Family Group Sheet

HUSBAND Jasper Newton (Dick) BAKER
	Birth	October 4, 1853	Menard County, Illinois
	Moved	1872 or 1873	moved with his parents; Missouri
	Moved	1883	Kansas
	Misc	1884	helped organize the first Sunday school (held in the Nebo School House)
	Death	June 6, 1939	Harper, Harper County, Kansas
	Burial	1939	Harper Cemetery, Harper, Harper County, Kansas
	Property	1939	farmland and city property; Harper, Harper County, Kansas
	Residence	1877 through 1883	Avalon, Carroll County, Missouri
	Religion		active in the Methodist Church
	Marriage	January 1, 1877	Carrollton, Carroll County, Missouri
	Residence (family)	1883 through 1916	a farm three and one-half miles west of Harper Kansas
	Residence (family)	1916 until death	Harper, Harper County, Kansas
WIFE Harriet Edith (Hattie) TILLMAN photo courtesy of Harold Boyts
	Birth	February 28, 1854	Elmira, New York
	Death	July 12, 1929	Harper, Harper County, Kansas
	Burial	July 13, 1929	Harper Cemetery, Harper, Harper County, Kansas
CHILDREN
F	Ella BAKER
	Birth	October 2, 1877	Carrollton, Carroll County, Missouri
	Residence	1939	St. Louis, Missouri
	Death	February 24, 1961
	Marriage		Ruben HASKINS
M	George Harvey BAKER
	Birth	January 14, 1879	Hale County, Missouri
	Residence	1939	Catesby, Ellis County, Oklahoma
	Death	May 23, 1961
	Marriage		Alice MOORE
M	Ralph Frank BAKER
	Residence	1839	Catesby, Ellis County, Oklahoma
	Birth	February 17, 1880	Hale County, Missouri
	Death	August 14, 1958	Woodward, Woodward County, Oklahoma
	Burial		Bickford Cemetery, Catesby, Ellis County, Oklahoma
	Marriage	March 18, 1914	Fanny Gail GRAFT; Harper, Harper County, Kansas
F	Nellie G BAKER
	Birth	September 8, 1881	Hale County, Missouri
	Death	October 1882	Hale County, Missouri*
F	Flora May BAKER*
	Birth	December 31, 1884	Hale County, Missouri
	Death	1909	Harper, Harper County, Kansas
	Burial	1909	Harper Cemetery, Harper, Harper County, Kansas
F	Della BAKER
	Birth	October 2, 1886	Hale County, Missouri
	Death	September 1931
	Marriage		W. E. (Bert) CASE
F	Mable Chumbley BAKER
	Birth	May 18, 1889	Harper, Harper County, Kansas
	Residence	1939	Harper, Harper County, Kansas
	Death	July 29, 1973	Harper, Harper County, Kansas
	Burial	July 31, 1973	Harper Cemetery, Harper, Harper County, Kansas
	Namesake		Dr. Jack Chumbley
	Marriage	September 30, 1906	William Ernest BARBER
F	Hattie V BAKER
	Birth	September 15, 1891
	Death	March 20, 1977	Wichita, Kansas
	Burial		Harper Cemetery, Harper County, Harper, Kansas
M	Robert Dyral BAKER
F	Ruth E BAKER
	Birth	July 14, 1898	Hale County, Missouri
	Residence	1939	Harper, Harper County, Kansas
			Ruth had severe arthritis and was confined to a wheelchair in her later years. She never married. She lived at home with her parents.
	Death	January 22, 1955	Harper, Harper County, Kansas

Jasper and Harriet's family

Baker's first house in Harper*

Photo of Baker Cousins - On back of photo - "All Cousins" Frank, Sarah Savey, Geo (back row); Reuben, Charley Savey (middle row) me (Mable), Ella, Della (front row)

On back of photo: Grandmother Baker, Aunt Ella Haskin, Aunt Della Case, Aunt Hattie Maninger, Aunt Ruth, Cousin Helen, Cousin Katherine, Cousin Dorothy, Mother & my self - 1910. (My self is Marie Barber; mother is Mable Barber). Uncertain of who is who - except - "x" indicates Marie who is held by Mable. Sitting next to Mable is Grandmother Baker (Harriett).

50th Anniversary *

*Photos marked * provided by Don and Bonnie Shepherd

Harper Cemetery, Harper, Kansas - J. N. Baker family plot (Harold Boyts in background taking notes)

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From notes passed down by his daughter Mabel:
"Jasper Newton left (Menard Co) Illinois at the age of 19 (with his family). Came to Missouri, (near Hale) in 1872. Moved to Kansas (a farm four miles west of Harper) with his family of (wife) and three children."

