Barker, John W. bio

History of Fulton County, Illinois; together with Sketches of its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Chas. C. Chapman & Co., Peoria, Illinois, 1879, page 652, Farmers' Township
John W. Barker was born in Pike Co., O., April 15, 1819. His father brought his family to Illinois when our subject was but 6 months old. While they lived at Fort Clark there were but 3 white families there. For further particulars of their removals, etc., see biography of his brother Joseph Barker, next mentioned. His father, John Barker, came to this township in ’27, leaving his family on Totten’s Prairie, except John and his mother whom he brought along with him. John was quite small, but has vivid recollections of sleeping in an old Indian wigwam, and of seeing his bather break prairie with an ox team. The old gentleman planted several acres of sod corn, but reaped nothing from it, as the wild hogs destroyed the entire crop. John W. was married, in 1841, to Rachel Harris, by whom he had 2 children, - Warren and Harriet. Mrs. Barker died Dec. 1, 1842. He again married in 1849, this time to Eliza S. Brand, by whom he had 8 children, - Mary J., Lafayette, John S., William M. (deceased) and Geo. M., twins, Franklin (deceased), Wm. F. and Sarah E. Wm. F. and Sarah E. are at home with their father. Mrs. Barker died Feb. 18, 1877. Mr. Barker owns 240 acres of valuable land, and is a successful farmer and stock-raiser.