Walter was originally from Vermont and Louisa was from Kentucky. After their marriage in Indiana, they lived in Ohio, Canada, and New York before moving to Iowa City. It is unclear what Walter did for a living before moving to Iowa, but he may have been involved in the lumber trade. There is also evidence that the Hoyts had business, political, and social ties to the Lucas family and to the family of Samuel Kirkwood, Iowa's Civil War governor who lived down the street. Eye View of Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa.
North is to the left.
The circled house is Plum Grove, note the addition to the back. Sadly, Walter died in 1869, leaving Louisa to raise their four children. It appears that Louisa Hoyt used her social and economic connections to live a comparatively affluent life, even after her husband died, although the Plum Grove farm may have provided supplemental income. Many years later, she briefly married John Borland, her husband's old business partner, but Borland died less than a year later. One daughter, Addie, married into the influential and wealthy Finkbine family.