The story is told that when Dick's (Jasper's), family earlier moved from Kentucky to Illinois, (a following story does not mention the Bakers living in Kentucky although it says that Dick's mother came from Kentucky), they never felt accepted because they had once been slave holders; although they freed their slaves and moved to the North before the Civil War. So the children were told, when the family moved on to Missouri, to always say they were from Illinois when asked where they lived previously. Obviously, some details need to be researched about the Kentucky connection.

An oral story handed down by Marie, a grand daughter, is that he first came to Kansas from Missouri by himself looking for land by riding the Santa Fe railroad west from Kansas City as far as it went at the time, which was Harper. He was to send for his family when he became established. He bought a quarter section five miles west of Harper, probably from the railroad because it was within a mile of the newly built rails, and put up a one room house. He did not send for his family as soon as his wife thought he should, at times reported to be several years, so she loaded up the kids and took a train to Harper. When she got off at Harper, she found someone to take her and the kids to the farm. The first that Dick knew of his family being on their way to Kansas was when he saw smoke from his chimney as he was working on the back corner of his land.

One note has been found which referred to "Dick (Jasper Newton) Baker," which confirms that he was known as "Dick."

The following was written by an unnamed source, apparently in 1913 or 1914 because no grandchildren are named after 1913. I would also guess that it was written when he was a County Commissioner because of the way it reads and the title: "Pioneers of Kansas." The document from which I am reading as I enter this, is a typed page by Marie Boyts, believed to have been done to preserve the content of an old newspaper clipping.

"Jasper Newton Baker---A prominent farmer, and one of the county commissioners of Harper County, is a native of Illinois. He was born, October 4, 1853, on a farm in Menard County. and is a son of James H. and Elizabeth (Turner) Baker. The father was born January 14,1826, in the same locality in Illinois, in a neighborhood known as Baker's Prairie. The Baker family settled there when that section was still inhabited by the Indians. The Bakers were Virginians. James H. Baker removed from Illinois to Carroll County Missouri, with his family in 1869, where he followed farming until his death which occurred April 27, 1911. His wife was a native of Kentucky, born October 12, 1830. Jasper Newton Baker is one of a family of six, two of whom died in infancy. The others are: Jasper N., the subject of this sketch; Charles, born August 12, 1859, a farmer in Carroll County, Missouri; Mary, born May 12, 1866, the wife of William Day, a merchant at LaGrande, Oregon; and, Robert, born November 20, 1868, and died December 24, 1883.

Mr. Baker was reared on a farm, and in early life his educational advantages were limited. He is self educated, and has been a student of books, as well as men and events all his life.

In 1884, he came to Harper County, Kansas and bought unimproved land, five miles west of Harper, which he has improved and developed into a high state of cultivation. His farm consists of 400 acres, and is one of the best equipped, modern farms in that section of the state.

He was united in marriage, January 1, 1877, at Carrollton, Missouri., to Miss Hattie, daughter of Jacob and Maria (Westbrook) Tillman--natives of Germany. Mrs. Baker was born in New York state, February 28, 1854.

To Mr. and Mrs. Baker have been born ten children: Ella, born Oct. 2, 1877; George, born Jan. 4, 1879; Frank R. born February. 17, 1880; Nellie born Sept. 8, 1881, died Oct. 12, 1882; Flora May, born December. 31, 1884; Della L., born Oct. 2, 1886; Mabel, born May 18, 1889, married to W. (William) Ernest Barber, Sept. 30, 1904, and they have one child, Marie, born April 22, 1908; Hattie V., born Sept. 15, 1891--married Silas Maninger, Sept. 7, 1912, and they have one child, Glenn M. born May 26, 1913; Robert D. (Dyral), born July 13, 1895, and Ruth E. (Elizabeth), born July 14, 1898.

The Bakers are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Baker is a Democrat, and while not a politician, he takes a commendable interest in promoting the principles of his party. In 1911, he was elected to the office of county commissioner, and since that time has performed the duties of that office with integrity and sound business judgment which has met with the approval of his constituents. (END OF DOCUMENT)

According to notes of his daughter, Mabel, he was elected Harper County Commissioner in 1911.

-Provided by Hal Boyts

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The Harper Advocate
Thursday
May 15, 1919

Ladies of the Empire Country Club met at the home of J.N. BAKER Wednesday. They came with well filled baskets and a dinner was served that only country ladies know how to serve. There were sixteen ladies present to enjoy the occasion. Those from a distance present were Mrs. Jay PEARL of Anthony and Mrs. C. W. FULTON of near Crystal Springs.

Mrs. J.N. BAKER departed Wednesday for Caldwell where she will visit the home of her daughter.