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Elisabeth (Haupt) Baker |
Elisabeth (Haupt) Baker was born on Oct. 11, 1792 or 1794, the daughter of John "Henry" Sebastian and Maria Catharina (Younken) Haupt/Houpt.
She was joined in wedlock with Dr. Ezra Baker Jr. (Dec. 23, 1794-1870), a native of Williamstown, MA who was living in Philadelphia. He was the son of Ezra and Sarah (Tucker) Baker Sr. and the grandson of Elisa Baker, a member of the convention that framed the terms of the Massachusetts constitution.
In about 1820, they moved with her brother Abraham to Illinois and settled on a farm near Gard's Point, about eight miles northwest of Mt. Carmel, Wabash County. They then moved to a farm at Cabbage Corners and built a brick house.
The Bakers became the parents of six -- Ezra Haupt Baker, Edwin Sebastian Baker, Barton Piesch Baker, Dorsey Syng Baker, Ruth Eliza Baker and Sarah Elizabeth Boyer. Grief spread over the family at the death of daughter Ruth in infancy in 1826.
Ezra is known to have operated a store at Centerville, IL in 1824 and perhaps added a second store in Mount Carmel, employing Beauchamp Harvey as his manager. He became licensed to practice medicine in 1825 by the Medical Society of Illinois. In 1819, he established a castor-oil mill which he operated in Mount Carmel until 1849, handing the business to his his son Barton who continued it for decades.
Ezra also bought what was considered the best steamboat in the nation. He was named as a director of the new Mount Carmel branch of the State Bank of Illinois in 1836. He appears to have been authorized to erect a mill dam near Coffee Island across the Little Wabash in 1838. That same year, 1838, he bought a heavy log house and blockhouse from Augustus Lovelette in Rochester, IL.
A year later, in 1839, he laid out the town of Coffee Island, later named Rochester, in the northeast quarter of Section 14, Township 2, South Range 13 West. In this new community he built a flour mill, carding mill and saw mill "and was prime mover in every enterprise, when George Legier went in as partner, and the business became known as Baker & Legier," said the Mount Carmel Daily Republican-Register. Rochester's history, said the 1883 book, Combined History of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash Counties, Illinois, "has been a very eventful one. It has twice risen to prominence and as often sunk into decay and obscurity. It was the scene of one of the first two settlements made in Wabash county, and the place of the first negotiations in trade between the white man and the Indian." According to the History, Ezra was:
...wealthy, of fine appearance, sociable and pleasing in his manners and address. He was the leading spirit of old Centereville, the founder of Rochester, that at one time surpassed Mt. Carmel in business importance, and the proprietor of Bennington in Edwards county. His life may serve as an example and a warning to the young of Wabash county: First, prosperity,, and over-reaching in business speculations, then domestic infelicity, and finally the cup to excess, and poverty and pauperism in Philadelphia.
The federal census enumeration of 1850 shows the Bakers in Wabash County, with Ezra employed as a physician. Daughter Sarah, age 23, and Frances Ellaine, age 6, were living in the household at that time.
Elisabeth died in Illinois at the age of 59 on March 26, 1852.
Ezra outlived his bride by perhaps 28 years. After four years alone, he wed again on Dec. 10, 1856 to his wife's niece, Catherine "Kate" Haupt (1819-1908), daughter of Abraham and Catherine (Von Billiard) Haupt. Their wedding is said to have taken place in Reading, Berks County. They moved back to Mount Carmel, until their marriage dissolved and he returned to Pennsylvania.
There is some evidence to suggest that at some point, in a dispute involving Ezra and (?) Biggs, attorney Henry Eddy endorsed some kind of statement in which President Abraham Lincoln may have written a letter of some type. Another book, a historical biographical encylopedia of Illinois, said of Ezra that "In after years, reckless speculation dissipated his splendid fortune, domestic discord shattered his dreams of happiness, convivial excesses undermined his health, and his troubled days were closed in that dread above of Charity, the almshouse."
Ezra's final residence was at 19 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia. He died in the City of Brotherly Love on May 12, 1870, at the age of 75. A physician ruled that death was due to "softening of brain." Burial was in Woodlands Cemetery in the city. As his passing, his son Edwin took over the firm and sold his share of it to his business partner Legier.
Former wife Kate remained in Illinois. At her death at age 89 on Nov. 8, 1908, her remains were laid to rest in the Baker Family Cemetery in Gard's Point, Wabash County.
