Edward J. Baker

As printed in 1910

EDWARD J. BAKER.

One of the venerable and highly respected citizens of Nodaway county is he whose name appears above, a man whose life has been led along useful and conservative lines, resulting in good to those with whom he came in contact and in success to himself and family. He has been an eye witness of the wonderful transformation which has taken place in this part of the country and has had a large part in the development which has brought Missouri to the forefront among the sisterhood of states.

Edward J. Baker, who is now living retired in Maryville, was born on April 2, 1835, in Champaign county, Ohio, and is a son of John T. and Jemima Baker, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Pennsylvania. When the subject of this sketch was a mere child the family removed to Rock county, Wisconsin, where he was reared and received his education in the common schools, remaining with his parents until their deaths, his mother dying when he was seventeen years old. Soon after this bereavement he entered the pine woods and for five years was employed in the lumber camps. He then began contracting, getting out logs for the lumber mills on the Wisconsin river. During this time he lived at Warsaw and for two or three years he also acted as superintendent of the poor farm of Marathon county. He then returned to Rock county and in 1868 he started for Iowa with several other men, but on the way they deviated to Nodaway county, Missouri, where some of his companions had friends living. His companions were James Cook and family, Charles Fairbanks, William Doolittle and Demper Valin. Of these, Mr. Cook located here and died in Nodaway county. Mr. Baker recognized the superior quality of the land here and decided to remain. He bought forty acres of land three miles from Mary ville and spent six years there, making many improvements, including the erection of a comfortable home. He subsequently bought another eighty-acre tract, also in Polk township, this also being unimproved land, and he applied himself vigorously to the task of developing it into a producing farm. He later bought adjoining land, so that the place now contains one hundred and twenty acres. He has built a splendid seven-room house here and other necessary farm buildings, and everything about the place bears evidence of the zealous efforts, persistence and good management of the owner. He devoted himself to a general line of farming, and to facilitate his work he had erected a good windmill, which supplies a fine quality of water for stock purposes and for household use. This land, for which Mr. Baker paid an average of twenty-five dollars an acre, is now conservatively estimated to be worth one hundred and twenty-five dollars an acre. During his first years here, Mr. Baker had a hard time getting along. His financial resources were limited, but he was energetic, resourceful and determined and at length he began to realize on his investment of money and labor. For a number of years he operated a threshing machine with splendid success. In March, 1903, feeling the weight of advancing years and having earned a fair competency, Mr. Baker relinquished the active work of the farm and is now residing in a comfortable and attractive home in the county seat, Maryville, having taken his son, Elmer A., into partnership with him and the latter is now managing and operating the farm.

At Warsaw, Wisconsin, on May 16, 1858, Mr. Baker was united in marriage with Mary Pope, who was a native of Wyoming county, New York. Her brother had been a partner of Mr. Baker in the lumber business in Wisconsin and she came out from her New York home to act as housekeeper for them, her marriage to Mr. Baker occurring about a year afterwards. They have become the parents of four children, namely: Elmer A., who operates the old home farm, married Hattie Spaulding; Edna is the wife of Floyd Westfall, a farmer near Barnard, this county; Eda is the wife of W. B. Hanna, of Polk township; Delia is the wife of Wayland Wood, of Montana, where he conducts a cattle and horse ranch, owning five and a half sections of land.

Politically, Mr. Baker has always given stanch support to the Republican party, and he has served several terms as justice of the peace, giving eminent satisfaction in the administration of the duties of this office. Religiously, he and his wife are members of the Baptist church, to which they give a generous support. His life has been one of unceasing industry and perseverance and the systematic and honorable methods which he has followed have won him the unbounded confidence of his fellow men.

As printed in Past and present of Nodaway County, Missouri (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.