An archive of the Baker family of New Jersey; consisting of family letters, manuscripts, legal documents, genealogical material, photographs, letter book, two volumes, and ephemera.

Looe Baker (1780-1854) was born into a New Jersey Quaker family; in 1801 he obtained a job as a commercial cotton trader in Natchez, Mississippi Territory. In 1805 he married Eliza Baker nee Wardell (1781-1821), also from a New Jersey Quaker family; together they had seven children though only two survived to adulthood. Eliza Wardell Baker was precocious and talented, a voracious reader and published writer; she contributed essays to New Jersey newspapers, mostly under the pseudonym of “Jersey Girl.” After Eliza Wardell Baker’s death from consumption in 1821, Looe Baker married Sarah Morris Kean (widow of Colonel Peter Kean), and adopted her three children. Looe Baker died in 1854 and was buried in Morristown, New Jersey. William Chapman Baker (1809-1901) was the son of Looe and Eliza Wardell Baker; during his lifetime he lived throughout the United States, including Morristown, New Jersey, New Orleans, Louisiana, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. W.C. Baker was a banker, a buyer of wholesale silk and a real estate investor. In 1842, he married Kate Stuart (1820-1853) and together they had five children; after Kate Baker’s death, W.C. Baker married her sister Mary E. Turner (1814-1878), and they had one child. During a trip to England W.C. Baker became interested in family history and thereafter collected a large amount of genealogical material for the Baker and Stuart families. W.C. Baker died in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the age of 92.

498 pieces in 10 boxes (9.3 linear feet)

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.

The collection has been fully processed and is available for research. The majority of the collection is in good condition and may be copied; for any questions about the collection, please contact reference@huntington.org.