USA > New Hampshire > Genealogical and family history of the state of New Hampshire : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol. I > Part 33
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In politics Mr. Baker was first a Whig. When the Democratic party became the exponent of more liberal principles he joined it, and when it became allied with the slave power of the south lic as promptly abandoned it. He was an original Abo- litionist, and acted with the Free Soil party from its organization. When the Republican party was formed he, with the Free Soilers generally, united with that party and he ever after remained a Re- publican. In religion as in politics, he was though- ful, studious, and progressive. He was trained in the faith of orthodox Congregationalism, and until middle life never attended any other preaching, but, as he read his Bible and pondered over the great questions of duty and destiny, he found both licart and mind protesting against its harsh doctrines and inadequate statements of goodness, mercy, and love of the Infinite Father. He became a Universalist. His wife, who had been educated a Baptist, joined him in his studies and reflections, and she, too, became a Universalist. Both died, consoled and sustained by that cheering faith. He passed away July 12, 1876, and his widow May 20, 1881. Long before total abstinence, or even temperance prin- ciples were popular, Mr. Baker became their earnest advocate. He aided the circulation and adoption
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of temperance pledges, and by his influence many signed them. By example and encouragement he assisted in their maintenance and helped to render social or habitual drinking disreputable. In all the transactions of his life Mr. Baker was noted for his honesty, integrity, energy and faithfulness. He followed his convictions of duty, the logic of events and of principles, to their legitimate conclusions. and did not flinch from their results. He enjoyed society, liked company and loved his friends and relatives. Although' in the political minority of his town, he held the offices of selectman and treas- urer and other positions of responsibility and trust. He was married, March 10, 1825, to Nancy Dustin, a descendant of the 'heroine, Hannah Dustin. Their children were four sons: Francis ML., Rufus, John B., and Henry M.
(IX) Henry Moore, youngest son of Aaron W. and Nancy ( Dustin) Baker, was born in Bow, January 11, 1841. He attended the public schools of Bow, which he left to attend, first Pembroke Academy, then Hopkinton Academy, and finally the New Hampshire Conference Seminary at Tilton, where he completed his preparation for college, and entered Dartmouth in . 1859. There be sustained the character of an industrious and well beloved stu- dent, and graduated Bachelor of Arts in 1803. Three years later he received the degree of Master of Arts. Immediately after leaving college he en- tered the office of Judge Minot, of Concord, where he began the study of law. A year later, 1864, he was appointed to a clerkship in the War Department at Washington, D. C., from which he was after- ward transferred to the Treasury Department, where he filled different positions of trust and re- sponsibility until 1874. While a clerk he continued his law studies, a part of the time at the Law Department of the Columbian University, from which he graduated in 1866, and was soon after admitted to the bar of the supreme court of the District of Columbia. In 1882 he was admitted to practice in the supreme court of the United States. In 1874 he resigned his clerkship and opened a law office in Washington, where there is a large number of lawyers. To succeed there a lawyer must possess a good legal mind, be studious, exercise care in the preparation of his cases and energy in the prosecution of them, and be ever on the elert for any advantage that may offer itself. That Mr. Baker possessed all the qualifications required is proved by the success he attained. He early made for himself a reputation that brought a large clientage and an extensive and profitable business. "Ilis practice ranged from cases in the inferior courts and before the departments to final appeals taken to the supreme court of the United States. Large sums of money and valuable property were involved in some of the litigation which fell to his lot to conduct to a successful termination. In two of his cases in the United States court of claims there were at stake directly not less than one hundred and eighty-four thousand dollars, while indirectly the amount exceeded half a million. Another case carried to the supreme court of the United States determined the title to three millions of property. He is considered a safe counselor and a good advocate. His success in his profession is due to his industry, to his perseverance, and to his thorough knowledge of legal principles. He has a good standing at the bar of the District of Co- lumbia, which includes in its membership men of national reputation."
During his residence in Washington Mr. Baker maintained his legal residence in Bow, and never
failed to attend the annual town meeting, regard- less of the expense in time and money such at- tendance might necessitate. A Republican from boyhood, he has always been a staunch supporter of his party and an aggressive campaigner. All the time he was in practice in Washington his law office was headquarters for all New Hampshire Republicans who gathered at the capitol and wanted to hold political . conferences. There arrangements were made to insure the attendance of all New Hampshire clerks at closely contested elections at home.
