My Genealogy Hound

Thomas E. Baker is a Crawford County Georgian, his birth having occurred there December 3, 1833, to Jeremiah Baker and wife, the former of whom was a soldier in the War of 1812, under Jackson, and died in Alabama in 1848, at the age of seventy-one years. His father was Samuel Baker, a North Carolinian. Thomas E. Baker became familiar with the duties of farm life in his youth, and has always followed that occupation. In 1858 he emigrated westward as far as Arkansas, and here entered and bought land, being now the owner of 320 acres, of which fifty are under cultivation, the yield of cotton being one-half bale and twenty-five bushels of corn to the acre. Although he was not given many educational advantages at first, he afterward entered a high school, where he acquired an excellent knowledge of books and became a well posted young man. In March, 1862, he joined the Confederate service, becoming a member of Jones’ battalion, and the first battle in which he took part was Fort Pillow. In 1862 he lost his right arm at Corinth, which disabled him for further service, and he came home, arriving on November 3, 1862. He resumed farming and also began teaching school, and as has been seen has been successful. He was married in 1857 to Miss Nancy T. Adams, a daughter of Samuel Adams, of Stewart County, Ga., a farmer and planter, who died in Texas in 1873, and in time a family of six children was born to their union: Julia F. (wife of L. T. Cobb), Mary E. (wife of Fred Cribbs), Thomas C. (in Texas), Nettie, Bryant M. and James P. Mr. Baker has always been a Democrat, but never held any but a local office. He belongs to the A. F. & A. M., and he and wife are members of the Missionary Baptist Church.