The following is a narrative written by my father, Oddis Jackson Baker, prior to his death in 2002. However, the first six Bakers given (names in gray text) have since proven by y-DNA testing to not to be in our line. The remainder, beginning with Rev Andrew Baker (1749) is correct. This is because my father wrote this narrative prior to our family’s later participation in the y-DNA Baker Study, which revealed that we are directly descended from the Rev. Andrew Baker (1749-1815) and therefore could not be descended from the noted gunsmith, Robert Baker. You will also find that our family ancestry chart, also on this website, does not contain any of the first six Bakers described here.
Parts of this history were borrowed from the “Clay County Bakers” narrative by Clyde N. Bunch (also presented in this section of the website).
Overall, the following represents an earnest effort to provide a smooth and logical sequence of events in the history of our family based on what was known at the time of the writing. I include it out of respect for my father’s work and for your consideration only.
(Please see the notes about historical narratives under the main Genealogy menu tab on this website.)
Andrew Baker (1604-1650)
Andrew (Andy) came over to the colonies from Buckinghamshire, England around 1625. He first lived in one of the early New England Settlements, met a young lady and was married in 1629. A year later they had a son, who was named John. That same year the settlement in which they lived was established as the town of Boston in 1630.
John Baker (1630-1709)
Not much information on John. He married and had two children for sure (Robert and Samuel) and some sources list two other children, Andrew and Elizabeth.
Robert James Baker (1660-1728)
Robert and his brother Samuel grew up in or around Boston, MA. His father and probably his grandfather were gunsmiths by trade (see introduction above). Both he and Sam were keenly interested in the gun making trade which they probably learned from their father and possible other gunsmiths in the area. Robert’s occupation as an adult was listed as Rifle maker.
As young men the two brothers moved to PA and set up a gunmaking business in Lancaster Co . It is believed that he and his brother Sam were the first gunmakers in Lancaster Co, PA.and that they obtained a grant from the King of England to manufacture guns for the colonies
Robert met a young lady named Susan Parker. Susan lived in an older community near the coast. (The town was established in 1682 as Philadelphia) Susan like her parents and neighbors were of the Quakers Religion. After a short courtship they got married in 1685. Robert was 25 and Susan was 21 years old. They had seven children over the next fourteen years. The boys were named Robert Jr., Douglas, Caleb, Andrew and Samuel and the girls Mary and May. Than in 1713, thirteen years later another daughter, Elizabeth was born.
Robert and Samuel had developed a reputation for quality in the gun manufacturing business. It was about this time,early 1700’s, that some researchers report that Robert Baker was ordered to go to England to make guns for King William, and to teach their gunsmiths their technique of cutting rifling in gun barrels.(England was involved in two wars with France known as King Williams War and Queen Anne’s War.) He probably took his family with him to England. After a stay of eight to ten years he returned to America with a grant to make fire arms for the Colonies. (Later the Bakers would join the Colonies against England in the Revolutionary War.)
When Robert returned to the Colonies, he moved his family and settled in Conestoga Township, Chester County, PA. He bought 500 acres of land on the Susquehanna River from Col. John French in 1717. This land was located one mile from the junction of Pequea Creek and the Susquehanna River. Two of his sons Samuel and Caleb, were interested in gun manufacturing and joined with their father and uncle in the business.
On August 15, 1719, Robert Baker had Jacob Taylor, Surveyor, with permission from William Penn, and Lancaster Co, lay out a site for erection of a gun boring mill at the mouth of Pequea Creek. I believe the creek still exists and originates in the hills about 20 miles east of the town of Lancaster and runs southwest before it empties into the Susquehanna River. They developed and produced the “American long rifle” later known as the “Kentucky Rifle”. This rifle was developed from the Jaeger rifle which was a short, stocky flintlock designed for hunting in the fields of Europe by the well-to-do. The American frontier hunter needed a practical rifle to put food on the table and to protect their families, so they elongated the barrel and reduced the caliber. The longer barrels increased the accuracy and yielded a greater muzzle velocity. The smaller bore meant more bullets from a pound of lead. The typical American rifle was a slender, full-stock flintlock with a 40 inch, 50 caliber barrel. These gun barrels were rifled for accuracy, as were the earlier European rifles.
