Charles Baker (abt. 1721 - 1784)

Born about 1721 in Brookfield, Worcester, MA

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 26 Sep 1784 at about age 63 in Somersworth, Strafford, NH

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Biography

Charles was a blacksmith, married twice 1) Love Downs 2) 4th ggm Sarah (Carr) Roberts, widow of Francis Roberts: 3 children each marriage. Lived and died in Somersworth, NH. Charles' children with Sarah Carr Roberts and Love Downs are given in Tate's Journal: NEHGR: 1920. p. 43.

Somersworth, NH, originally called Sligo after Sligo in Ireland, was settled before 1700 as a part of Dover. It was organized in 1729 as the parish of Summersworth, meaning summer town, because during that season the ministers would preach here. It was set off and incorporated in April 23, 1754 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth, and until 1849 included Rollinsford. At that time it included the territory of the present towns of Somersworth and Rollinsford, the latter town, forming the southeastern part of Somersworth, having been set off and incorporated on July 3, 1849, so anyone living there before this time technically still lived in Somersworth. Somersworth would be incorporated as a city in 1893, before which it was also known as Great Falls. The spelling Somersworth came about as a clerical error which apparently stuck. Situated where the Salmon Falls River drops 100 feet (30 m) over a mile, Somersworth early became a mill town, beginning with gristmills and sawmills. It drew from Berwick, ME in close geographic relationship, just over the bridge. from Wikipedia, NEGHR: 1919 p. 304

Deeds: Somersworth, NH Rockingham Co., NH Deeds Book 44 p. 447-449, February 5, 1755 Samuel Whitehouse of Rochester yeoman sells to "Charles BAKER of Summersworth, blacksmith, for 517 pounds 10 shillings land in Rochester"

Rockingham Co., NH Deeds Book 47 p. 185-186 Charles BAKER of the Town of Somersworth, NH, blacksmith, purchases land in Somersworth from grandsons of Zachariah Field, Daniel Field of Biddeford, ME, Gentleman and Stephen Field of Kittery, ME, Mariner, March 22, 1756.

Rockingham, NH Deeds Book 71, p. 2-3, June 1763 Roberts to Baker (Love Roberts, Sr was Charles' second wife's (Sarah {Carr} Roberts Baker) first father in law..and Love, Jr. her brother in law. Love Roberts of the Town of Somersworth, Province of NH, yeoman to Charles Baker, of the Town of Somersworth, blacksmith for and in Consideration of the Sum of 1800 pounds old Tenor, (grants) unto Charles Baker said Charles Baker his Heirs and Assigns forever. The one half of a Certain Tracts or parcels of Land Situated and Lying In the town afores'd Containing by Estimation sixty six acres be the Same more of less at or near a place known by the name of Black water & is on the westerly Side of the Road that leading from Rochester opposite of sd Baker's Land Where he Now lives & adjoining to the land he Purchased of Stephen Field on the westerly Side Bounded as Follows viz. partly on Each Side of Twenty acres of land Granted to the Parrish Summers.wth by the Town of Dover or how Ever the Same may be bounded as it was laid out to my Honr.d father Love Roberts Deceased in the year 1734 or 1735 as it may appear on Dover Town Records Reference thereto being had & Also the one half of ten acres of land that my father purchased of the Revd Mr. James Pike ajoyning South westerly on the above twenty acres Guiven to the Parrish aforesd or how Ever bounded or Reputed to be.

Charles BAKER of Somersworth, blacksmith to Ichabod Rollings of Town of Somersworth, Gentleman. Charles sells for 950 pounds old tenor about 22 acres of land in Somersworth, "more or less it Being Part of that farm that my Hounoured Father in law Thos Downs late of Somersworth Decease.d lived on & Descended by Heirship to my First wife Love the Daughter of the sd. Thos. Downs as will More fully appear by ye plan of Divisions of Thos Down's Estate in the Judge of Probates offices in the Province aforesd." 1765

Other Deeds show that Charles acted as Tax Collector "for the proprietors of Middletown (so called) in the Province of NH joining on the Head of Rochester Line being a Tract of :Land Granted to Ebenzer Varney, William Wentworth and others by the Purchasers of John Tufton Mason Esqr. Charles, as Tax Collector, sold the rights for use of sd. proprietors John Hurd, esqr. of Portsmouth, granted originally to Nathaniel Varney, one second Division No 28 granted to Nathaniel Hanson, one half of a first Division No 45 granted to Jonathan Marrow one second Diviision no 54 Granted to Mark Wallingsford, the above Premises all being in the abovesd. Middletown which sd. rights of Land I the sd. Charles Baker in my sd. Capacity as Collector for the sd. Middletown have sold John Hurd at a Publick Vendue upon adjournment legally notified and sold at the House of Ephraim Hanson in Dover the tenth Day of Dec. he being the Highest Bidder he the J. Hurd his heirs and Assigns forever...." Jan 7, 1771 Rockingham Deeds, Book 101, 375-377.

Charles and Love apparently attended the church at Rochester where Love and two sons were baptized: From: "Rochester Church Book of Records" from 1737 to 1824

March 31, 1754 Charles Baker baptized son of Charles Baker March 21, 1756 Love Baker Wife of Charles Baker Entered into Covt & was baptized November, 1757 Thomas Baker baptized

Will: drawn September 13, 1784 (2/107-110) Est. Somersworth, blacksmith. Legatees: Wife Sarah; Sons; Moses, Daniel, Douglas, Charles, Jr., Thomas (reverse order of birth) Daughter: Charity. Adms. wife, Sarah, sons: Daniel and Moses. His sig. Wit.: Benj. Varney, Samuel Tuttle, and John Carr Roberts. Proved: 2nd Wednes. October, 1784. (2/116-118). Inventory committee: Jonathan Wentworth, Sr. and John Pike. Value: L771.10.3. Allowed 2nd Wednes. December, 1784 (2/241). License 11/17/1785 To Adms. to sell enough real estate to pay debts.

Charles Baker, of Somersworth, likely not Charles, Sr., but the son of Charles and Love Downs Baker, enlisted as private with his cousin, Moses Carr, Jr. on August 6, 1778, Capt. Moses Yeaton's Co., in Col. Joshua Wingate's Regiment of Volunteers, which regiment marched from the State of NH in August 1778 to join the Continental Army in RI. NH Revolutionary War Rolls, vol XV, p. 573. then: NH Rev. War Rolls, vol XVII, p. 260 Somersworth Bounties We the subscribers have Received of the Select Men of the Town of Somersworth Ten Pound Lawful money Each it being a state's bounty for which Consideration we promise to join General Sulivan in an Expedition against Rode Island and Stay one month from this Date if wanted. John Rollins John Drew Andrew Horn Charles Brown Mark Wentworth Caleb Horn Moses Yeaton James Garvin Benj. Warren Jonathan Wentworth CHARLES BAKER Paul Lord Ebenezer Ricker Joshua Stacpole Thomas Wallingford, Jr. Benj. Quimby Philip Stacpole Absalom Stacpole Moses Yeaton, Jr. John Furness James Hobbs MOSES CARR, JR. (original in Pension Bureau, Washington, DC).

However, Charles Baker of Somersworth is listed as a provider of rations to troops during the War.

Sources

• NEHGR: The Otis Genealogy by Horatio N. Otis, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Mass., 1851) Vol. 5, Page 195
• Baker, Nelson. A Genealogy of the Descendants of Edward Baker of Lynn, Mass, 1630 (N.M. Baker, Syracuse, 1867)