Entered
in the Court of Common Pleas, Court House at Millersburg, Holmes Co., OH on the
13th day of September 1841
In
the name of God, I John Baker of the County of Holmes and State of Ohio, on
this the twelfth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and forty, do publish this my Last Will and Testament hereby revoking
and making void all other wills by me made heretofore in manner and form following,
viz.
First.
It is my will that my funeral expenses and all my other debts be fully paid.
Second.
I give devise and bequeath to my wife Susannah Baker in lieu of her dower the
plantation on which we now live laying and being in the County of Holmes and
State of Ohio containing about ninety four acres, or in other words all the
lands I am now lawfully signed, and have not patented to any children and
others prior to the date during her natural life, and all the live stock,
horses, cattle, sheep, hogs etc by me now owned and kept thereby also all the
household furniture and other items not particularly named and otherwise
disposed of in this my last will and testament during her natural life as
aforesaid. She however first disposing of a sufficiency thereof to pay my just
debts as aforesaid. And then at the death of my said wife all the property
hereby devised or bequeathed to her as aforesaid or so much thereof as may then
remain unpurchased to my two daughters, viz: Elizabeth now Elizabeth Darnell
and Sarah my youngest daughter now unmarried or their heirs forever to be
divided in the following manner. The Land property so as to give my youngest
daughter Sarah fifty acres of the above named ninety four acres and the above
named Elizabeth the remaining forty four acres. The chattels and household that
may then remain equally between the above named Elizabeth and Sarah.
Nevertheless I will and bequeath that my two daughters above named pay unto my
other children or their heirs in one year after the decease of my above named
wife, the following sums out of the named lands or property, viz: to my other
four daughters or their heirs the sum of one dollar cash, namely Rebecca Grimes1,
Susannah Heisinger2, Jane Sharp, Mary Lemaster and to Olas3
Lewis, George & Wesley Baker, and to my son Thomas Baker or heirs the sum
of one hundred dollars, and lastly I hereby constitute and affirm my said wife
Susannah Baker and my said daughter Sarah Baker to be the Executors of this my
last will and testament notifying this and said others to be my last will and
testament. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this
twelfth day of August 1840.
John (his
X mark) Baker {seal}
Signed
published and declared by the above named John Baker as and for his last will
and testament in presence of said
Thomas Tribby
Samuel Moorhead
Comments:
It
should be taken into consideration that this will is a copy made by a court
clerk from of the original. Since John signed with a mark we know that he did
not write or proof read the original. This could easily lead to errors in name
spelling. 1Rebecca might have been Graham and not Grimes. 2It
is likely that Susannah’s married name was Risinger or Reisinger. 3It
is my guess that the court clerk misread this and it should be “sons” rather
than Olas.
Richard W. Baker
************************************************
John Baker of
Washington County, Pennsylvania
Boyd
Crumrine, "History of Washington County, Pennsylvania with Biographical
Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men"
(Philadelphia:
L. H. Leverts & Co., 1882).
“John
Baker was an early resident of this township. He was twice married, and reared
two families of children. Of the first family, Nicholas Baker, the elder child,
lived and died on the homestead. Joshua, another son, married Miss Shaw, and
she died in the town of Beallsville. The daughter of this marriage became Mrs.
Graham, and lived in Brownsville, Fayette Co. Lewis was the oldest son and
child of John Baker’s second wife. He married a lady of the same name, and
after her death married Miss Sowers. They lived for some time in the town of
California, but he died in East Bethlehem township. The son Wesley removed
West, and never married. The daughter Sarah went West after her marriage, and
Elizabeth, who never married went to Ohio and died there.”
Comments:
This
is John Wood Baker son of Nicholas and Martha Wood Baker of St. George’s
Parish, Baltimore Co., MD. There are some discrepancies between the will of
John Baker and this brief biography. A daughter named Rebecca is mentioned in
his will and is probably John’s daughter with his first wife. His daughters
Sarah and Elizabeth might have been remembered incorrectly since John’s will
indicates that it is his daughter Sarah who was unmarried.
Richard
W. Baker