Robert, his sons Samuel and Caleb (who were about 25 and 29 years old) and a cousin, John, joined to run the mill. Records indicate that they were in operation for nine years.
In February 1721, iron ore deposits were located on the West bank of the Sesquehanna River. It is believed that this was one of the sources of iron to make the Baker gun barrels. A Philip Syng claimed 200 acres of this land in 1722. Robert Baker and James McClean filed a complaint before Francis Worley Esq., a JP for Chester County. A warrant was filed to have him punished if he tried to survey this land in question. This stopped his claim.
The Baker family grew up in a neighborhood of German Immigrants, known as Pennsylvania Dutch, who settled in that area in the early 1700’s. It is noted that most all of Robert Baker’s neighbors seem to have German names. Caleb Baker always signed his name Beaker and may have spoken with a German accent.
Robert died in September, 1728. He left no will and his son Caleb was appointed administrator of his estate, dated September 13, 1728. Along with the original papers at the Register’s Office at the Court House in Lancaster County is the Administrators Bond and inventory signed by Joseph Higginbotham and Tobias Hendricks and witnessed by Douglas Baker. Among the creditors were the names of Caleb Baker, Robert Baker Jr. and Douglas Baker. Caleb being part owner of the business, took over and operated the mill until 1741, when he sold out to Jacob Godin.
In 1741-1742 Caleb, his immediate family and one or more brothers (Douglas and Robert Jr.) moved from Lancaster Co., PA and bought land and settled on what was then called “The Backwoods” in Amelia Co., Virginia on Buffalo Creek.
We have a copy of Caleb’s will dated 24 Nov 1750 with codicil dated 6 Feb 1754 filed in Prince Edward Co. VA. (he was 64 years old.) He named his wife Martha and sons Samuel and Henry as Executors of his will. To his sons, he left 463 acres to Samuel, 400 acres to Henry, 200 acres to Abraham, 307 acres to Caleb—all on Spring creek. He designated 305 acres on Buffalo Creek to be sold to help legacies. He left his four daughters 20 pounds each, except Easter got only one shilling.
We have a copy of Martha’s will dated May 8, 1759 filed in Prince Edward Co.,VA. She left her son Caleb the following: two Negros, three horses and a large bay mare, two cows with calves, all meat, and all the working tools for use on the plantation. To her son Samuel she left a brown mare, a colt, and a side-saddle. The executors of her will were Samuel and Caleb. She signed the will with her mark.
We also have a copy of Douglas Baker’s will dated Sept 16, 1765 and filed in Prince Edward Co.,VA (he was 77 years old). He left his daughter, Jean, one Negro boy and one mare and the balance of the estate to his wife, Jane. The will was witnessed by Samuel and Andrew Baker and George Shilliday. He signed the will with his mark.
Andrew Baker (1702-1781)
He may have been involved in the rifle manufacturing (see introduction above) like his brothers but is not mentioned in the records except he had invested in the operation. Andrew met and married a young lady, Mary Mollie Bolling, from Prince Edward, VA. They lived in Lancaster Co., PA., near where he grew up. They had 15 children, Thirteen boys: James, John, Elijah, Cuthbert, Andrew, Richard, George, Morris, Robert, Joseph, Bowling, Abendego, and Leonard—and two girls, Martha Patsy and Eleanor.
Scouts and early longhunters brought back reports of the beautiful mountain lands on the frontier, which at that time was the western portion of North Carolina. Land was plentiful and very cheap if not free.
Sometime around 1750, Andrew, his nephew James, and several other neighboring families set out on a westward journey. They had made the decision to move to what is now, Wilkes CO, NC (Wilkes County was formed in 1777 from Surry CO and the District of Washington.)
The move was about 500 miles with mules or oxen pulling a wagon with all their belongings. It was during this time frame that immigrants began to pour into this section of the state, from south-eastern Pennsylvania, South Carolina and eastern North Carolina. Andrew and his small group of Pennsylvanians would be among the first families to settle in this area (to give perspective on this time period, note that that Tennessee did not become a state for another 46 years).
Some of the party settled along the Yadkin River. Others, of a more adventurous nature, crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains and settled along New River in what is now Ash and Allegheny Counties, North Carolina. No white man had attempted settlement here before. New River was known at the time by it’s Indian name “Saxphaw”. It was here, along the south branch, that Andrew Baker made his first home.
