Ventura County Republican Project: History and Genealogy

Ventura County Republican Project: History and Genealogy

"A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura, California" (1891), page 369.

F. W. Baker [Editor inserted: Frederic William Baker]

F. W. Baker is one of the representative business men of the city of Ventura. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, May 7, 1853, the son of F. W. and Mary L. (Eaton) Baker, the former a native of Vermont, of Scotch descent, and the latter of Cambridge, Massachusetts, of English ancestry. Mr. Baker was the oldest of four children. He attended the Winchester High School and also the Massachusetts Agricultural College. His first work for himself was in the dry-goods business with Jordan, Marsh & Co., of Boston. Not being suited with that position, he obtained a place in the wholesale hardware store of Hogan, Clark & Sleeper, and remained with them two years, when the great Boston fire occurred and they were burned out. He then accepted an offer to travel for Baker & Hamilton, a San Francisco hardware house, remaining in their employ four years. At the expiration of that time he engaged in business for himself in Napa, under the firm name of Stone & Baker, doing a tin and hardware business. Two years later he sold out to his partner, returned to San Francisco, and again entered the employ of Baker & Hamilton, working for them two years longer.

Mr. Baker then came to Ventura and purchased the store of E. A. Edward, who had been the pioneer hardware man of the place. This purchase was made in April, 1879, and, with the exception of one year, Mr. Baker has conducted the business and has been very successful. From time to time, as necessity demanded, he has increased his facilities for doing business. The little building that once served for a store room has given place to a fine two-story brick, 30 x 75 feet, and the first building, moved to the rear, is used for a warehouse. The store occupies both the lower and upper story of the new building. Mr. Baker has the only elevator in the city. He owns a factory, 30 x 50 feet, in which he manufactures tinware, honey and fruit cans in large quantities. He employs five men all the time and in the busy season seven or eight. His business extends all over the county, and some of his manufactures are shipped all over the State. In one season he made 12,000 sixty-pound honey cans, and many thousand smaller ones. They adopted a plan that every person who purchased $1 worth of goods should have a guess on how many cans they were making. The one who guessed the nearest was paid $50, the next $25, and the third $10. This store is No. 216 Main street, between Oak and Palm.

Mr. Baker was united in marriage to Miss Annie M. Sheriden in 1880. She was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, the daughter of S. N. Sheriden, of Ventura. They have three interesting children, two sons and a daughter, all born in Ventura, viz.: George L., Frederick N., and Annie M.

Mr. Baker is Senior Warden of the Masonic Lodge, F. & A. M.; is also K. of P., and District Deputy of the order to the Grand Lodge. Politically he is a Republican. Mr. Baker is a stockholder in the Ventura Gas Company, and does his full share in all public enterprises. He is the owner of a good home, where he resides with his family, and also owns other valuable real estate.

Mrs. Baker is a member of the Congregational Church.

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Frederic's grandparents were John Kelsey Baker and Elizabeth Ross. Their descendants include:

