Baker Genealogy

Jump to the chart: Descendants of Dr. Robert Baker

Seeking information regarding Dr. Robert BAKER, d. Dalton GA, May 12, 1842. Birth date and place, unknown. Parents, unknown. Best guesses are of a birth date between 1775 and 1810, either in North Carolina or Georgia.

Dr. Baker married Susan Elizabeth HAMMOND, daughter of William HAMMOND and Frances ACKER of Dalton, GA, on September 19, 1841, just eight months before his death. One reference situates the wedding in Bakersville, NC, but I'm beginning to doubt its accuracy, favoring a Georgia site. Susan Hammond was born in Franklin Co. GA, her father was born in Petersburg, Elbert Co. GA, and the couple settled in Dalton. It doesn't seem likely that a wedding would have taken place in NC without some extraordinarily strong ties on the part of the groom. So far, I can make no connection with the Bakers of Bakersville to suggest that such ties existed.

The only other evidence to support a North Carolina connection is in a letter written after the close of the Civil War by William Hammond to his grandchild, Robert Hammond Baker. The young man had reached his majority, and Hammond, who had raised the fatherless boy in his own home (Dr. Baker having died prior to the boy's birth), was urging him to travel to Ashe Co., NC, to claim an inheritance he stood to receive from his grandfather (_______) Baker. It remains unclear whether he was rebuffed by Dr. Baker's surviving family or whether the war had destroyed any material wealth there may have been. It is certain that all records were burned along with the Ashe Co. courthouse. It appears that he did make the pilgrimage and returned empty handed.

Dr. Baker's recorded will indicates that he had amassed quite a bit of property by the time of his death, which leads me to believe that he may have been between 40 and 60 years old ­ old enough to have accumulated some wealth. This further suggests that the young (two months shy of her 16th birthday at the time of her marriage) Susan Hammond may have been a second wife. Of course, equally plausible is that he inherited his wealth and, in fact, died young.

It's one of those fun mysteries of genealogy. If you're skimming through Bakers and anything strikes you as familiar, I'd appreciate hearing about it. You can e-mail me at cletus@bltd.com. Thanks in advance for any light you may shed.

Return to Clete Baker's Homely Page.

Descendants of Dr. Robert Baker

Below you'll find a descendency chart for the Baker line beginning with the good doctor hisself. Alternatively, you may Download the ASCII Version, if you wish (8.7k, CR+LF delimited lines).

Copyright ©1996 The Webwright.
Cletus Baker cletus@bltd.com
Document last updated Saturday 28 Feb 2004.