John Renta Baker (1735 - 1831)

Born 7 Oct 1735 in Ashe, North Carolina

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Rhodes) Baker — married 1760 in North Carolina

Descendants

Died 11 Oct 1831 at age 96 in Ricetown, Owsley County, Kentucky, USA

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Biography

John Renta Baker was born on 7 Oct 1735 in Ashe, North Carolina, son of Andrew Baker (~1720 - ~1779) and Susannah (Unknown) Baker (~1720 - >1779).

John (~20) married Elizabeth Terrill (~22) (born in Buncombe, North Carolina on 28 Jan 1734; died in Chowan, North Carolina after >8 Aug 1791), daughter of James Terrill and Margaret Watkins, in 1756^[1].

John (~24) married Mary Rhodes (~17) (born in Stonington, New London, Connecticut on 17 Sep 1742; died in Kentucky about ~1838) in 1760 in North Carolina.

John was a "Long Hunter" and in 1763, was living on the Green River, in what is now KY, with the Cherokees. Beginning about 1763, he and other Long Hunters hunted and trapped on the Green River, making trips down the Cumberland River, to Spanish Natchez to sell their furs.

Col. Gasper Mansker once became ill in Natchez, and John Baker stayed with him until he was able to travel, then he & Gasper walked cross country back to Virginia.

John served as a Captain in Col Benjamin Cleveland's Regiment during the American Revolution.^[2]

A great grandson, when applying for membership in the SAR, wrote, "Capt. John Baker and his company went to the rescue of Col. Benjamin Cleveland when the Tories were about to hang him."

John Renty came to Kentucky after the War and lived in Fayette, Boyle, Madison, Rockcastle, and Clay Counties.

John died on 11 Oct 1831 in Ricetown, Owsley County, Kentucky, USA aged 96. He is buried in John Baker Cemetery, Owsley County, Kentucky, USA.^[3]

DNA

The Baker Family DNA projects have ruled out any possibility that his father is the son of Robert Baker. The descendants of the Rev. Andrew Baker, John Renta Baker, Bolling Baker, and Morris Baker all have matching Y-DNA. None of the descendants show any proof of Native American ancestry in their autosomal DNA.^[4]

Research Notes

Allen E. Robertson gave an interview in 1898 in Clay County in which he discussed "Renta" and some of his sons.^[5]

According to find-a-grave, John Baker was officially married two times, and had at least twelve children with Elizabeth Terrell. He had no known children with Susannah Perkins, but he did have two children with an Agatha "Aza" Williams. However, there are still question as to whether these two were ever officially married. The children are not listed on Find-a-grave.

There are no records that indicate that Andrew Baker was married to Mary Bolling. The deed and survey records for Andrew Baker show that his wife was Susannah.

John Renta Bolling was born January 24, 1744. His father as Andrew Baker, and his mother was either Susannah (Unknown) or Mary Bolin. He was born in the colony of North Carolina, in what may have been Ashe County (or is currently Ashe County).

Note-Edit Contributor: CLHileman (47502760) This headstone is no longer in this Cemetery - this John Baker (who served in the Rev. War) was not buried here. It has been proven beyond doubt that John Baker, son of Andrew, was never in the Revolutionary War; the North Carolina Militia and other records have proven this.

Note-Edit Contributor: CLHileman (47502760) This headstone is no longer in this Cemetery - this John Baker was not buried here, and it has been proven beyond doubt that John Baker son of Andrew, was never in the Revolutionary War; the North Carolina Militia and other records have proven this.

His original headstone became illegible. The original one was inscribed with a masonic emblem but is otherwise undecipherable.

Late in life he married second wife, Aza Williams. After Aza died John lived in a rock house near the mouth of Buffalo Creek, now in Owsley Co, KY, & died there in 1820.

John Rentie is said to have fathered several children with a Native American woman.

Sources

1. ↑ Marriage Name: John Baker, Event Type: Marriage, Marriage Date: 9 Nov 1770, Marriage Place: York, USA, Spouse Name: Mary Rhodes, Page number: 212, Volume Number: 115, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011
2. ↑ Military U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc
3. ↑ Burial Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 07 February 2019), memorial page for John Baker (1735–1820), citing John Baker Cemetery, Owsley County, Kentucky, USA ; Maintained by J P (contributor 48946326). Find A Grave: Memorial #9341300
4. ↑ "DNA Project" * Ancestry.com DNA link
   • My FamilyTree BAKER DNA Project Website - Y-DNA DNA Colorized Chart viewable
   • BAKER Family Y-STR DNA study & Lineages
5. ↑ Allen E. Robertson, interview by John J. Dickey, Clay County, Kentucky, 1898, contributed by Margaret Robertson, Pioneeer History, Madison, Kentucky, usgwarchives, (http://files.usgwarchives.net/ky/madison/pionhist/robertso.txt and archived : accessed 6 September 2015).

See also:

• North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868 Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Original data - State of North Carolina. An Index to Marriage Bonds Filed in the North Carolina State Archives. Raleigh, NC, USA: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1977

• Kentucky Land Grants Ancestry.com Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997. Original data - Jillson, Willard Rouse. The Kentucky Land Grants. Louisville, KY, USA: Filson Club Publications, 1925.Original data: Jillson, Willard Rouse. The Kentucky Land Grants.

• 1810 United States Federal Census Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Third Census of the United States, 1810. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1810. M252, 71

• 1820 U S Census; Census Place: Nicholas, Kentucky; Page: 113; NARA Roll: M33_20; Image: 125. Name: John Baker Birth Date1740 Birthplace North Carolina Volume 07 Page number 373 Reference Heads of fams. at the first U.S. census. NC. By U.S. Bureau of the Census. Washington, 1908. (292p.):36

• 1830 United States Federal Census Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1830. M19, 201

• "Baker Family Genealogy" Burton, Jackie T., and Barney Baker. Robert Baker Military Journal 1812 History & Copy Recorded Birth Dates Clay & Owsley Co. Kentucky Baker Family First Settlers Transcribed & Copy. Self-Published, n.d. (a copy of this is in the possession of Kathy Wills.)

• Military Pension U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc

• U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 National Cemetery Administration Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data - National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator.

• Bio American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Godfrey Memorial Library. American Genealogical-Biographical Index. Middletown, CT, USA: Godfrey Memorial Library.

• Kentucky History Connelley, William Elsey. History of Kentucky. Chicago, IL and New York, NY, USA: American Historical Society, 1922.