In 1886 Mr. Baker was made judge advocate general of the New Hampshire National Guard, with the rank of brigadier-general, and filled that office two years. In 1890 he was nominated by acclamation as thie candidate of his party in the Merrimack district for the state senate. In the campaign which fol- lowed he was recognized as one of the principal contributors to the success of the Republican ticket in the commonwealth and its control of the legis- lature. An evidence of his popularity was the num- ber of votes he received, which amounted to a plurality of one hundred and fifty and a majority of seventy-five, while in his .district the candidate for governor received only a plurality of seventy-six votes. In the senate he was chairman of the ju- diciary committee, and a member of several other important committees, as well as chairman of its joint special committee on the revision, codification, and amendment of the public statutes. His critical judgment and efficiency made him one of the lead- ers of his party in the upper house. The great mass of crude and unwise legislation which found its way from the house into the senate in that particular session was very much feduced in volume through Senator Baker's efforts. In regard to one measure in particular, he made the ablest speech of the session, on the bill to give the Mount Wash- ington railway the right to buy land and conduct a hotel on the summit of Mount Washington. This speech was afterward printed in pamphlet form and widely circulated. It was delivered March 18, 1891, and is a good illustration of the Senator's ability to oppose measures he can not approve.
Senator Baker's successful canvass in his sena- torial district and his wise course as a legislator made him the logical candidate of the Republican party in the Second Congressional district, where the strength of the Democracy was so great that none by a man of first class ability and reputation could oust them from their stronghold; hence. in 1892, he was made the nominee of his party for congress. and went into the contest determined to win; and win he did, although it was a Democratic year throughout the country. Mr. Cleveland was elected president, and a strong Democratic house. in which Mr. Baker became one of the active and aggressive minority. He frequently participated in the general discussions of the house, and the Con- gressional Record shows his views as sound upon every important subject of legislation, where Demo- cratic unsoundness and heresy were rampant dur- ing Mr. Cleveland's term of four years. Mr. Baker's ten years experience in the departments of war and the treasury, and his experience gained in the practice of law in Washington, gave him a knowledge of methods, customs and usages pos- sessed by only a few on their first entry into con- gress, and materially aided him in the performance of his official duties.
In 1894 he was a candidate for re-election, and where he had received a plurality of three hundred and twenty-nine votes, he made a gain of thirteen
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hundred per cent. In the Fitty-third Congress he was assigned to the committees on agriculture and militia. In the Fifty-fourth Congress he became a member of the committees on judiciary, and the election of president, vice-president, and representa- tives in congress. He was chairman of one of the standing sub-committees of the judiciary committee. His principal speeches were in opposition to the repeal of the federal election laws, on the methods of accounting in the treasury department, in favor of the purchase and distribution to the farmers of the country of rare and valuable agricultural and horticultural seeds, on the tariff, on protection not hostile to exportation, on the necessity of adequate coast defense, on the criminal jurisdiction of the United States supreme court, and on civil service reforms, many copies of which were printed in pamphlet and extensively circulated. Mr. Baker has been frequently heard on the stump, and is noted for his fair and argumentive speeches. He endeavors to convince rather than to amuse. Wher- ever his voice or influence is needed to advance the principles of his party, he is present. Ile stands firmly for the right as after a careful study and investigation he sees it, but is always respectful and considerate of the opinions and feelings of others. He seeks harmony and not discord in the party, and is a safe counselor at all times.
"On November, 1902, Mr. Baker was elected delegate from Bow to the convention to revise the constitution of New Hampshire, and in the work of that convention he took a conspicuous and honorable part, not only in introducing amendments, but in the discussions, and work on committees.
