Baker: Difference between revisions

Both families settled in the vicinity of [[Souley's Brook|Souley's]] and [[Wake's Brook|Wake's]] Brooks near [[Snook's Harbour]] in the 1870s<ref name=Foot01/>, although James and Johanna had previously spent about a decade living in Rider’s Harbour and Thoroughfare. There is uncertainty regarding how James-b1836 and John-b1837 were related, even though it has been indicated in a previous summary<ref name=Foot01/> that they were brothers. In any case, we will consider them to be the “First Generation” of the Baker Family of Random Island.  

While there are instances of Bakers on the Southern Shore (south of St John's) and in Conception and Placentia Bays in the late 1600s and early 1700s, it seems most likely that the earliest Baker ancestor of the Random Island Baker Family to live in Newfoundland was “John-b1730” who, according to the Baker-Merlo Family Tree on Ancestry.com<ref name=Foot05/>, was born in Trinity in 1730 and married a lady named Grace from there.  This is consistent with the Heart's Ease Community History<ref name=Foot02/> which indicates that James-b1836 was descended from the “John Baker and wife Grace, likely of Trinity, [who] moved to Heart's Ease Beach{{efn|name=fn4}} and became the first permanent settlers in the community [around 1750]{{efn|name=fn5}}”.  John-b1730 and Grace had at least 3 children: “John Jr [b 1750], Elizabeth and Joseph?”<ref name=Foot02/><ref name=Foot05/>. John-b1730 died in 1775.

The Baker-Merlo Family Tree5 indicates that John-b1730's parents were John-b1711 and Susan Dorlin, both born in Suffolk England, and that their other 3 children were born in Suffolk between 1732 and 1745.  This suggests that, either John-b1711 and Susan returned to England after the birth of John-b1730, or they were not his parents, or his indicated birthplace is incorrect.  Thus, while there is some indication that John-b1730's parents lived in Newfoundland (if he was indeed born there), there is some uncertainty about who they were and whether they lived permanently in Newfoundland prior to his birth.

It seems likely that John-b1730 or his father was the "John Baker, a fisherman of Trinity, 1758" who, in a comprehensive historical review<ref name=Foot07/>., was identified as the earliest instance of a Baker in Trinity Bay.  The above indication<ref name=Foot02/> that John-b1730 and Grace moved to Heart's Ease "around 1750" suggests that the 1758 Trinity fisherman<ref name=Foot07/> was John's father. However, the indication in the Baker-Merlo Tree<ref name=Foot05/> that their 3 children (John-b1750, Joseph and Elizabeth) were born in Trinity between 1750 and 1758 suggests that their move to Heart's Ease may have been gradual or seasonal.  Other early instances<ref name=Foot07/> of Bakers in Trinity Bay include: "John, proprietor and occupier of a fishing room at Scilly Cove (now Winterton), Winter 1800-01", "William, planter of Bird Island Cove (now Elliston), 1823", "Thomas, planter of Hant's Harbour, 1824", and "Joseph of Heart's Ease, 1830", who may have been the son of John-b1730 mentioned earlier.  

According to the Heart's Ease Community History<ref name=Foot02/>, John-b1730 and Grace's son John-b1750 first married Elizabeth Rogers and then Mary Piercey, before dying in 1808.  He and his two wives had a large number of children, including William born in 1786<ref name=Foot05/>.  William "moved to Hearts Content ca 1815", and his son James-b1836 and wife Johanna (nee Cooper) "moved to [[Rider's Harbour]] ca 1860 and then to Snook's Harbour ca 1875"<ref name=Foot02/>.  It is unknown whether the latter's move to the Snook's Harbour area influenced the move of Johanna's nephew John Loder (son of her sister Rachel) to Snook's Harbour ca 1877 [see [[ Loder|Loder Family]]], or that of her nephew William Cooper and his wife Emily Smith to Snook's Harbour in 1881 [see [[Cooper|Cooper Family]]].