BENJAMIN L. BAKER was born August 28, 1845 in Shelby County, Indiana, the son of George and Elizabeth (Hollis) Baker. In the fall of 1850 the family went to Page County, Iowa. Benjamin was still at home in Iowa on the 1860 census. In 1869, the family moved to Johnson County, Missouri, but Benjamin went to Arizona. He’s listed on the 1870 and 1880 census in Prescott, Yavapai County. He was first a Mail Carrier in the mountains, then later the Stage Superintendent in Prescott. Benjamin was a part time prospector and filed mining claims everywhere he went, but apparently never struck it rich. He always kept a full time job as well. Ida Lee was born 15 July
1862 in Buckeye, Colusa County, California. She had a daughter, Frances,
born Feb. 1880 in Santa Barbara. Frances was from Ida's first
marriage but used the surname Baker. In July 1880, Ida was divorced and in
Prescott, Arizona and lived with a Shull family as a servant. The
daughter, Frances, was not with her then, but was with Ida and Benjamin
later. Note: Benjamin was the Stage Superintendent in Prescott at the time that Doc Holliday and the Earps were living there. The population of Prescott was only 1,200 people.
The
following is his obituary:
Obituary
from "The Butte Daily Miner"
Benjamin L. Baker Butte, Montana Baker--at
the family residence, 1750 Grand Avnue, Nov. 4, 1916,
Benjamin L. Baker, in the 68th year of his age, beloved husband of Mrs. Ida Baker, father of Mrs. J. F. Hirt of Densmore, Cal., Mrs. Ernest Hardle of Boulder, Mont, and F. C. Baker of this city. The remains will be removed from Sherman & Reed's Undertaking Parlors to the family residence this Sunday morning, where the funeral will take place this evening at 6:00 o'clock. Cremation will take place in Spokane. Please omit flowers. The
following newspaper articles are from The Arizona Miner, Prescott,
Arizona.
Thanks to
The Arizona State Archives for some of
them. |
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