Joseph and Martha Woodward Baker
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| Martha Woodward born 1677 probably England died 12/13/1775 Chester Co, Pa |
Joseph Baker born 1673/74 England died Jan 17,1735/6 Chester Co, Pa |
| Married: Chester County, Pennsylvania
Children: Mary Baker born Jan 26,1699, died before Aug/1731; married Francis Yarnall. Richard Baker born April 21, 1700; married Elizabeth Hunter Aaron Baker born December 2, 1701; married Mary Edwards Anne Baker born August 18, 1703; married James Sill Susanna Baker born February 18, 1705; died unmarried Jane Baker born December 7, 1706; married Thomas Thomas Jesse Baker born March 19, 1709; married Ann Regester Sarah Baker born March 18, 1711; married Philip Ottey Joseph Baker, Jr., born February 5, 1713, died unmarried. Rachel Baker born Feb 5, 1715; married Benjamin Hampton Nehemiah Baker born November 19, 1716; married Lydia Regester John Baker born January 26, 1719; married Margaret There is a World Family Tree File which includes sisters Lydia and Ann Regester who married two of the Baker brothers. It includes the will of their father David Regester. |
The above information on Mary & Joseph's children is from The Encyclopedia of Biography, Vol XVII, page 141-143, by Winfield Scott Downs, (New York, 1944). This article states that Joseph Baker wrote his will 8/27/1731 and that it was proven 3/10/1735-36. A copy of the will is transcribed below (from Barbara Long Emery). Barbara tells us that Joseph's birthdate is given as 1 January 1674 in family Bible records. You will note some differences in the months of children's birth dates above and on the Baker Web Site. It is no doubt a difference in translation of dates by different sources. This is an excellent example of differences that can be seen when doing research. (See About Dates.) Some mention of Baker descendants is found in Bradford Monthly Meeting Records in Chester County, however there were many Baker families other than Joseph's, so it is difficult to make ties without researching the whole family in depth. Records for Joseph and Martha are not found there. Barbara Emery tells us that Martha was complained of by Women Friends of Chester Monthly Meeting 25th dy 11 mo, 1696, for an unspecified reason, possibly for marriage to one not of the Quaker faith. We do know some things about the family from Abstracts of Chester County Land Records, Vol. 1 by Carol Bryant. On 26 March 1713 Joseph & Martha Baker of Beaksland sold 48 acres to Shadrack Scarlet of Chichester. Joseph had acquired 140 acres by paying damages and costs of a sheriff's seizure. It was formalized by a deed on 23 December 1712. On 25 May 1713 Joseph and Martha of Edgmont sold 127 acres of a 502 acre tract that they had acquired on September 26, 1712. On 10 December 1713 Joseph & Martha Baker sold an additional 35 1/2 acres of the 502 acres that they had acquired in 1712. Joseph is listed as yeoman in all these transactions. Barbara Emery tells us he appears among the taxables of Edgmont Township in Chester County in 1696. She also found an additional deed in Chester County where he purchased land on 24 September 1702 in Upper Providence but sold it by 29 February 1704. There were a number of Baker land transactions in Chester County other than for Joseph and Martha, and it can be seen that there were numerous Baker families in the area. There are Baker families found later in North Carolina that may be connected to these families. We have not yet researched possible connections. Barbara Long Emery has a fine collection of information on the family of Joseph and Martha Baker including many family wills. She is willing to share information. Will of Joseph Baker (Courtesy of Barbara Long Emery)The Twenty-seventh Day of august in the year of our Lord one thousand Seven Hundred thirty-one, I, Joseph Baker of Edgmont in the County of Chester in the province of Pennsylvania, Yeoman, being very sick and weak in body, but of perfect Mind and Memory, thanks be given unto God therefore, calling unto mind the moratality of my body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men to dye, so make and ordain this my last Will and Testament. That is to say principally and first of all, I give and Recomment my Soul into the hands of God that gave it; and as for my body I Recommend it to the Earth, to be buried in a Christian Like and Decent manner, at the descretion of my executors, herinafter named and as touching Such worldly Estate Wherewith it hath please God to bless me in this life, I give Devise and Dispose of the same in the following manner and form.Imprimis I give and bequeath unto my loving wife Martha Baker the sum of Eight Pounds of Lawful Current money of Pennsylvania with Liberty and Privilege of my Lodging Rooms with my best Bedd beding and furniture thereunto belonging and my sd son Joseph Shall payher the Sd Sum of Eight Pounds a year and Every year during her natural Life and if it Shall so happen that he Shall neglect or Refuse to pay as afors'd, then she to Enter on the