~ Son Ezra Haupt Baker ~
Son Ezra Haupt Baker (1816-1882) was born on June 23, 1816 in New Jersey. When a young man, he migrated cross-country to Iowa and put down roots in Marion County, IA. There, census records for 1850 show him working as a merchant.
He tied the marital knot with Emily Salina Serry/Serrie (1825- ? ), an immigrant from Ireland.
They were the parents of two daughters, Sarah Elizabeth Simpson and Emily K. Baker.
The family made its residence in Marion County in the 1860s and by 1870 had moved to Mount Prairie, Jasper County, IA where he was a dry goods merchant. The family relocated by 1880 to Washington, Jasper County, with him having no occupation as of 1880.
He died in Vandalia, Fayette County, IL on Sept. 25, 1882. The remains were transported back to Iowa for burial in Colfax Cemetery in Jasper County. No newspaper obituary has been located for him.
Daughter Sarah Elizabeth Baker (1865-1928) was born on Oct. 20, 1865 in Marion County, IA. Her home in 1880 was with her parents in Washington, Jasper County, IA and then in 1900 in Colfax, IA. On May 19, 1900, when she was 36 years of age, she married 41-year-old Morgan Valley farmer Garrison W. Simpson (Feb. 28, 1860-1931), son of William P. and Emily (Pritchard) Simpson of Marion County. The nuptials were held in Des Moines, Polk County, IA, by the hand of justice of the peace John Halloran. They did not reproduce. Federal census records for 1900 show the newlyweds on a farm in Perry, Marion County. By 1910, they had moved to Garfield, Calhoun County, IA, with Garfield earning a living as a farm laborer. Later, in 1920, the pair dwelled on a farm in Sac City, Sac County, IA and by 1928 in Grant City, Sac County, IA. Sadly, having contracted stomach cancer and then suffering a stroke of apoplexy, she died at the age of 62 on April 14, 1928. Burial was in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Auburn, IA. Garrison only lived for another three years. He endured hardening of the arteries and was felled by a heart attack, passing away on Nov. 8, 1931. James Simpson of Grant City, IA was the informant for Garrison's death certificate.
Daughter Emily K. Baker (1866- ? ) was born in about 1866 in Iowa.
~ Son Edwin Sebastian Baker ~
Son Edwin Sebastian Baker (1818-1901) was born on Nov. 5, 1818 in Philadelphia or more likely across the river in New Jersey. He migrated to Illinois with his parents in 1820, when he was about two years of age.
He married Virginia Kitchell (Sept. 15, 1824-1903).
Their 11 children in this family were Zarina S. "Rena" Baker, Kaleida Price, Howard K. Baker, Mary Fedelia Hodge, Orrie T. Baker, Carroll Baker, Septina "Tina" Baker, Octavia Baker, Frances E. Baker, Ethan Allen Baker and Levina "Vina" Hill Porter. Grief cascaded over the family when son Orrie died at birth in 1851.
Edwin took over his father's store in Centerville and then sold his share to his father's partner, George Legier. In 1860, the Bakers' dwelling-place was in Charleston, Coles County, IL, where he was engaged in manufacturing plows. Federal census records for 1870 show the brood in Tuscola, Douglas County, IL, with Edwin generating a living as a farmer. The Bakers moved to a farm near Cherryvale, KS in 1881 with plans to build the finest and best house in town.
Heartbreak struck in 1898, when a house occupied by their son Carroll and family was destroyed by fire. As of 1901, he owned severeal farms and a house at the corner of Wilson and Third in Cherryvale.
At the age of 82, Edwin passed away on Jan. 13, 1901. An obituary in the Cherryvale Daily News said he "had only been ailing about three days, and his death was unexpected... Rev. A.L. Barker, an old friend of the family, in choice words over the remains, told of his exemplary life, and many virtues." A brief notice was printed in the Coffeyville (KS) Record. Interment was in Fairview Cemetery in Cherryvale.
Virginia only outlived her husband by two-and-a-half years and lived during that time on East Third Street. In poor health, from congestive heart failure, she traveled to Milwaukee in the fall of 1902 and stay with her daughter Frances. But having markedly improved, she returned home to Cherryvale in February 1903. But she went downhill again and the Cherryvale Daily News reported in early June 1903 that "Mrs. Virginia Baker, an old lady 78 years old, is very low at her home on East 3rd. street." She died on June 11, 1903, having been bedfast for some four to six weeks. Rev. A.M. Baker led the funeral services, held in the family residence.
