Who is Baylor Walker Sr. from Little Altars Everywhere and what is their importance?

Shepley Walker's father Baylor Walker is dead before the story begins. During the Depression, Baylor Walker worked hard to save his three plantations. Big Shep is proud that his father was able to prosper, while other prominent families lost everything. None-the-less, by the time Big Shep reaches adulthood, his father has mortgaged the land, and rather then leaving his son a wealthy man with a sizable inheritance...... Baylor Walker leaves him with nothing but debt.