Untitled From Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette, Wisconsin, publ. 1901 - page 298-300

HENRY BAKER, a retired pioneer farmer residing in Lancaster, Grant county, but who settled in Iowa county in 1842, is a native of Cornwall, England, born in 1821, a son of Digory and Thomasin (UGLOW) BAKER, who were the parents of a numerous family of children.

In 1832 two members of the above named family, Thomas and Edmund, came to the United States, settling in Wayne county, Penn. In 1836 Thomas returned to England, coming back to America in 1837 with a wife and two of his brothers, John U. and Francis. In 1838 Edmund and John came West on a prospecting tour, or in search of cheap land, and traveled over a large extent of territory with a team and wagon, visiting, en route, several English families of their acquaintance. They passed the winter with the well-known pioneer, Moses MEEKER, on the Blue river, in Iowa county, Wis., worked for him one season and, being pleased with the country, purchased 320 acres of land in the township of Linden, Iowa county.

In 1842, a year after the death of the mother of the family in England, the father, with his son Henry and two daughters, Elizabeth and Joanna, came to America, and at once proceeded to Honesdale, Penn., where Thomas and Francis were still domiciled, arriving in the month of June. In October the entire family set out for Iowa county, Wis., with the exception of Francis, who remained behind until 1844, when he and his family joined the others in Iowa county. The eldest child of the family, William, died in England in 1825, at the age of twenty-two years. The father lived with his children in Wisconsin until 1847, when he passed away. One son, named Digory, did not leave England until 1850, when he came to Wisconsin. In 1863 he returned to England, stayed two years, and then came again to America, remaining till 1874, when he returned to England; he died in 1875, unmarried. The brothers who remained in Wisconsin all secured good farms in the township of Linden, and became prominent and respected citizens, occupying their homesteads for a long series of years. But time has wrought its changes, and there now remain only Henry and his brother, John U., the latter a resident of Madison. Of the deceased members of the family, Mrs. Elizabeth SAMPSON died in 1863; Mrs. Joanna PIERCE, in 1871; Digory, as stated above, in England; Edmund in 1881; Thomas, in 1888; and Francis, in 1897.

Henry BAKER on coming to Wisconsin, at the age of twenty-one years, at first hired out as a farm hand, and also was employed at times in mining, as were nearly all of the pioneers of his part of the State. In 1847 he purchased forty acres of land in Linden township, Iowa county, to which he added, as he waxed wealthier, until his homestead comprised 340 acres, which he still owns.

On Jan. 1, 1846, Henry BAKER married, in Honesdale, Penn., Miss Martha KIRBY, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of John and Jerusha KIRBY, with whom Mr. BAKER became acquainted while on a visit to the Keystone State, but a short time before his marriage. To this union were born thirteen children, of whom three died in infancy and two after reaching mature years. The eight survivors are named Edmund, Joanna (Mrs. PHILLIPS), William, Finley, Lincoln, Daniel, Annetta and Emma. The two last named still have their home with their father; all were born on the homestead in Iowa county.

In 1892 Mr. and Mrs. BAKER sought in Lancaster the rest and quiet required by their advancing years, and their well-earned competence fully justified them in seeking the desired repose. In the meantime, however, they had resided, from 1882 to 1884, in Prairie du Chien, in order that Mr. BAKER might avail himself of the benefit of the baths at that place. In Lancaster Mr. and Mrs. BAKER enjoyed their beautiful home until her death. By a fall Mrs. BAKER sustained a resulting paralytic shock, and she died after a prolonged illness, Jan. 6, 1900, in the faith of the Methodist Church, of which she and her husband had been members since early life. She was seventy-four years of age, was one of the most faithful of helpmates and one of the most affectionate of wives and mothers.

Henry BAKER began life a poor boy, in a frontier country, but by energy, industry and good management has secured for himself a competency for his old age. It is true that his early educational advantages were but limited, yet he was blessed with retentive memory, and still more blessed with a loving mother, who had some knowledge of books and who so instructed him that at the age of seven years he was able to read. His actual attendance at school did not exceed six months, but by travel, observation and self-instruction he acquired a fund of solid and useful information.

Mr. BAKER has twice visited his native England since he came to the United States, first in 1863, and again in 1894. He has attended two world's fairs - the Centennial in 1876, at Philadelphia, Penn., and the Columbian Exposition, at Chicago, Ill., in 1893, and it may well be inferred that a man of his keen observation and intelligence profited to no little extent from these visits. A conservative estimate of the number of miles traveled by Mr. BAKER might be made at 20,000 by water and 30,000 by land, and yet in all his journeying he never met with a mishap or lost a dollar. He stands today among the substantial men of Wisconsin, and his simple word is as solid as a rock.



This biography generously submitted by Carol Holmbeck