Daughter Zarina "Rena" Baker (1845-1912) was born in 1845. She appears not to have married but to have maintained a socially active life. She made news in the gossip columns of the Cherryvale (KS) Champion when taking the train to Topeka to see her aunt, Mrs. M.S. Kitchell for "a long visit." Zarina's address in 1908 was 302 East Third Street, Cherryvale. Her name again was in the news across the state in June 1908 when discovering the body in her yard of local man Archibald Warren, who had committed suicide by cutting his own throat. It took months for the buzz to settle. Then in May 1909, she left on the Frisco Railroad for a three-month visit with family and friends in Los Angeles and then a sister in Redlands, CA. Upon her return, she traveled to Independence to see her brother H.K. Baker. In a turn of fate, she suffered a mental collapse in June 1911 and suffered terribly, receiving care from her sisters-in-law Mrs. Carrol Baker and Mrs Howard Baker. Several days later, the Cherryvale Republican said she was "lying in a dazed condition" and may have been a victim of a fall. "It is thought from the position of some of the furniture that she fell just as she entered the door stricking [sic] her chest on a chairand her head on a lounge. Her head and chest are badly bruised and a gash cut on her nose. Wednesday she was able to walk to the home of Mrs. Bert Foval who summoned assistance. Miss Baker is still too dazed to talk coherently enough to tell just what was the cause of her injuries... Judging from the way the house was ransacked, Miss Baker may be the victim of foul play or she might have suffered a temporary collapse." As time went on, and her mind remained unsound, she was appointed a guardian, Herman S. Baker. She then was admitted to resided in a sanitarium in Parsons, remaining for the last year of her life. The angel of death mercifully harvested her away in Aug. 1912 at the age of 66. The body was brought from Parsons to Cherryvale for funeral rites and burial. An obituary was printed in the Republican.
Son Howard K. Baker (1848-1926) was born in about 1848 in Illinois. He was joined in wedlock with Mira Jane Orth (1849-1938) and settled in Jerrson, IL in 1903 and at Tuscola, IL. Four children were born to this couple -- the three known names were Orth Kitchell Baker (1876-1926), Roy Garfield Baker (1880-1914) and Oscar H. Baker (1885-1968). Their home in 1912 was in Independence, KS. Howard died in 1926 and was laid to rest in Mount Hope Cemetery in Independence. Their son Roy was employed as principal of the McKinley School in Cherryvale circa 1907 and then accepted a position as bookkeepeer with the Garden City Sugar Beet Company.
Daughter Kaleida Kitchell Baker (1849- ? ) was born on June 1, 1849 in Illinois. She wed John Wesley "J.W." Price (1844-1914). The Prices at one time lived in Bedford, IA. They were the parents of five, including Archie Preston Price (1878-1926) and Kenneth Kitchell Price (1895-1899). As of 1895, the family was in Long Island, NY. Kaleida is known to have been in Wyoming Territory in 1901. Sadly,she died at the age of 54 on June 27, 1903. Her remains were laid to rest in Whaley Cemetery in Greybull, Big Horn County, WY. Her upright grave marker is topped with a carving of an open Bible. The widowed John Wesley is said to have died in Canada in 1914. Their son Archie died in Portland, OR at age 48 on July 30, 1926.
Daughter Mary Fedelia/Finlia Baker ( ? - ? ) married L.F. Hodge ( ? - ? ). They put down roots in Montecello, IL and had one child. She was deceased by 1912.
