Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/782

 680 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI Hospital College, at Louisville, Kentucky, where be pursued a two-year medical course. He was then matriculated as a student in the Washington University, at St. Louis, Mis- souri, and iu that excellent institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1903, duly receiving his degree of Doctor of Medi- cine. Immediately after graduation he initi- ated the active practice of his profession at Jonesboro, Illinois, where he succeeded in building up a large and representative pat- ronage and where he continued to maintain his home and professional headcjuarters for the ensuing two years. On the 1st of Aiigust, 1905, however, be decided to seek greater fame and fortune in the west and that date marks his advent in Cape Girardeau, where he has resided during the intervening years to the present time and where lie is recog- nized as a physician and surgeon of unusual skill. At Jonesboro, Illinois, in the year 1897, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Walker to JMiss EfiSe M. Pulenwider, who was born at Jonesboro, Illinois, in 1877, and who is a (laughter of William M. Fulenwider, long a representative citizen of Jonesboro. Dr. and Mrs. Walker have three children, — iIarie, Helen and Louise, all of whom are attending school iu this city. In their religious faith the Walker family are consistent members of the English Lutheran church, to whose chari- ties and benevolences they are most liberal contributors. In politics Dr. Walker is aligned as a stal- wart supporter of the principles and policies for which the Democratic party stands spon- sor and while he is not actively interested in local politics he manifests a deep and sincere interest iu all matters projected for the good of the general welfare. In the grand old Ma- sonic order he is affiliated with St. Mark's Lodge, No. 93, Free & Accepted jMasons, of which he is past master. Dr. Walker is a man of broad human sympathy and kindl.v, genial manner and it may be said concerning him that the circle of his friends is coincident with that of his acquaintances. J. M. PoRTERPiELD, like man.v other young men, did not know exactly what he wanted to make his life work when he started out on his career. He commenced as a physician. next gave his attention to carpentering, and subsequently turned to the farm as the place where he would like to spend the rest of his days. There is an old saying that "a rolling stone gathers no moss, ' ' but if Mr. Porterfield will pardon our likening him to a stone, we would say that he has not only gathered moss, but he has found time to dispeuse some to others who were less fortunate than he. Mr. Porterfield hails from a farm in Hard- in coiuity, Tennessee, where he was born Julj' 31, 1849. He is the son of W. C. and Ursula Porterfield, who were natives of Eastern Ten- nessee, where he followed the occupation of farmiiig all of this life. In earlier life he had followed cariaeutering. J. M. Porterfield is the Seventh child in order of birth of the thirteen children who were born to his parents. He received his preliminary educa- tional training at the district school in the neighborhood of his father's farm, and at that time the school was a subscription one. After he had completed the course which was re- quired he entered the college at Savannah, Tennessee, and more as the result of accident than deliberate choice, he prepared himself to be a physician, in the medical department of the Savannah College. This college only of- fered a two years' course at that time, so that after he had learned all the medical knowl- edge which the college afforded, be entered the office of Drs. L. E. Covey and J. D. Wagner, and under the preceptorship of these able phy- sicians Mr. Porterfield read medicine for a .vear. He then went to Vanderbilt University, at Nashville, for a six months' term, and this completed his course. He was then a certified practitioner, and he established himself in Cerrogordo, Tennessee, where he built up a very fine practice during the eleven years that he stayed there. He found the life a hard one, however, as his patients were scattered over an area of eight or ten miles, which necessitated bis making verv long trips to visit them. After eleven years of tliis life Mr. Porterfield decided that he was not following the line of work for which he was best fitted, either in taste or al)ilities — although he had been reinarkal)ly siU'cessful, but be decided to give u) his practice. He removed from Ten- nessee to Arkansas, where he took up his res- idence in Paragould and began to do car- pentering. From a boy he had always shown great aptitude for all kinds of wood work, and his success was immediate and stead.v. While he was living in Cerrogordo, Ten- nessee, he had accumulated some property, and when he moved from the state he sold this, Init he did not buy any more in Arkan- sas, rather devoted bis whole attention to liis carpentering ])usiness. He only stayed in