This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: hyoung68 Surnames: Baker, Williams Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.baker/15119.3/mb.ashx Message Board Post: During the past week I've been researching the family of Albert M. Baker as a favor to a friend who wants to present the info to her father, a grandson of Albert, for his 82d birthday next month; so I've gotten a crash course on the clan, with the help of my friend's family rumors. (My friend says she met Albert and Grace around 1960; Albert died "at 88," probably in 1965.) Through the 1850 Arkansas Census I've learned that John Henry Baker, father of Albert, was a son of Esaias (b. ca 1815) and Catherine (b. ca 1816) Baker, whose first Arkansas residence was Hempstead Co., from where they moved to Sebastian County. I've downloaded a copy of the BLM General Land Office record of Esaias's Hempstead Co. patents, dated 1859. I don't know whether he also bought private land when he moved there before the 1850 Census. Esaias's name is spelled correctly in the various censuses only once; you have to case a broad net, using your imagination. And don't be distracted by the two Esaiases in Searcy County, AR, who also had federal land patents. My friend has ordered a copy of John Henry Baker's Civil War pension application, which he filed in 1916, according to the Arkansas History Commission's website. He allegedly died 11 April 1921, and his widow, Martha, then filed an application for the pension. As for Grace Maude (Williams) Baker, wife of Albert, tonight I discovered a "Williams Family Tree" website that purports to trace Grace's ancestry back to 1615. Wills and property deeds are quoted as evidence, but it would need to be checked out thoroughly. From about 1900 on, this branch of the Williams family was in Grayson, TX, but some later moved to Coweta, OK, where Albert reportedly first lived in OK. The site says that Grace died in Bixby in 1978. I intend to obtain copies of Albert's and Grace's obituaries one way or another. My friend said Albert's funeral drew a very large gathering. Which of his kids is your ancestor? I saw tonight online that Louis and Cecil helped start Bixby's Green Corn festival in 1947. Amos A. (b. ca 1903) was the son who became my friend's grandfather. Have you learned anything about the Tennessee background of Esaias and Catherine? John Henry's pension application may give info about it. The 1840 Census has no obvious Esaias, but there might be an "Esas," though it's indexed as "Eras." He would have been 25. Since this is not my family, I don't intend to stay with it long, but I'm trying to do as thorough a job as possible in the next few weeks. Ordering Mormon films of land, probate, court, and church records could be very helpful, but I'm not sure we'll do that. It's up to my friend, who is not basically a genealogy buff. Good luck, Howard Young Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.