Descendants of John Kelsey Baker

1 John Kelsey Baker b: 1775 in Lancaster, MA
.. +Elizabeth (Betsey) Ross b: 1788 in Ipswich, Essex Co., MA m: 27 Nov 1808
........ 2 Frederic William Baker b: 01 Nov 1822 in Parishville, NY d: 13 Jun 1885 in Los Angeles, CA
............ +Mary I. Eaton b: in Woburn, MA m: 25 Dec 1850 d: 08 Jul 1875 in Winchester, MA
................... 3 Livingston L. Baker
................... 3 Frederic William Baker, Jr. b: 07 May 1852 in Boston, MA d: in Ventura County, California
....................... +Anna Neall b: in Ventura County, CA m: 1880 in Ventura County, California
............................. 4 George L. Baker b: in Ventura County, California
............................. 4 Frederick N. Baker b: in Ventura County, California
............................. 4 Annie M. Baker b: in Ventura County, California
................... 3 George Livingstone Baker b: 25 Mar 1855 in Boston, MA d: 31 Aug 1879 in San Francisco, CA
................... 3 Mary Louisa Baker b: 26 Mar 1858 in Winchester, MA
....................... +Dennis B. Winn b: in Winchester, MA m: 11 Oct 1876
............................. 4 Lora B. Winn b: 24 Dec 1877
............................. 4 Ida T. Winn b: 08 Nov 1879
............................. 4 Henry B. Winn b: 06 Nov 1881
............................. 4 Alanson Winn b: 05 Dec 1883
............................. 4 Mary Louisa Winn b: 25 Jun 1886
................... 3 Arthur E. Baker b: 02 Aug 1861
........ 2 Eliza Rebecca Baker b: 1810 d: 1850 in Boston, MA
........ 2 Sophia Caroline Baker b: 1815 d: 13 Mar 1828 in Portland, ME (complications of burns)
........ 2 Charles Chase Baker b: 1817 d: in Infancy
........ 2 George A. Baker b: 10 Apr 1820 in Parishville, NY d: 21 May 1870 in Boston, MA
............ +Charlotte E. Burgess b: in Boston, MA m: 08 May 1845
................... 3 Charlotte Evelyn Baker
....................... +Leon Harvier b: in New York City, NY
................... 3 Florence A. Baker
....................... +Samuel W. Clifford b: in Boston, MA m: 03 Jul 1878
........ 2 Livingston L. Baker b: 02 Aug 1827 in Portland, ME d: 21 Dec 1892 in San Francisco, CA
............ +Caroline M. Wakefield b: in Somerville, MA m: 20 Dec 1859 d: 26 Oct 1874 in Cambridge, MA
................... 3 Caroline Baker b: 02 Feb 1864 in CA d: Jun 1864 in CA
................... 3 Wakefield Baker b: 02 Jul 1866 in San Francisco, CA
....................... +Cordelia Thomas b: in San Francisco, CA m: 12 Jun 1890 in San Francisco, CA
............................. 4 Livingston L. Baker II b: 06 Mar 1891
............................. 4 Wakefield Baker, Jr. b: 22 Dec 1892
........ *2nd Wife of Livingston L. Baker:
............ +Ellen Stone m: 16 Nov 1875 in San Francisco, CA
................... 3 Kate Rosalie Baker b: 07 Nov 1870 in San Francisco, CA d: 23 Nov 1881 in San Francisco, CA
................... 3 Philip Stone Baker b: 27 Sep 1876
................... 3 Herbert Ross Baker b: 02 Jun 1883 in San Francisco, CA
................... 3 Leavitt Baker b: 02 Dec 1885 in San Francisco, CA
................... 3 Helen Baker b: 03 Jun 1888
................... 3 Dorothy Baker b: 1890
........ 2 Mary Caroline Baker b: 1830 in Portland, ME d: 1839 in Boston, MA
........ 2 Twins Baker b: Abt. 1832
*2nd Wife of John Kelsey Baker:
.. +Rebecca Ross m: 24 Feb 1799 in Portland, ME d: 1806 in Burlington, VT
........ 2 Albert J. Kelsol Baker b: Dec 1799 in Portland, ME d: 1849 in Boston, MA
............ +Eliza Sears Lamphier m: 1826 in Washington, DC d: 1865
................... 3 John Kelsol Baker b: in Washington, DC d: in Washington, DC, in infancy
................... 3 Harriet Rebecca Baker b: in Washington, DC
....................... +Henry C. Windsor b: in of Washington, DC m: Abt. 1857 in Washington, DC
............................. 4 Eva Rebecca Windsor b: 1858 in Washington, DC
................................. +F.C. Adams m: 1884
........................................ 5 Helen Windsor Adams b: 1885
........................................ 5 Harry W. Adams b: 1887
............................. 4 Florence Windsor b: 1860 in Washington, DC d: Abt. 1860 in Washington, DC
................... 3 Eliza Lamphier Baker b: in Washington, DC d: 1882 in Washington, DC
....................... +David G. Brennan
................... 3 Davis Dodge Baker b: in Washington, DC d: in Washington, DC, in infancy
................... 3 Albert John Kelsol Baker b: in Washington, DC d: 1865
....................... +Imogene McCuthson b: in Washington, DC
........ 2 Daniel Davis Dodge Baker b: Bet. 1802 - 1803 in Burlington, VT d: 1837 in Matagorda, TX

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History and Rootsweb genealogy compiled by Tony Larson and Jon Miller.