FREDERICK BAKER U.E. of ERNESTOWN

Frederick Baker was one of 27 Loyalist men and officers who set out from Claverack, New York on 16 August 1777 under the command of Lieut. Henry Simmons to join General Burgoyne who was then moving south towards Albany and the Hudson valley. On 27 August they reached Batten Kill and were mustered and joined Jessup's corps in the King's Loyal American Regiment, commanded by Lt. Col. Ebenezer Jessup. Simmons became a Lieutenant in Capt. Christian Wehr's company. Frederick Baker appears on the roll of Capt. Wehr's company August 27 to October 24, 1777¹. He drew 6d per day.

They waited at Batten Kill until 13 September when they crossed the Hudson, and on the 19th engaged the enemy at the battle of Freeman's farm, also known as the first battle of Saratoga. Reinforcements arrived from Claverack on 22 September, bringing Simmon's command to 45 men. On 7 October they took part in the second battle of Saratoga that led to the Loyalists' retreat. On 17 October they surrendered and laid down their arms, and it was agreed that the volunteers must go to Canada. Sailing up Lake Champlain, they reached Longueuil on 6 November. The following year they marched from Montreal to Quebec City from 26 May to 9 June 1778.

For the next five years until the end of the war in September 1783, Frederick and his companions were engaged in various building projects in the Montreal area. For a young single man like Frederick, these were lost years in terms of developing a career, family or farm.

A muster roll of Captain Jonathan Jones Company of the Loyal Rangers dated 1 Jan 1782 shows Frederick Baker born in America, aged 25, 5' 8½" tall with 4 years 4 months service. This would date his birth in 1756 (Baker, pg 5).

A copy of the army discharge of Frederick Baker shows that when he was discharged on 24 December 1783, Frederick was a private soldier in Capt. Jonathan Jones' company in the regiment of Loyal Rangers commanded by Edward Jessup (Baker, pg 5). He was in Col. Jessup's Corps for four years and two months (i.e. from October 1779). The Loyal Rangers were formed in November 1781 from a number of smaller military formations, including the Loyal Americans under Edward and Ebenezer Jessup (Turner, pg.34).

A pencilled note on the copy of the discharge states that Frederick was born in the parish of Rocknwayr, Albany County (Baker, pg 5). (Claverack was in a part of Albany County that became Columbia County in 1786.)

The disbanded soldiers settled in Ernestown were mustered on 7 Oct 1784⁴. Frederick Baker, single, had gone into the States for seed wheat.

A.E. Baker assumed that Frederick was of Palatine origin. This is supported by the fact that the Bakers usually cited a German ethnic origin in the census returns.

We have no details of Frederick Baker's early years. Presumably, he was from Claverack. Supposing that the members of Simmons' company were neighbours, the following is a list of the men with approximate birthdate (inferred from the ages reported in 1782 or 1783):

Land

In the original land grants to United Empire Loyalists in 1784, Frederick was still single, and so only received 100 acres. This was the West half of Lot 12, Con 3 of Ernestown. On 23 Sept 1789, Frederick petitioned for additional land since by then he had a wife and child, and was therefore entitled to an additional 100 acres. He also asked for a further 200 acres. (image)

His petition was granted at a meeting of the Land Board on 23 Sept 1789. The report of John Collins of the Surveyor General's office dated 20 Jan 1790 shows Frederick with 350 acres - W½ of Lot 12, Con 3, a quarter of Lot 29, Con 2 of Ernestown and all of Lot 35, Con 5 of Sydney Tp⁷. The Index to Alexander Aiken's Schedule of Locations, ca. 1798, shows Frederick on half of Lot 12, Con 3 of Ernestown and on 200 acres of Lot 35, Con 5 of Sydney Township. The Deputy Surveyor Plan, ca. 1800, shows the same.

Frederick signed over his rights to the Sydney Township property to John Langwell on 14 Feb 1795¹¹. John Langwell received a patent from the Crown for this lot on 17 May 1802.

Frederick exchanged one of his 100 acre lots for W½ of Lot 24, Con 1 of Ernestown, which consisted of 111 acres on the shore of Lake Ontario. In his petition of 23 Oct 1823 he states that it was the lot on Con 3 that he exchanged. It must however have been the one on Con 2, because Frederick received a patent for the lot on Con 3 based on this petition. Indeed, James Perrott had received a deed from the Crown for Lot 29, Con 2 on 24 Nov 1803¹⁴.

