John Findley Walker was the owner and editor of the Bloomington Republican newspaper with Clement Whitaker from 1863 until they sold the paper to William A. Gabe in 1867. Walker was born on February 10th, 1812 in Kentucky. He moved to Salem, Indiana in 1832 and began the printing trade. On March 29, 1939 Walker married Sarah Green. From 1845-1856, Walker ran the Bedford Sun newspaper in Bedford, Indiana. After he left the Bedford Sun, Walker moved to Monroe County and partnered with L.M. DeMotte in editing the Western Times, also known as the Bloomington Times. This was the first Republican newspaper in Monroe County. Walker left the Bloomington Times several years later and eventually bought a half-interest in the Bloomington Republican in 1863. After selling the Republican in 1867, Walker worked for several newspapers up until a few months before his death of cancer on June 18th, 1881 at 69 years old. John and Sarah had nine children, four of which died before the age of ten. Their oldest son, William G. Walker, was born in 1840, and does not appear in any census after the 1860 census. It is therefore assumed that he died in the 1860's, but how he died remains unknown. Their fourth son, James D., is also a bit of a mystery. He was born about 1846, and at the time of the 1880 census, he lived in Shelbyville, Indiana with his wife, Lillie and their son, Wood. However, none of these names appear again. John and Sarah's second son, John Wesley, was born in 1842. He married Sarah E. Voss, and they went on to have four sons and a daughter that died at the age of nine. John, or Wesley as he was known to go by, had been a Captain in the Civil War. He was in Company E of the 117th Indiana Volunteers and re-enlisted when his three months of service was up. When the war was over, Wesley began his lifelong career as a carpenter and contractor. Wesley also joined the Odd Fellows lodge, where he began a lifelong friendship with J.D. Showers. Along with the title of Captain, Wesley can also have volunteer fireman and city alderman attached to his name. Wesley died on December 12, 1920 after being ill for two years. His wife, Sarah, died 17 years later on January 7, 1937, at the age of 91. Further research is called for on his children and grandchildren. Not much is known about George W. Walker, John F.'s third son. He was born in 1844 and as a teenager worked for his father in the printing office. According to the 1870 census, George was 26 years old and an assistant postmaster in Bloomington. In the 1880 census, George was still living at home and listed under "Profession" it is written that George was "confined to home," and under "Is this person sick or temporarily disabled" it is written that George "has fits." It is currently unknown what kind of fits George suffered from, whether they were physical or emotional, or how long he had them. George died on November 14, 1888 and was buried in the family plot in Rose Hill Cemetery.

Rolla Walker was John's youngest child, being born in May 1861. He was a very prominent citizen of Monroe County, having been a trustee of Bloomington township for two terms, county treasurer for two terms, and obtaining the nickname the "Governor." Before beginning his career in local politics, Rolla has been a longtime employee at the Showers factory. At the time of his death on July 13, 1923, Rolla was an Odd Fellow, a Knight of Phythias, and a member of the Elks lodge. He had no children with his wife, Belle.