"The first amendment he offered was to article six of the Bill of Rights, with the design to se- cuire absolute equality to all in the state as to re- ligious belief, not inconsistent with the peace and safety of the state. His proposition was adopted in a modified form. Flis second proposition was to restrict the legislature so that it should be unable to pass any local, special or private laws, where a general law applicable to all persons and con- ditions could be made applicable. This was not adopted, owing to the short time the convention had to consider it. Had this been adopted it would have saved the state a good deal of expense, and the legislature much time. His third proposition was to so amend the constitution that all future amendments should be prepared and submitted to the people by the legislature, instead of by con- vention as now. This was not adopted. Mr. Baker favored the district system for choice of representa- tives, and advocated a substantial reducton of the house and a proportional increase of the senate, but these views did not find favor with the ma- jority. He advocated all these propositions with great force and clearness of statement. He also advocated strongly the amendment granting women suffrage, and making plurality instead of majority the rule for electing public officers. Mr. Baker was chairman on rules, and a member of the com- mittee on future amendments to the constitution and other matters. In all his work and arguments he displayed a clear and comprehensive knowledge of parliamentary law, and held his own equal to the best in debate."
In 1904 and again in 1906 he was elected to represent Bow in the lower house of the legislature, and in each session he championed the measures to which he gave his support with the same earnestness and sincerity that always marks his course. In the season of 1905 he was on the com- mittces on national affairs and judiciary, and in
1907 he was chairman of the judiciary committee, and in that position proved very efficient in ex- pediting the consideration of meritorious measures and in retiring unwise and unimportant bills. He favored the erection of a new state house, the enactment of a law restraining the sale of liquor by druggists in no-license places, the passage of. a law providing for woman suffrage, a tax on rail- road earnings, and the abolition of the present rail- road free pass system and introduced a bill for that purpose.
Mr. Baker's active participation in the affairs of the state have . Jed him in many cases to search for the underlying causes and fundamental prin- ciples of things, and in this way he has become a profound student of many features of New Eng- land history, and has responded to requests to de- liver historical and literary addresses on several important occasions. On the occasion of the celebra- tion of Forefathers' Day, December 22, 1889, he delivered an able and scholarly address on "The Pilgrim Puritans," in All Souls' Church, Washing- ton, D. C., in the presence of a large and apprecia- tive audience. In this he clearly delineated the causes which made the settlers of Plymouth Pil- grims, and showed the powerful and controlling influence which the principles they promulgated have exercised over New England, and finally over the whole American Nation. In June, 1902, he delivered at Concord before the New Hampshire Society of the Sons of the American Revolution an address on the subject: "New Hampshire at Bunker Hill," taking for his motto "Justia, et praeteria nihil." In this discourse he showed the falsity of the claims put forth by Massachusetts that that colony furnished the most of the men and was entitled to the lion's share of the glory for the part she took in the battle. Mr. Baker showed by figures whose correctness could not be challenged that New Hamp- shire furnished two-thirds of the men and did more than three-fourths of the successful fighting, de- stroying or putting to fight the flower of the British troops in that action.
Mr. Baker has cultivated an inherent love of literature and many an otherwise idle hour he de- votes to the perusal of the classics, ancient and modern. He is a member of the New Hampshire Society; is a Son of the American Revolution, and the president of the New Hampshire Society; a member of the New Hampshire Club; has been president of the Alumni Association of Dartmouth College; also of the Alumni of Pembroke Academy.
Ile resides on the ancestral acres in Bow, which he cultivates (sometimes with his own hands) with the same care, skill and success, that his fore- fathers before him did. He pays the largest tax in the town, is heavily interested in industries out- side of the town, and is accounted a man of large means. He is a member of Bow Grange, No. 189, Patrons of Husbandry, and frequently attends its meetings, in which he takes as much interest as any other member. He is not a member of any church, but gives of his means to further church work and to every deserving petitioner for charity as his necds require.