A report on settlers made by the Surveyor General's office from 1 Sept to 6 Sept in 1800¹² shows Frederick on the lot on Con 1. He received a patent from the Crown for this land on 10 Aug 1801, and this became his family farm. On 5 June 1834 he deeded it to his sons George and John in his will, and John sold his interest to George in 1840.

Meanwhile, Frederick had neglected to obtain a title to his first grant, W½ of Lot 12, Con 3, so on 23 Oct 1823 he petitioned for a title to this land⁶. The Surveyor General's office looked up the old plans mentioned above, and confirmed that Frederick had been granted the land as a U.E. Loyalist, so his petition was granted on 10 Dec 1823 by Order in Council. He received a patent for this land on 8 Nov 1824. He sold half of it to John Ball in 1829 and the other half to Peter Miller in 1831.

Frederick Baker signed a will on 5 June 1834 (Baker, pg 7). John Collins Clark records in his diary for 11 Feb 1835, "Old Mr. Frederick Baker died sudden in his chair this morning."² He would have been about 79 years old.

References

Baker, Rev. Alexander Earle, Frederick Baker, U.E. and Some of His Descendants, (Toronto, By the Author, 1961).

Burleigh, H.C. "Annotated Transcript of the Journal of Lieutenant Henry Simmons 1777-1778", (n.p., By the Author, n.d.). [Lennox and Addington County Museum, Napanee, Ontario.]

Turner, Larry, Ernestown, Rural Spaces, Urban Places, (Toronto, Dundurn Press, 1993).

Footnotes

1. Haldiman Papers, vol. B-161; cited in Baker, pg 4.

2. John C. Clark diary, transcribed by Dr. H.C. Burleigh. See the Baker file in the Burleigh collection, Queen's Archives, Kingston. The John C. Clark diary is in the National Archives of Canada.

3. Index to Alexander Aikin's Schedule of Locations in Midland District, ca. 1798. Ontario Archives R.G. 1 C-I-4, Vol 40. Reel MS 241.

4. Muster Roll, Township No. 2, 7 Oct 1784. Haldimand Papers, Vol 168. Ontario Archives Reel XX-85.

5.Upper Canada Land Petitions 1788-1832, Vol 67, B Misc/20. Reel C-1634. (full text below) (image)

6.Upper Canada Land Petitions 1823 B13/164. Reel C-1626. (full text below)

7.Report of John Collins, Surveyor General's office, Quebec 20 Jany 1790; the "Quebec Plan"; Ontario Archives RG1 A-IV Vol 9 pg 14. MS-400, Reel 7. Also found in UC Land Board Records & Minutes, Vol 12 ("District Schedules of Locations - Lunenburg and Mecklenburg"), pp 14, 17; National Archives of Canada C-14028.

8.The Deputy Surveyor Plan, undated but ca. 1800; Ontario Archives RG1 A-IV, Vol 11; MS 400, Reel 7.

9.Land Book L 1821-1824, pg 494. Reel C-104. (full text below)

10.Ontario Archives RG 1 C-I-3, Vol 82, pg 2; MS 693 Reel 105. (full text below)

11.First Heir & Devisee Commission, Midland District, Vol 27, No. 91. Ontario Archives H-1138

12."Report of the Descriptions which have passed the Surveyor General's offices from the 1st to the 6th of September 1800"; in the Sydney Township Papers, Lot 20, Con 6; Ontario Archives RG 1, C-IV, MS 658, Reel 442

13.Ernestown Township Papers, W1/2 Lot 12, 3rd Con.; Ontario Archives RG 1, C-IV document #0695. MS 658 Reel 136. (full text below)

14.Abstract Index to Deeds, Ernestown Tp, Lennox and Addington County Vol A; Ontario Archives GS 4642. 15.Mecklinburg Land Board Records & Minutes, Vol 7 pp. 61, 62, 146 National Archives of Canada C-14027.

Appendix: Details of the Land Petitions of Frederick Baker UE of Ernestown.