Son Carroll Baker (1854-1914) was born on June 17, 1854 in Mount Carmel, IL and grew up in Tuscola, IL. He received his higher education at the University of Illinois. On Valentine's Day 1880, he was married to Ada Gibbs (Feb. 14, 1857-1925) and they became the parents of nine -- Herman Sebastian Baker, Julia M. Alder, Stanley Bushnell Baker, Lily Baker, Ira William Baker, Dr. Paul K. Baker and Ralph Baker plus one who died young. The newlyweds first settled near Cherryvale, KS. In February 1898, occupying a farmhouse owned by Carroll's father in Cherryvale, they escaped injury but lost most of their household goods in a fire which destroyed the structure. They built a new house in February 1898 and dwelled three miles west of Cherryvale in 1912. At their 30th wedding anniversary in February 1910, family and friends threw a surprise party. "All brought well filled basket, arriving just at the noon hour," said the Cherryvale Journal. "The afternoon was spent with music and singing." In 1913, Carroll and Lily spent three months in California, Washington State and Canada before returning home that August. Later in 1913, they moved to Manhattan, KS where several of the children were enrolled in school. Sadly, while helping a friend in hay season on Aug. 13, 1914, Carroll fell from a stack and his spinal cord was severed, rendering his entire body paralyzed. His brother Howard and cousin W.W. Kitchell of Topeka came to his side. He never recovered and died at home on Oct. 21, 1914. An obituary in the Journal said that he "by his worthy character made many friends who mourn his loss. He was a strong noble citizen and loving husband and kind father." At the time of Carroll's passing, son Herman dwelled near Cherryvale, son Stanley was employed by the Garden City Sugar and Land Company, daughter Lily taught in Manhattan High School and Julia, Ira, Paul and Ralph attended the Kansas State Agricultural College in Manhattan. Ada lived for another 11 years and passed away on Feb. 28, 1925.
Daughter Septina "Tina" Baker (1857-1927) was born in April 1857 in Illinois. She did not marry. Septina relocated to California in young womanhood and in 1900-1912 was in Oakland, Alameda County, CA. In 1900, at the age of 43, her occupation was teaching, and she boarded in the household of Rosa O'Clift. Census records for her in 1910 show her living in her own residence on Grove Street in Oakland and working as a "pracitioner" of Christian Science. She is known to have written an article for the San Francisco Journal, published in Nov. 1921 under the headlines "Child Bible Story: 'Frogs, Frogs, Frogs'!" She and others formed the California Home School in 1926, a prepatory school in Oakland. Then in 1927, she was named in Oakland Tribune advertisement for having authored a California Press book, Life of Our Master, Christ Jesus, was described as "Undenominational; illustrated; artistic; loved by 'the common people' -- by children, youth and senior friends." Death spirited her away at the age of 68 on Nov. 28, 1927. The Oakland Post Enquirer said in an obituary that she was a "Christian Science practitioner" and survived by her sister Frances E. Baker.
Daughter Octavia Baker (1859- ? ) was born in about 1859 in Illinois. She was deceased by 1912.
Daughter Frances/Frincea E. Baker (1862- ? ) was born in about 1862 in Illinois. She was unmarried and residing in Wakasha, WI in 1901 and is known to have traveled to Cherryvale, KS in January 1901 for her father's funeral. She returned to Cherryvale in the winter of 1903 to see her widowed mother. Frances remained in Milwaukee in 1912.
Son Ethan Allen Baker ( ? - ? ) was deceased by 1912.
Daughter Levina "Vina" Baker (1863-1922) was born on Sept. 23, 1863 in Tuscola, IL. She grew to womanhood in Cherryvale, KS. As a young woman, from 1883 to 1885, she attended the Philadelphia School of Design for Women. She also studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1885. Among her works of art, in the Western genre, were "Horse Head" - "The Orange Girl" - and "Cow's Head" - all displayed at the Mechanics Institute Fair in San Francisco in 1889. Follow-on paintings included "Lilacs" (1893) and "Under the Oaks" and "Portrait" (1894) - "Indian Child with Spindle Whorl" - "Indian Papoose" - "Yosemite" - "Squaw with Papoose" - "Squaw Making Basket" - "Indian Girl with Doll" - and "On the Trail," featuring a scene of two camping miner. Levina was twice-wed. She was an artist as was her first spouse, Edward Rufus Hill (1851-1908). Their nuptials were held in 1902 in Oakland, Alameda County, CA. Together, they produced a son and daughter, Rowland K. Hill and Virginia Hill. Sadly, Edward died in 1908. Levina supported herself as a widow by teaching school in Vacaville and Boulder Creek, CA and maintaining a residence in Ben Lomond, CA. Later, in 1921, she married farmer Warner O. Porter ( ? - ? ). Toward the end, she resided in a sanitarium near Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, CA. A newspaper reported that she "was brought down from the mountain town yesterday in a serious condition and here death occurred a few hours afterward," on March 24, 1922, at the age of 59. Her artworks today are preserved in the San Mateo Historical Society Museum, Society of California Pioneers and and Athenian Nile Club of Oakland. She is profiled in the 2015 book, Emerging from the Shadows, Vol. II: A Survey of Women Artists Working in California, 1860-1960 (Emerging from the Shadows, 2).