It is interesting to note that Daniel Boone’s family,who was from the same area of Pennsylvania as the Baker families, also moved to Rowen County, which was later Surry County and settled on the Yadkin River. After Daniel married, he lived in that location for about ten years. Because of his skills in hunting, trapping, and scouting, he became one of the group known as the “Longhunters.” In 1759 he left on his first trip to explore Kentucky, and in September of 1773 sold his farm and moved his family, eventually to Boonsboro, Kentucky. John “Renta” Baker was about the same age as Daniel and as neighbors probably went together on many trips.
There is a conflict in the records as to exactly who was the father of John “Renta” Baker, born in 1735. It may have been Andrew or James, (son of Robert Jr). John “Renta” was one of the famous “Longhunters” who went west of the Blue Ridge Mountains on extended hunting and trapping trips. He was also a member of the “Cleveland Bull Dogs”, who ran theTories out of Wilkes/Ashe County, N.C. and surrounding areas just before the Revolutionary War. John “Renta” Baker’s exploits are described in several books currently in print.
In 1753 Andrew decided to push even deeper into Indian country. He moved down New River into what is now Grayson Co.,Virginia, very near the North Carolina line. Here Andrew staked out a large tract of land he called his “Peach Tree Bottom” tract. But the next summer, he and his family were run out by the Indians. In 1767/1768 after another attempt to resettle but in his long absence, Dr. Thomas Walker had claimed this area for the Loyal Land Company. He had to now purchase a 1000 acres of his original claim before he could resettle on it. This property had a large deposit of iron ore and Andrew was experienced in reclaiming the iron.
In 1769/1780’s, Andrew and son James built iron furnaces along Cranberry Creek. (A tributary of the south branch of New River) in Grayson Co. Virginia, near the North Carolina Line. These furnaces were at peak production during the Revolutionary War. Andrew served as a Justice of Peace of Washington Co. for several years.
There is a conflict in the records as to who was the father of Rev. Andrew Baker. (My 4th great grandfather.) It may have been either Andrew or James (son of Robert Jr.). The Rev. Andrew Baker was an outstanding religious leader in his community and on the frontier. Andrew was born in 1749 in Grayson County.
The sixth son, George, who would have been just 17 at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, volunteered in the army and served several short terms throughout the war. In 1832, at age of 73, George applied for a veteran’s pension. We have the record of his application for pension, which is a sworn statement before a Justice of the Peace with George’s mark for his signature. The application gives his war record as follows: In 1776/1777 he served three short terms, 3 months each, in 1778/79 he served another 3 month term with a temporary rank of Captain. In 1781 he again served 3 months but this time as a private, and in 1782 he signed up for a scouting party against the Tories. No record is made as whether his application for pension was approved.
Robert Jr. Baker (1686-1759)
He may have been involved in the rifle manufacturing (see introduction above) like his brothers but is not mentioned in the records except he had invested in the operation.
In the year 1727, (he was 41 years old) Robert met and married a young lady, Mary Thompson, who was from Prince Edward, VA. They lived in Lancaster, PA., near his family. They had two children, Samuel in 1728 and James in 1729. A third child, John Renta, was born in 1735.
Robert Jr. and Mary continued to live at this location for some years but our records show that they returned to Mary’s home in Prince Edward, VA. Robert died there in April, 1769. He was 73 years young.
We have a copy of Robert Jr’s will dated April 10, 1759 in Prince Albert Co.,VA. He left his wife Mary, one half of his land, one hundred pounds, and a Negro named Jacob. He left to his son-in-law James Anderson the other half of his land. He left various sums of money to his grandchildren, and to his grandson Robert (son of Samuel) he left all his belongings to the smith trade. He signed the will with his mark. No mention was made of a son John Renta.
James Baker (1729-?)
He was born in Lancaster Co. PA. Around 1748, James met and married a young lady named Blount. They moved to the North Carolina frontier with his uncle Andrew Baker. They first settled in Grayson Co., Virginia where their first child Andrew was born. The following year they moved again, this time back to Wilkes Co. N.C. They finally settled down at that location. They had nine more children over the next 27 years: George, Martha, Robert, Nellie, Morris, Samuel, John, Elanor, and Bolling. The last child was born in 1777. James and Blount remained on that farm for the balance of their lives. We do not have the date of their death.
