[1] Walker was a first cousin of Senator and Supreme Court Justice David Davis.

[2] In 1857, Walker went to St. Louis for business training with the merchandiser Crow, McCreery & Co., then the largest wholesale dry goods house in the city.

The business was highly successful, and in 1883 it was incorporated as the Ely & Walker Dry Goods Company.

In 1896, the company built a massive warehouse on Washington Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri, which became known as Ely Walker Lofts.

[3] His sons David Davis, Jr., Joseph Sidney and George Herbert all had involvement with the Ely & Walker firm, which continued as a major clothing manufacturer until it was acquired by Burlington Industries after World War II, but George went into banking.