~ Son Barton Piesch Baker ~
Son Barton Piesch "B.P." Baker (1821-1894) was born on Sept. 19, 1821 in Pennsylvania, possibly in Philadelphia. His middle name came from an aunt and uncle, Sarah and Abraham Piesch.
He migrated to Illinois in infancy with his parents.
Barton was joined in wedlock with Lucretia Kitchell (Nov. 30, 1841-1894). The Baker and Kitchell families were close, and Barton's brother Edwin wed Lucretia's sister Virginia.
Together, the Bakers produced four offspring, perhaps all during their years in Illinois -- Elizabeth Thorne, Ella Ridgeway, Iola Campbell and Barton Baker.
Barton earned a living in the business of castor oil. He owned an oil press franchise or agency and made news in 1882 when traveling to see his brother Edwin in Cherryvale, KS, hoping to find buyers for his technology. Said the Cherryvale (KS) Globe and Torch, he "can instruct any purchaser exactly how to manufacture and clarify the best of oil -- for he has been in the business since 1849 and succeeded his father in that business, who had been so engaged from 1819 to 1849 in Mount Carmel, Ills. It is to be hoped that some party in Cherryvale, will now take hold of this enterprise and not let all the castor beans be shipped out of the country unmanufactured."
The family eventually relocated to Walla Walla, WA.
Wife and husband died two days apart in 1894 -- her on Jan. 13 and him on Jan. 15. Interment of the remains was in Oak Grove Cemetry in Hillsboro, IL.
Daughter Elizabeth Baker tied the knot with William Thorne ( ? - ? ). They made a home in Olney, IL.
Daughter Ella Baker (1856- ? ) was born in 1856. She was united in matrimony with Charles W. Ridgeway ( ? - ? ). Evidence suggests that the pair dwelled in Mount Carmel, IL.
Daughter Iola Baker (1857-1925) -- sometimes known as "Viola" -- was born on Aug. 31, 1857. She entered into marriage with William Alexander Campbell (1851-1924) of Olney, IL. One known son of this union was William Lloyd Campbell. At the age of 67, Iola died in Spokane on June 4, 1925. The remains were laid to rest in Walla Walla's Mountain View Cemetery.
Son Barton Baker (1860- ? ) was born in 1860.
~ Son Dr. Dorsey Syng Baker ~
Son Dr. Dorsey Syng Baker (1823-1888) was born on Oct. 18, 1823 in Illinois. He obtained a degree in 1845 from Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, in his mother's' home state, and then practiced medicine for three years in the Midwest. He was thrice-wed and the father of an astonishing 15 offspring. His first spouse was Caroline Tibbitts ( ? -1863).
Their seven children were Edward Franklin Baker, Mary Elizabeth Moore, Eva Rosaline Baker, Ezra Baker, William Baker, Henry Clay Dorsey Baker and William W. Baker. They grieved when children Eva, Ezra and William all died within a week of their births.
Sadly, Caroline passed away at the age of 29 on June 22, 1863.
His second bride was Mary Legier ( ? -1865). They did not reproduce. Sadly, she died after a relatively brief marriage, in Oct. 1865, rendering him as a two-time widower.
His third wife was Elizabeth H. McCullough (Oct. 30, 1840- ? ). The eight children from the third marriage, all daughters, were Ida "Mabel" Anderson, Anna Amelia Baker, Henrietta Frances Baker, Laura Belle Baker, Lillian Haupt Baker, Blanche Elizabeth Baker, Ada Louise Baker and Rosaline Imogene Baker. The spectre of death spirited away daughters Henrietta, Laura, Lillian and Blanche within a year of each other in 1877-1878.
In the spring of 1848, he heeded Horace Greeley's advice to “Go west, young man” and traveled to Oregon, arriving in the late fall. Along the way, he traveled on horseback and provided medical care for his fellow migrants. During the Gold Rush, he twice went to California to seek his fortune, but in time came back to Douglas County, OR, constructing the first flour mill in the southern part of the state. He opened a merchant business in Portland in 1858 and in his advertising offered to share half of his net profits to all customers who paid cash. He also saw opportunity to make money in the business of navigation on the Columbia River, investing in the steamers E. D. Baker and the Spray, and acquiring Northwest which had routes on the upper Columbia and Snake Rivers. He eventually sold all of these vessels to the Oregon Steam Navigation Company.