Page	Upper Canada Land Petitions 1788-1832, Vol 67, B Misc/20. Reel C-1634
20	To his Excellency the Right Honourable Guy Lord Dorchester ... The memorial of Frederick Baker Soldier in the late Corps of Loyal Rangers Humbly Sheweth That your Lordship's Memorialist being by his Majesty's Instructions Entitled to two hundred acres for himself & family consisting of a wife & child has only drawn one hundred acres. Your Memorialist humbly begs that the remaining one hundred acres together with your Lordship's bounty of Two hundred acres may be assigned him at a Little Lake back of this 2nd Township. And your Memorialist is in duty bound will ever pray Frederick Baker Kingston 23rd September 1789
20a	144/1789/examined/Frederick Baker/folio 5

Page	Upper Canada Land Petitions 1823 B13/164. Reel C-1626
164	To his Excellency Sir Peregrine Maitland K.C.B. ... In Council The Petition of Frederick Baker of the Township of Ernest Town in the Midland District, Farmer, a U.E. Loyalist - - - Humbly Sheweth that in the year 1784 the west half of Lot no. twelve in the third concession of the township of Ernest Town was allotted to your Petitioner as a Military Claimant and U.E. Loyalist - that your Petitioner gave the same in exchange for the west half of Lot number twenty-four in the first concession of the said Township for which your petitioner has received a patent from the Crown but your Petitioner being bound to give a title for the first mentioned land - therefore prays that your Excellency will be pleased to grant to him the said west half of Lot number twelve in the third concession of Ernest Town aforesaid in order that he may fulfill his obligations and permit George Ham Esquire to be his agent to take out the deed when completed --- and your Petitioner as in duty bound will ever pray --- Frederick Baker (his mark) Signed before me at Ernest Town 23rd of October 1823 --- Isaac Fraser J.P.
164a	Midland District, to wit. Nicholas Amey Senior of the Township of Ernest Town maketh oath and saith that soon after the first settlement of this Province by the Loyalists he purchased the East half of Lot number twelve in the third Concession of the Township of Ernest Town from one Christopher Soape or Swoape, and not from Frederick Baker --- (signed) Nicholas Amey Sworn before me the 22nd day of October 1823 --- Isaac Fraser J.P.
164b	In Council 10 Dec 1823/Recommended/WDP./A warrant U.C. issued 23 Dec 1824/ Privilege is allowed in the name of Frederick Baker for the West half of Lot No 12, 3 Concession of Ernest Town 100ac as a Military Claimant/(signature illegible). Petition of No. 164 Frederick Baker/Government office 22nd Nov 1823/ The surveyor is requested to deposit herein for the information of the ?? Executive Council/John Lyons (in the absence of Secy Hillier)/Entered in Land Book L page 494/ The West half of Lot no. 12 in the 3d concession of Ernest Town containing 100 acres is returned in the name of Frederick Baker on the Quebec Plan - and had not been executed. The East half of the said Lot, by the same Plan, was entered in the name of James Hagerman but since allowed and executed under the Midland Commission to Nicholas Amey. On the Deputy Surveyor Plan and Schedule the name of the Petitioner is inserted on the East half and Christopher Soape on the West half of the said Lot. By the same Plan and Schedule of the Depy Surveyor ??? ??? the name of Jacob Miller is inserted on the whole of Lot No. 24, 1st Concession but by the Quebec Plan Jephta Hawley was returned for the West half and Miller for the East half of said Lot - and the West half has been directed (?) to the Petitioner under the Commissioner's Report. ??? ??? Office/22 Nov 1823/ (signed) Thos. Ridout/Judge (?)

RG 1, C-IV, Ernestown Township Papers for W1/2 Lot 12, 3rd Con. document #0695. MS 658 Reel 136.

U.C. In Council 10th December 1823/Administration of Sir Peregrine Maitland K.C.B. Lieutenant Governor/ Half fee/Regulations 6th July 1804/ Granted to Frederick Baker, of the Township Ernesttown in the Midland District, Yeoman, the West half of Lot number twelve in the third Concession of the said Township of Ernesttown, containing one hundred acres of land as a Military Claimant who served in the First American War. (signed) Joh B??/Con??/To The Attorney General

Land Book L 1821-1824, pg 494. Reel C-104

10 December 1823 B164 Frederick Baker Praying that a Patent may issue to him for the West half of Lot No. 12 in the 3rd Concession of the Township of Ernest Town which was granted to him as a Military Claimant in 1784. Granted.

RG 1 C-I-3, Vol 82, pg 2. MS 693 Reel 105

Confirms grant of W½ Lot 12 Con 3 on 10 Dec 1823. Date of Atty Gen'l Fiat is 25 Oct 1824.

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