This gentleman is the oldest son of a family of eight children. His father, Jacob Walter, was a native of Somersetshire, England, who came to America about 1830, settling in Oakland County about 1837. He purchased a farm on section 9, in Independence, that year, and here Harrison was born, July 15, 1840. His boyhood days were spent on this farm, working on it in summer and attending the common schools in winter until he was eighteen years old, when his father gave him his freedom. The youth began at once to hew out his own fortune, by engaging to work by the month for some years to enable him to attend school abroad. This he was permitted to do in 1860, entering the Mishawaka (Indiana) high school, and remaining there a year. He now returned home, and varied his occupation as a farm laborer by teaching school in winter. By exercising ecanomy he accumulated six hundred dollars in two years time. With this he purchased his present farm, going in debt for a balance of four thousand four hundred dollars. This obligation he was enabled to discharge at the end of six years, and all from the products of his farm. Having his homestead clear, he now began a series of improvements on his place, which have resulted in the splendid buildings shown elsewhere in this work.

Mr. Walter is now devoting his attention to fruit culture, making a specialty of the apple. He has, at present, an orchard of two thousand trees of this fruitsit, and, by the use of improved methods of storing his apples, is enabled to make shipments as late as August.

Mr. Walter has always been a total abstinence man, and attributes his success in life to this fact, as well as to his frugal and industrious habits. His example should stimulate young men to make vigorous efforts to achieve the mastery of a fortune, by leading them to see what can be accomplished in the legitimate pursuit of farming by pluck and enterprise aided by sound judgment. In 1864, Mr. Walter was married to Miss Mary M., the oldest daughter of Samuel Howell, of Brandon, and by her he has had a family of three children, two of whom are now living.