In 1859, he opened another mercantile store at Walla Walla, moving there 1861 and remaining for good. After eight years of accumulating capital, he and his brother-in-law John Franklin Boyer in 1869 established the first bank in Washington Territory, which later was named the Baker-Boyer National Bank.
Among his top accomplishments was building the 32-mile Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad to link the little town of Walla Walla with shipping connections on the Columbia River. As early as 1862, during the Civil War, Dorsey took part in community discussions over the need for rail service in and out of Walla Walla and was one of 30 prominent citizens to sign a charter to incorporate an organization for this purpose. As in many things, there was no clear direction on how to obtain financing, and the proposal failed. Another incorporation effort in 1868 similarly led to nothing of substance. What changed, however, was an opportunity in 1869-1871 for the County of Walla Walla to issue $300,000 in bonds. Dorsey made house-to-house visits to rural voters to lobby for passing the enabling legislation. But the effort went nowhere. He then decided to build the road using his own capital and resources. He sent agents to the Yakima River in Washington the Clearwater River in Idaho to identify sources of construction timber and authorized preliminary surveys of the potential right-of-way for the rail line.
Then in December 1871, he and Elizabeth and baby traveled by rail and stagecoach to New York via the Union Pacific at Kelton, UT. The trip included a stop in Pittsburgh, where he bought a locomotive at a cost of $4,400. The 7.5-ton engine was transported via a steamship to Wallula, WA, around the tip of South America’s Cape Horn, arriving in June 1872. Now with much-more tangible evidence of his seriousness, he tried to enlist other investors and issued stock, with mixed results. In time he bought out all of his partners. His son W.W. Baker later wrote, “Thus it appears that practically the whole burden of financing the building of the road fell upon one man.” In his role as president of the company, Dorsey was paid in stock. As work begun on physical construction, he visited the worksite at least twice weekly to make sure his funds were being spent effectively and efficiently.
Walla Walla at that time was not well-developed. One report says that in 1874, its farmers exported only 134,000 bushels of grain produced by 5,000 acres of land. Dorsey’s Baker and Boyer Bank, the only one in the Territory, only had capital and surplus of $120,000. Wrote son W.W., “The supplying of necessary funds to meet expenditures soon began to assume a serious aspect as one stockholder after another, losing faith, sold his stock.” A bond issue backed by mortgages failed. A sale of treasury stock did not work either. Dorsey personally paid for a shipment of steel from England for 20 miles of rails, at a cost of $65,000, when he found the company in more debt than permitted by its by-laws.
Dorsey asked Walla Walla citizens to invest $75,000 in company stock, which was turned down by a five-member committee of the community. “Certainly this showed a lack of confidence in the success of the enterprise,” wrote W.W. Baker, “or the stock was not considered good from an investment point of view.” But the five men voluntarily offered to pay a subsidy in response to the cash call. In the final deal, the committee of five paid $25,000 and received a deed for three acres of land where a depot would be built. W.W. added that “Doubtless without this contribution the road would not have been completed for another year as the company's financial condition at that time was already strained to the utmost.” The final cost amounted to $356,135, including the rail line itself as well as locomotives and other railcars.
It was not long until Dorsey realized that a larger, competing railroad would be built along the Columbia River, rendering his line “valueless.” He made the decision to sell the entire system to the Oregon Steam Navigation Company on the basis that “he who controls the freight to the approaches to the river owns the river,” W.W. wrote. The deal closed on Feb. 18, 1878, and the acquisition price generated a handsome profit. He used the proceeds to build two more rail lines of 15 miles in length, connecting Walla Walla with Dixie and Tracy, WA, which later were sold to the Northern Pacific Railway Company.
In tribute, Gov. Miles C. Moore praised Dorsey, saying that "Few men living in pioneer surroundings ever had the opportunity of seeing the happy fruition of their early efforts such as Doctor Baker witnessed, for he beheld the transformation of a crude pioneer section-a wilderness of opportunities-into a thriving center of civilization. His railroad enterprise contributed greatly to the settlement and upbuilding of the Inland Empire. It was his foresight more than any other human agency which made Walla Walla the early commercial metropolis for eastern Washington and for Montana and Idaho as well."
