George Washington Baker

George Washington Baker was born 13 Jun 1838 in Maury Co., Tennessee. He was the third son of Robert and Mary (Humphrey) Baker. George died 13 Jun 1930 in Parker Co., Texas and was buried in Brock Cemetery.

George married Sarah Margaret Harbison (sister of Darcus Harbison) on 14 Oct 1860 in Maury Co., Tennessee. Sarah was the daughter of Reverend John Alexander and Nancy (Strain) Harbison.  She was born 24 Mar 1841 and died 26 Jun 1929 in Parker Co., Texas.

During the Civil War George served in Co. K, 48^th Tennessee Infantry along with his brothers. He was captured in Dec 1863 in Georgia and sent to the prison camp in Rock Island, Illinois. He survived the small pox outbreak that killed his two brothers and following the war in 1865 he signed an oath of allegiance to the United States and was released to return home. In 1865 he was described as 5’9” tall, with a light complexion, dark hair and grey eyes.

George, a farmer, and his family appear in the 1880 U.S. census in Maury Co., Tennessee, but shortly thereafter he moved his family to Parker Co., Texas and settled in the southern part of that county where he lived out his life. In 1925 he applied for and received a pension based on his Civil War service from the state of Texas.

George W. and Sarah M. (Harbison) Baker were the parents of the following children:

·         John Robert Baker, born 2 Dec 1861 in Tennessee, died 24 Feb 1942 in Parker Co., Texas and was buried in Spring Creek Cemetery. He married Margaret Elizabeth Pickard on 28 Jul 1887 in Parker Co., Texas.

·         William Dickson Baker, born 11 Jun 1863 in Maury Co., Tennessee, died 20 Jan 1939 in Parker Co., Texas and was buried in Brock Cemetery. He married Mary Love Barnett on 2 Nov 1891 in Parker Co., Texas. They were the parents of two children.

·         Mary D. Baker, born Feb 1865 in Tennessee, died 20 Mar 1950 in Somerton, Yuma, Arizona and was buried in Yuma Cemetery. She married George E. Newman on 15 Dec 1886 in Parker Co., Texas. They were the parents of four children.

·         Oliver Green Baker, born 20 Feb 1868 in Tennessee, died 18 Jul 1960 in Dallas, Texas and was buried in East Greenwood Cemetery in Parker Co., Texas. He married Maggie Ola Custer on 12 Feb 1910 in Parker Co., Texas. They were the parents of five children.

·         Emily Candis Baker, born 10 Apr 1870 in Tennessee, died 8 Mar 1957 in Parker Co., Texas and was buried in East Greenwood Cemetery. She married 1) J.Z. Buckner on 3 Aug 1890 in Parker Co., Texas; 2) someone named Granstaff.

·         Sarah Baker, born about 1872 in Tennessee. Nothing more has been found about her.

·         George Alexander Baker, born 26 Oct 1876 in Tennessee, died 2 Dec 1952 in Odessa, Ector, Texas and was buried in Brock Cemetery in Parker Co., Texas. He married Geneva Storm on 20 Aug 1899 in Parker Co., Texas. They were the parents of four children.

·         Fannie Mildred Baker, born 21 Feb 1878 in Tennessee, died 4 Apr 1938 in Marlin, Falls, Texas and was buried in Oakland Cemetery in Parker Co., Texas. She married Robert Bruce Dennis on 24 Mar 1901 in Parker Co., Texas. They were the parents of one child.

·         Lucy M. Baker, born May 1883 in Texas, died 15 Apr 1957 in Parker Co., Texas and was buried in East Greenwood Cemetery. She married Robert Lee Dobbs on 8 Dec 1903 in Parker Co., Texas. They were the parents of three children.

·         Millie A. Baker, born Jan 1886 in Texas. Nothing more has been found about her.

(Sources available upon request)

John Alderson Baker

John Alderson Baker, son of Robert Baker and Mary T. Humphrey, was born 5 Feb 1836 in Tennessee. He died 28 Jul 1860 and was buried in Goshen Methodist Church Cemetery in Maury County, Tennessee. He shares a tombstone with his father.

John married Darcus J. Harbison on 17 Jan 1858 in Maury County. Darcus, the daughter of Reverend John Alexander Harbison and Nancy Strain, was born 5 May 1838 in Tennessee. Following the death of John she married Sparkman Skelly on 22 Nov 1866 in Maury County. She died in Maury County on 14 Dec 1907 and is buried in the Goshen Methodist Church Cemetery.

In 1850 John was living with his parents in Maury County. In 1860 he headed his own household and was working as a blacksmith in Maury County.

Children of John A. and Darcus J. (Harbison) Baker were:

• M.A. Baker, daughter, b. about 1859 in Tennessee
• J. Baker, son, b. about 1861 in Tennessee

If anyone has anymore information on John's children I would love to hear from you.