(VIII) Luke, second son and child of James and Judith ( Whittemore) Baker, was born in Bow, February 9, 1798, died in Dunbarton, August 27, 1884, and is buried at East Weare. His father died when he was ten years old, and he and his brother Aaron were obliged to carry on the farm and sup- port the large family of children. In his early life he built a mill for carding and coloring wool and fulling cloth at Bow Mills, which he operated until
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about 1837, when he removed to Dunbarton and was a farmer in the northwest part of the town for the remainder of his life. He married (first), May 23, 1823, Ann, daughter of Moses Carter, of Concord, who was born. March 19, 1801, and died April 6, 1833. She is buried in the Wheeler ceme- tery in Bow. He married (second), January 19, 1834, Martha, daughter of Alexander and Margaret (Moore) Gilchrist, of Goffstown, who was born December 5, 1804, and died March 14, 1879. She is buried in East Weare. (See Gilchrist. IV.) Luke Baker had four children by his first wife, Ann Carter, viz .: I. James Wallace, who died young. 2. Moses Carter, born in Bow, January 25, 1825, a successful grain merchant in Chicago; he married Laura A. Morse, of Akron, Ohio, and died in Chicago in 1893. 3. Adaline W., born in Bow, March 12, 1827, married Henry A. Sargent, of Hillsborough, New Hampshire. She is now living in Concord. 4. Luke N., born in Bow about 1829, married Laura A. Abbott, of Concord. He died in San Francisco, California, in 1892. He was a carpenter by trade. The following children were born to Luke and Martha (Gilchrist) Baker : I. James A., born June 17, 1838, enlisted in the Sixteenth Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers, and died in the service in General Bank's army at Brazier City, Louisiana. 2. Frances Ann, born July 19, 1841; she never married and is now living in Concord. 3. Helen M., the subject of the next para- graph.
(1X) Helen M., second daughter and third child of Luke and Martha (Gilchrist) Baker, was born in Dunbarton, March 4, 1843. She received a good common school education, and for many ycars in her early life taught school in Dunbarton, Weare, Goffstown and Bradford, Vermont. She married at Dunbarton, April 15, 1869, John H. Burroughs, of Bow (see Burroughs, IV). She is a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
(VII) Philip Carrington, sixth son and eighth child of Joseph (2) and Mary Ann (Moore) Baker, was born March 16, 1782, in Pembroke, and resided in Bow, whence he removed to Sanbornton, New Hampshire, and there died May 10, 1837. He was by trade a shoemaker, and was also en- gaged in farming. On September 25, 1835, lie purchased a farm in Sanbornton, one mile north of the square, and moved upon it in the spring of 1836. He was married December 10, 1806, to Mary Dow, of Concord, who was born March 24, 1780, and died June 28, 1865. Their children were : Clarinda, Timothy Dow, Amos Morgan and Mary Ann.
(VIII) Clarinda, eldest child of Philip C. and Mary (Dow) Baker, was born August 3, 1808, in Bow, and became the wife of Ferner H. Emerson of Sanbornton (see Emerson).
(VII) Mark, youngest son of Joseph and Mary Ann (Moore) Baker, was born May 2, 1785, in Bow. He lived in the place of his birth until 1836, when in order to better educate his children he removed to Sanbornton, New Hampshire. He was always a constant attendant and a faithful servant of the church. He was a close friend of Governor Pierce, the father of President Franklin Pierce. He was married in May, 1807, to Abigail Ambrose, in Pem- broke, a daughter of Deacon Nathaniel and Phebc (Lovejoy) Ambrose. He married (second), in 1850, Mrs. Elizabeth (Patterson) Duncan, of London- derry, who died June 6, 1875, surviving her hus- band nearly ten years. Mark Baker passed away October 6, 1865, in Tilton. He was the father of six children.
Abigail Ambrose, wife of Mark Baker, was born in Pembroke, April 18, 1784. She died at Sanborn- ton Bridge (now Tilton), New Hampshire, No- vember 21, 1849. From an extended article which appeared in the press of that day, is extracted the following eloquent tribute to her rare virtues by the Rev. Richard S. Rust, D. D. :
"The character of Mrs. Baker was distinguished for numerous excellencies, and these were most happily blended. She possessed a strong intellect, a sympathizing heart, and a placid spirit. Her presence, like the gentle dew and cheerful light, was felt by all around her. She gave an elevated character to the tone of the conversation in the circles in which she moved, and directed attention to themes at once pleasing and profitable. The oft- repeated expressions of that sainted spirit on the hearts of those especially entrusted to her watch- care can never be effaced. No sacrifice was esteemed too great, could it subserve their interests. Kind and conciliatory in manner, wise and prudent in counsel, at all times cheerful and hopeful, she was the presiding genius of a lovely circle and a happy home. The bereaved husband laments the loss of a devoted wife, mourning children an affectionate mother, the church one of its brightest ornaments, and the community one of its most valued mem- bers." Her children were: Samuel Dow, Albert, George, Sullivan, Abigail Beman, Martha Smith and Mary (Mrs. Eddy), all of whom are mentioned at length below.
