, James Morgan White. Though his obituary of 1901 credits him with cutting and hauling lumber from eight miles up river and then hauling it out to what would be the homestead at 315 Walker, now the Home of the Good Shepherd; it is quite likely that he had at least the help of the natives who had befriended his family. Other pioneers were soon to follow and it is not known for sure what extended family came along with the White Family.

Since Michigan did not become a state until 1837, the earliest settlers basically squatted on lands that they would one day take patents on. Samuel eventually owned up to 400 acres. Reverand Daniel Bush, who married Samuel's daughter Sophronia bought property adjoining Samuel's along Walker Ave. and his oldest sons, Milo and James, each owned 80 acres that joined Daniel Bush and brought the family's holdings to include the full length of Walker Ave. from near the end of Stocking all the way up to 3 Mile.

The brothers built a grist mill on Indian Mill Creek and the settlement of Walker began to come together in this vicinity. The local natives were very interactive with the Walker community and there were several marriages resulting from the good relationship between the locals and the white interlopers. Samuel's wife taught the native children at the mill right along with her own.

Two of Samuel's son were called for duty in the military; one served in the Mexican War, returned from duty and died five months later from diabetes, and the other son served and died in the Civil War.

Samuel's youngest son, Samuel White Jr. stayed on with his father at his homestead until his death in 1871. A portion of his original homestead had already been deeded to Daniel Bush and 20 acres of that 80 acre parcel became Greenwood Cemetery. With Grand Rapids now flourishing and its industry now swallowing the banks of the Grand River, the original homestead lands were annexed by Grand Rapids. Sam Jr. held on to a portion of them for a time but eventually he and whoever else held any interest in the land gave way to the residential needs of the growing city and the rest of Samuel's lands became a part of "The West Side" of Grand Rapids.

Samuel's grandsons took advantage by becoming builders and some went to work in the factories, while James Morgan White and Daniel Bush kept their farms in operation. Daniel passed away in 1881 and it is not known currently how long his children stayed on his homestead but a good part of his holdings became the rest of what is now Greenwood Cemetery and Mt. Calvary Cemetery.

James Morgan White lived out his life on his original piece of land purchased of his father in 1840. He married Temperance Mudge, another early settler, in 1839 and raised a family of 7 children to adulthood but having lost a twin daughter in infancy. His son James Peregrine White took over his father's farm and continued operating it up until he himself died in 1917. His descendants held onto the property and lived in the original home built by James until the tornado of 4/3/1956 destroyed most of it and most of the family heirlooms including a hand written diary that James kept over his lifetime. Only the references preserved in a family history done by Louis White in 1936 are what remain of it. And now 50+ years later, it appears a gravel pit has swallowed any remaining trace of James and his family's efforts on that piece of land except about 15 foot of old driveway blockaded by large cement blocks.

Milo White's property he acquired by patent in 1840 in large part now is the catholic cemetery. He himself had portioned off a piece of his land as a cemetery when he lost five children during three different outbreaks of diptheria in the 1840s and 50s. This cemetery is now located within the catholic cemetery but the gravemarkers of his children are no longer present, cause of their disappearnce unknown currently and the last confirmed viewing in the 1970s. Milo himself removed to Ashland, Newaygo County, in 1865 taking up land received on behalf of his brother's service in the Mexican War. Several other extended family went to Ashland as well and others found their way up to Lake and Osceola Counties. Many other descendants of Samuel White found their way to different parts of Michigan and eventually the west coast of the USA.

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=kellyw4jc&id

Send mail to Babs27@charter.net with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2006 My Grand Rapids Last modified: 06/05/06

Send mail to Babs27@charter.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2006 My Grand Rapids
Last modified: 06/05/06