Rev. Andrew Baker (1749-1815)
(At this time there are differing accounts as to the father of Rev Andrew Baker. It is either James or Andrew. Hopefully this can be resolved in the future.) Andrew was my GGGG Grandfather. He was born in Grayson Co.,Va., and later his family moved to Wilkes Co., N.C. where he grew up, along with his 14 brothers and sisters.
When Andrew was about 19 he met a young lady,Elizabeth Avent who was from Brunswich Co., Va. (Brunswich Co. was about 150 miles northeast of his home.) They were married in 1769. Elizabeth was only 16, and Andrew was 20. Elizabeth was of French Huguenot descent, from an aristocratic family when she married Andrew. Her parents was against the marriage and disinherited her and told her never to return home. They had nine children—seven boys (Solomon, Henry, Andrew, Joseph, James, John, Elijah) and two girls (Nancy and Martha).
In 1773 Andrew acquired a farm located in Washington Co., Va., and was later Lee Co. At that time, Washington Co.included what was later divided up into nine counties. Washington, Lee, Wise, Dickerson, Buchanan, Scott, Russell, Tazewell, and Smyth. Henry was born in1774, and the Revolutionary War started in 1775. Children born during the war were: Andrew, Joseph, James, and John .
The Watauga Settlement in upper East Tennessee was formed in 1772 and was joined by John Sevier and his family. Virginia officially organized Kentucky County in 1777. After a large migration of new settlers over the next 15 years Kentucky became a new state in 1792. By 1776, there were approximately 25,000 people living west of the mountains.
Rev Andrew, who at this time had become a Baptist minister, enlisted in the army and became a Chaplin. He service was probably during the latter part of the war. In 1780 a group of these mountain men on the frontier, from the Watauga Settlement and from Wilkes, Ash, and other neighboring North Carolina counties, organized a small army and marched over the mountains. On Sept 20, 1780 Major Patrick Ferguson’s army of Loyalists were annihilated by the Frontier Army in the battle of Kings Mountain. This battle was followed by another equally victorious at Cowpens.
After the war they had three more children. Nancy, Elijah, and Martha. Elizabeth was 17 with the first baby and 38 when the last baby was born. Andrew and Elizabeth lived on this farm for another 24 years.
Rev Andrew moved around among this area, starting churches and pastoring churches, Rev. Baker was one of the ablest and most successful ministers in the area. Some of the Churches in which he preached and pastored were as follows:
- Dutchman’s Creek Church & Eatons Church
- Fox Creek Baptist Church
- Brier Creek Church, Wilkes Co., NC, 1781-1794
- Eatons Church-formed 16 Dec, 1790
- Lewis Fork Church, Wilkes Co., NC, 1792-1794
- Sinclair’s Bottom Church, Washington Co., VA
- Providence Church, Yadkin Co., NC, 1805
- Thompson Settlement Baptist Church, Lee Co., VA, 1811-1815
Andrew died in 1815 and Elizabeth lived there until her death in 1844. She was 91 years young. Andrew and Elizabeth are buried in a family cemetery located on top of a hill above their old farm. The DAR erected an honorary grave stone with an engraved plaque recognizing his service in the Revolutionary war.
Andrew Baker (1777-1840)
(Andrew Baker’s family names and births are listed in the the family bible.)
Andrew Baker, who was born on Feb. 18, 1777. He was six year old when the Revolutionary war was officially ended, and was approximately 14 years old when George Washington was elected the first president of this new country, called The United States of America and consisting of only 13 states. Both his father and his uncle had served in the army during the war.
When Andrew was in his early twenties he married a young woman, Jane (her maiden name is unknown) who was approximately 5 years younger than he. They lived on a farm in Lee County, VA near his family. Their 1st child, William was born in 1801. They were blessed with a large family of 15 children over the next 24 years. They had four boys: William, John, Joseph, and Solomon, and eleven girls: Nancy, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Didania, Polly, Lucy, Patsy, Casanara, Jane, Evaline, and Manervia (see the genealogy section of this Web site).
Andrew died in 1840 at the age of 63 and Jane in 1862 at the age of 80. She was certainly of the hardy pioneer stock. After bearing 15 children under frontier conditions, she outlived her husband by 17 years.
(For continuation of the Baker Family History into Kentucky, see The Middle Fork Bakers.)