(Sources available upon request)

Fielding Henry Baker

Fielding H. Baker, the oldest son of Robert and Mary (Humphrey) Baker, was born about 1834-1836 in Maury Co., Tennessee; he died of smallpox on 31 Jan 1864 in the Rock Island Prison Camp in Rock Island, Illinois.

Fielding married Marticia Manila Fly, daughter of George W. and Winford Ann Eliza (Lacy) Fly, 29 Dec 1853 in Maury County. Marticia was born 27 Nov 1836 in Maury County and died sometime after 1910 probably in Hickman Co., Tennessee.

Fielding is listed in the household of Robert Baker in the 1850 U.S. census. In the 1860 U.S. census he headed his own household in Maury County and his occupation was listed as shoe/bootmaker. During the Civil War he served in Co. K, 48th Tennessee Infantry. He was captured while on guard duty in Georgia and sent to Rock Island, Illinois where he died.

Children of Fielding and Marticia (Fly) Baker:

• Robert W. Baker, b. 23 Aug 1855, Maury Co., Tennessee; d. 24 Feb 1935, Parker Co., Texas; m. 9 Feb 1879, Hickman Co., Tennessee to Rhoda L. Gossett.
• Mary E. Baker, b. 26 Aug 1857, Tennessee; d. 12 Mar 1932, Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee; m. 15 Jan 1873, Hickman Co., Tennessee to David F. Killough.
• Sarah L. Baker, b. 11 Apr 1860, Tennessee; d. sometime between 1880 and 1900; m. 26 Feb 1880, Hickman Co., Tennessee to Joseph S. Prichard.
• Laura B. Baker, b. 15 Aug 1862, Tennessee; d. 25 Jan 1943, Hickman Co., Tennessee; m. 1) 12 Mar 1878, Hickman Co., Tennessee to James F. Worley; 2) 1 Mar 1913, Hickman Co., Tennessee to Joe Thornton.

(Sources available on request)

Was Mary Baker a Pig Thief?

In 1836 Mary Baker was charged with petit larceny. Coonrod/Conrad Baker accused her of stealing several hogs. Others accused were Theophilus P. Carter, Sarah Baker, Catherine Baker and Thomas Baker.

Witnesses for the defense were: Benjamin Davis, Micajah Pain, Absalom Baker, John and Lewis Humphrey, Mary Hood, Allen McCaskall, Robert Baker, David McCaskell, Richard Harris, Renfro Garner and Thomas Rail. (Polly C. Warren, Jill Garrett's Maury Genealogist, v. 1 - 1972, reprinted 1987, p. 193)

Copies from the original Circuit Court Minutes for September 1836 are difficult to read, but it appears that Mary Baker was acquitted and Coonrod Baker was ordered to pay court costs.

It would be interesting to learn more about this case. A question that arises is who was Coonrod Baker and was he related to Robert Baker's family?

Civil War

Robert Baker had three sons and a brother who served in the Civil War. Fielding H., George W. and William T. Baker, sons of Robert and Mary (Humphrey) Baker all enlisted in Co. K, 48th Tennessee Infantry (CSA) in 1861. In December, 1863 they were all captured and sent to Rock Island Military Prison in Rock Island, Illinois. The prison was over-crowded and one group of arriving prisoners was sick. Soon smallpox spread through the camp infecting both prisoners and guards. The Baker boys all became ill. Fielding and his brother, William, died within a few days of each other. George W. Baker recovered and remained in the prison until the end of the war. In 1865 he signed an oath of allegience to the United States and was released to return home.

Robert's brother, Perry G. Baker, also enlisted in Co. K, 48th Tennessee Infantry. In 1863 he was reported as being absent since the fall of Fort Henry in 1862. What happened to him is not known. He may have been injured, captured or returned home for some reason. He died in 1900, so we know he wasn't killed in action.

Who Are the Parents of Robert Baker?

This is the tombstone for Robert Baker. He is buried in Goshen Methodist Church Cemetery in Maury County, Tennessee. Robert was born 19 Jun 1810 in Tennessee and died 3 Apr 1870 in Tennessee, probably in Williamson County.

Robert's parents were reportedly John Baker and Mary Divenny. They were both reportedly born about 1790 in North Carolina and married about 1808 in Tennessee. The information about John and Mary (Divenny) Baker comes from a 2001 post on genforum.com by Marilyn Baker.

I would like to learn more about John and Mary Baker, when they came to Maury County, where they were before then, and where in North Carolina they were from. There are some other questions that have arisen during the research on this family. Is John Baker related to Samuel Alderson Baker of Hickman and Maury Counties? Is Mary (Divenny) Baker related to the Divinnys in Hickman County, Tennessee?

Through this blog I would like to explore some of these questions and share what I have learned about the Robert Baker family through my research.