Dorsey passed away in Walla Walla at the age of 64 on July 5, 1888. Burial was in the city's Mountain View Cemetery. He was the subject of a January 1923 article entitled “The Building of the Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad” by his son W.W. Baker, appearing in The Washington Historical Quarterly. W.W. later authored a more comprehensive biography, in 1934, Forty Years a Pioneer: Business Life of Dorsey Syng Baker. In 1955, another biography was published entitled Gold, Rawhide and Iron, by granddaughter Helen Baker Reynolds. Dorsey's papers today are housed in the Baker Family Collection in the Penrose Collection of Whitman College in Walla Walla.
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| Main Street in Walla Walla, WA, early 1900s |
Son Edward Franklin Baker (1851- ? ) was born on May 29, 1851. His wife was Sarah A. Miller (March 26, 1843). Their five children were Edith Frances Baker (born 1876), Alice Maude Baker (1878), Dorsey Franklin Baker (1880), Mary Edna Baker (1882) and Charles Edwin Baker (1884).
Daughter Mary Elizabeth Baker (1853- ? ) was born on Feb. 16, 1853. She entered into marriage with Miles Conway Moore ( ? - ? ). They relocated to Walla Walla, WA. A trio of children were Francis Allen Moore (born 1874), Walter Baker Moore (1876) and Robert L. Moore (1879).
Son Henry Clay Dorsey Baker (1858- ? ) was born on May 13, 1858.
Son William W. Baker (1861- ? ) was born on March 22, 1861.
Daughter Ida "Mabel" Baker (1868- ? ) was born on July 25, 1868 in Walla Walla. She wed Louis Francis Anderson ( ? - ? ). She joined the Daughters of the American Revolution, member no. 46519, on the merits of service of her great-great grandfather, Elisa Baker (1724-1797), a member of the convention that framed the terms of the Massachusetts constitution.
Daughter Anna Amelia Baker (1870- ? ) was born on Jan. 19, 1870.
Daughter Henrietta Frances Baker (1871-1877) was born in 1871. Sadly, at the age of about six, she passed away circa 1877.
Daughter Laura Belle Baker (1872-1877) was born in 1872. Death swept her away at about age five in 1877.
Daughter Lillian Haupt Baker (1874-1877) was born in 1874. She surrendered to death at age three in 1877.
Daughter Blanche Elizabeth Baker (1877-1878) died at about a year of age in 1878.
Daughter Rosaline Imogene Baker (1878- ? ) was born on Nov. 26, 1878.
Daughter Ada Louise Baker (1883- ? ) was born on March 6, 1883.
~ Daughter Sarah Elizabeth (Baker) Boyer ~
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John Franklin Boyer Courtesy R. Hale |
Daughter Sarah Elizabeth Baker (1827-1903) was born on Oct. 10, 1827 in Centerville, Macoupin County, IL.
In 1853, she was united in matrimony with John Franklin Boyer (1824-1897), a Kentuckian by birth who grew up in Ohio and Indiana. The couple made their dwelling-place in Walla Walla, WA.
They produced seven offspring together -- Charles Summerfield Boyer, Franklin Dorsey Boyer, Eugene Howard Boyer, Arthur Albert Boyer, Annie Isabelle Boyer, John Edward Boyer and Sarah "Imogen" Thomson.
John left home at the age of 20 and moved to Arkansas, clerking in a general store. Then in 1849, when gold was discovered in California, he joined the gold rush and found a measure of success in mining the precious miner. He used his earnings to set up a merchant business in Sonora, CA. When returning to Arkansas in 1852, he left the business with a partner only to learn later that it was destroyed by fire. elected to stay in Arkansas indefinitely.
After his marriage, he joined forces with her brother Dorsey and in 1854 joined him in Walla Walla in a mercantile business, sailing to the West Coast via the Isthmus of Panama. John found his niche when miners would entrust their gold to him when going back to the mines. Said one account, "They would bring large amounts of gold dust to the store in buckskin pouches with the owner's name attached -- either on a card tied to the sack or written on the sack itself. In many instances John Boyer was the only living witness that anything at all had been entrusted to his care. Although this system continued for many years -- with miners sometimes leaving $30 to $40,000 dollars at the store -- there were never any losses, disputes or misunderstandings over these pioneer transactions."
In time the two brothers-in-law realized that there were more lucrative businesses than store-keeping. They proceeded to found the first bank in the territory, with John focusing full-time on that work, and Dorsey spending most of his time establishing the Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroads. The "Baker-Boyer Bank" was chartered nationally in 1889 and John named its inaugural president, a post he held for the balance of his life.