Plantation. Item. I give Francis Yarnall five shillings, and five shillings a piece to his three children. Item. I give to my son Richard five shillings, and five shillings a piece to his three children. Item. I give to my son Aaron ten pounds; I give to my Daughter Anne and her husband James Sill ten pounds. Item. I give my Daughter Susannah ten pounds; I give to my Daughter Jane and her husband Thomas Thomas five shillings and to their four children three pounds a piece to be paid them after all the Rest of the Lagasias (sic) be paid. Item. I give to my son, Jesse ten pounds. Item. I give to my daughter Sarah and her husband five shillings. Item. I give to Joseph the plantation to him and his heirs and assigns forever. Item. I give to my Daughter Rachel ten pounds. Item. I give to my son Nehemiah ten pounds and a riding Mare. Item. I give to my Son John ten pounds and a riding mare. Said Legacies as above bequeathed my Son Joseph Baker Shall Pay in manner following that is to say: he Shall not pay any until a year and a day after the Death of his mother, and then to pay from year to year untill all the Said Legacies Shall be paid, and my will is that all my personal Estate be appraised and Sold by publick vandue (sic) and all my just Debts and funorall Charges to be paid and Discharged with the same; and if there Shall be any more the same to be Equally Divided between my wife and my son Joseph; And I do hereby Constitute make and ordain my loving wife and my two sons Richard and Aaron Baker to be my only and Sole Executors of this my last will and Testament, and I do hereby Disallow, Revoke, Disa....all and every other formore Testaments, wills Legacies and Exocutors by me in confirming this and no other to be my Last will and Testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written. Signed, Sealed, Published, Pronounced and Declared.....Joseph Baker as his last will and testament in the Presents of us the Subscriber, viz: all the "leacies" to be paid by son Joseph in lawful money of Pennsylvania. /s/Evan (van) Howell /s/Eph. Jackson /s/ the mark of Joseph Baker /s/Sarah Howell (fingerprint) 10th Feb.__1735/36 Chester 10 Mar. 1735/36. There Personally Appeared Evan Howell, Ephriam Jackson and Sarah Howel the witnesses of the within written will who on their Solemn Affirmation did Declare they were present and saw the Testator therein named Sign, Seal Publish pronounce and Declare the Said Writing to be his Last will and Testament -- and that at the doing thereof he was of Sound mind and Memory to the best of their Understandings. Coram (?) Jo Parker D. Reg. Inventory of Joseph Baker (courtesty of Barbara Long Emery)A True inverterry of the persanall Estate of Joseph Baker Late of Edgment in Chester County Desseased taken the ninth Day of February 1735/36.to his Hors bridall and sadell purs [purse] and appearill 12 = 00 = 00 to Bands Bills and Book Debts 07 = 09 =00 to all the putter [pewter] excepting to [two] dishes 04 = 00 =00 to all the Earthen Ware 00 = 12 = 00 to one table fore [4] ould chears [chairs] 00 = 10 = 00 to three Pots and Hangins 01 = 00 = 00 to the Wooden Ware 00 = 11 = 06 to the Brass 00 = 12 = 00 to Tonga and fier Shevell gridiron and friing pann 00 = 08 = 00 to a pear of Halards [palards?] 00 = 14 = 00 to three peare of gards? 00 = 08 = 00 to tow spinning wheels 00 = 14 = 00 to a back Hone and hangin ? 00 = 10 = 00 to three beds, bedstid and fourneture 11 = 00 = 00 to one Chist [Chest] and tow bases 00 = 10 = 00 to one Chist of Drors one Chist and one Table 02 = 10 = 00 to one Warming Pan 00 = 08 = 00 to tow heckells for frax [hackels for flax] 00 = 10 = 00 [ a hackell is a board with a lot of close spaced spikes sticking up through which a bundle of flax is drawn to separate the fibers] to a botell Case and three botells and a Lantren 00 = 04 = 00 to ould iron and other ware 00 = 12 = 00 to a Cart and Cart Sadell collar and hames [harness parts] 09 = 00 = 00 to a ould Cart and back band [part of a harness] 03 = 00 = 00 to tow plows and plow irons [shares] and harrow 02 = 10 = 00 to three peare of Cart geers and bridell and holters 02 = 03 = 00 [in this instance geer means harness rather then equipment. Holters =halters] to fore [4] working horses 19 = 10 = 00 to one hors and one mare and coult [colt] 08 = 10 = 00 to all the Cow Kind 24 = 15 = 00 to twenty Sheep 08 = 00 = 00 [illegible[ 03 = 00 = 00 to the Crop of Whate [wheat] on the ground being completed by [illeg] in fixation six or seven and twenty ackers 20 = 00 = 00 to grine stone and hangin 00 = 11 = 00 to 5 axes 2 mattocks mal [maul] and wedges 2 spades and ould iron 01 = 18 = 00 to a Cubart [cupboard] 2 powdering tubs* and twenty barrells 02 =06 = 00 [* this is a tub in which meat is corned or salted] Total 150 - 9 - 0 (Note: units are pounds, shilling, and pence) Apreased by us the suberbers Hereof /s/David Regester /s/John Yarnall an omition of some goods at the Day of apeasement [appraisement] 1124 foot of boards 02 16 02 0402 foot of seantell[?] 01 04 0 10 bags 1 10 0 2 pich forks 00 02 0 |