(VIII) Samuel Dow Baker was born July S, ISO8, in Bow, and died September 23, 1868. His first wife was Eliza Ann Glover. His second wife was Mary Ann Cook. She was for many years a well known missionary. She was principal of the Pine Ridge Seminary, Indian Territory, and wrote the "History of the Judsons."
(VIII) Albert Baker was born in Bow, New Hampshire, February 5, 1810, and died October 17, 1841, at the early age of thirty-one year's. He was graduated from Dartmouth College in 18344. with the reputation of being one of the finest students who had ever attended the institution. He im- mediately entered the law office of Franklin Pierce, afterward president of the United States, and then a resident of Hillsborough. He studied with Mlr. Pierce two years, and then spent a year in the law office of Hou. Richard Fletcher, of Boston. In 1837 he began the practice of law in Hillsborough. In1839 he was chosen to the state legislature, and re-elected in 1840 and 1841. In an appreciative and extended review of his brilliant career. Gov- crnor Isaac Hill, in the New Hampshire Patriot, among other things said: "Mr. Baker was a young man of uncommon promise. Gifted with the high- est order of intellectual powers, he had trained and schooled them by an intense and almost incessant study during his short life. He was fond of in- vestigating abstruse and metaphysical principles, and he never quit them until he had explored every nook and corner, however hidden and remote. Had life and health been spared to him, he would have made himself one of the most distinguished men in the country."
(VIII) Colonel George Sullivan Baker was born August 7. 1812. He married Martha Dew Rand, and died November 21, 1867, in Sanbornton. They had one child, George Washington Baker (now surviving).
(VIII) Abigail Beman Baker was born Janu- ary 15, 1815. She was married to Alexander H. Tilton, a large woolen manufacturer, from whose family the town of Tilton, New Hampshire, was
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named. They had three children : Albert Baker, Alfred Edwin, and Abbie Evelyn, all deceased with- out issue.
(VIII) Martha Smith Baker was born January 16, 1819. She married Luther C. Pilsbury, of Con- corn. They had two children, Mary B .. and Ellen C., both deceased without issue. Mr. Pilsbury was widely and favorably known because of his eminently successful work in the conduct of state prisons. He was deputy warden of the New Hampshire state prison at Concord, and warden of the New York state prison.
(VIII) Mary Baker Eddy (See frontispiece. Vol .. III). Great nations fulfill great missions. Greece is synonymous with philosophy, Rome with adminis- tration, France with liberty. For the achievement of its appointed task, history records that there has always been provided the right leader. Greece had her Socrates, Rome her Caesar, France her Lafayette. The accepted mission of our loved Re- public is the enthronement of right, the fulfilment of the Master's prayer, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Among a large body of careful thinkers there is a growing conviction that the commonwealth of New Hamp- shire is the birthplace and the home of the befitting leader, through whom the sacred mission of our great nation is finding its consummation.
The historic White Mountain State is rich in all that typifies spiritual leadership. ller endur- ing granite is a fitting symbol of that strength of character and heroic firmness which characterizes every great leader. Her heaven-kissing mountains typify that lofty idealism which alone can lift mor- tals from the valleys of selfishness and sin to the uplands of true manhood. Her placid lakes and swift flowing rivers, with their clear crystal waters, betoken the purity of thought which eliminates sordid materialism and establishes the spiritual life manifested by the great Master.
Mary Baker Eddy's carliest progenitor in New Hampshire was John Lovewell, the grandfather of her great-grandmother, Hannah Lovewell Baker, the heroic wife of the gallant Captain Joseph Baker, the original ancestor of that name in the Granite State. John Lovewell was one of the fore- most men in the colony. lle was merchant, mill owner and landed proprietor. New Hampshire his- tories say that he was an ensign in the army of Cromwell, and that he came to America in 1660 because of the restoration of Charles II. His deep religious convictions are shown by the following anecdote recorded of his in the "Town Ilistory of Dunstable": "One Sabbath morning Parson Swan forgot the day and ordered his hired men to their work. They objected, telling him it was Sunday. He would not believe it, but finally said, 'If it is Sun- day we shall soon see Father Lovewell coming up the hill;' and sure enough, punctual as the clock to the hour, the aged man, then more than a hun- dred years old, but who never missed a Sunday, was seen making his way to church."
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