In the realm of public affairs, he served as treasurer of Walla Walla County for a dozen years and tapped in 1872 to be receiver of the U.S. Land Office. He supported with money and time the missionary work of Rev. Cushing Eells of the Congregational Church in Oregon and Washington and the founders of Whitman College. For three decades, he was a trustee of the Whitman seminary and college and was its treasurer and just before the end of his life elected president of its board of trustees. He also contributed to the support of St. Paul's School as an Episcopal Church vestryman and warden.
Said one history, "He was a lovable and sociable man, always warmhearted and charitable."
Sadly, John died in Walla Walla at the age of 72 on Feb. 8, 1897. Sarah lived for another six years and endured heart disease. The spectre of death cleaved her away in Walla Walla at the age of 75 on May 20, 1903. An obituary was published in the Tacoma Daily Ledger. Their final resting place is in the city's Mountain View Cemetery.
Son Charles Summerfield Boyer (1854- ? ) was born on June 1, 1854. He wed Elizabeth Berry ( ? - ? ). They made a home in Spokane, WA and were the parents of Isabelle Boyer (born 1881), Marguerite Boyer (1882) and Charles S. Boyer (1884).
Son Franklin Dorsey Boyer (1856-1915) was born on Aug. 20, 1856 or 1858. He died in Canada at the age of 57, in the Yukon Census Division, on Nov. 7, 1915. His remains sleep in Canadian soil in Dawson, Yukon Province.
Son Eugene Howard Boyer (1859- ? ) was born on Feb. 6, 1859.
Son Arthur Albert Boyer (1861- ? ) was born on April 21, 1861.
Daughter Annie Isabelle Boyer (1863- ? ) was born on New Year's Eve 1863.
Son John Edward Boyer (1866-1961) was born on Dec. 29, 1866. He wed Louise Hutsinpiller (1877-1958). Their two known sons were Fremont Ford Boyer and John F. Boyer. John devoted his career to the practice of law. Louise surrendered to the spirit of death in 1958. Death swept him away at the age of 94 on May 30, 1961. Burial was in Walla Walla's Mountain View Cemetery. Inscribed on their grave marker is the scripture from 1 John 2:17: "The world passeth away, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."
Daughter Sarah "Imogen" Boyer (1869-1957) was born on March 28, 1869. She was an alumna of St. Paul's School for Girls, and then served as its principal for six years, from 1897 to 1903. At one time it was located at Third and Poplar, and then closed for a decade. Said an obituary, "it was during her principalship that the school's present site was acquired." In 1907, when she was about 38 years of age, she entered into marriage with Dr. Robert Lyle Thomson (1855-1937), a Kentucky native. He was a gradaute of the Kentucky School of Medicine in Louisville and then taught anatomy at his alma mater. Later he was a specialist in New York's Manhattan Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital. Said the Spokane Spokesman-Review, "He belonged to the generation of young men who heeded Horace Greeley's advice, 'Go west young man,' and after equipping himself as an eye, ear, nose and throat specialist traveled to Spokane to begin his practice. That was in 1890, as Spokane was rebuilding itself after the fire, and the doctor practiced here until 1914, when his health failed and he was obliged to retire." The pair dwelled in Seattle in 1905 and later in Spokane, dividing their time between there and California. Said the Spokesman-Review, "Dr. Thomson built up one of the largest practices in the state and was consulted by people from throughout the Inland Empire. In appearance, a Lincolnesque sort of man with a twinkle in his eye and a sympathetic manner, he typified the old family physician in the interest he took in patients. People took their troubles to him as well as their physical afflictions. His charities were many, it was said, in helping afflicted. He was a lover of music and sponsored many of Spokane's musical efforts. A member of the Presbyterian church, he was a devout man and talked much of his faith. Whenever asked to analyze his success, he would always state that his faith was the dominant power in his life." Sadly, while on a visit to Imogen's nephew Robert Boyer in Almota, WA on Dec. 11, 1936, Robert was stricken and died at the age of 80. His obituary was published in Northwest Medicine and reprinted in the Spokane Spokesman-Review. A eulogy was delivered in February 1937 by Rev. Dr. Paul Calhoun in the First Presbyterian Church of Spokane. At his death, she relocated to Seattle and stayed for good. She died in Seattle on Dec. 3, 1957. Interment was in Mountain View Cemetery in Walla Walla.
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Copyright © 2023-2024 Mark A. Miner |
Research for this page conducted by Della Shafer and the late Donna (Younkin) Logan |