California Biographies

Transcribed by Peggy Hooper

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives 
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

Source:
History of the state of California and biographical record of the San Joaquin 
Valley, California. An historical story of the state's marvelous growth from 
its earliest settlement to the present time.
Prof. James Miller Guinn , A. M.
The Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago 1905
Notes: Missing Page: 865-866,983-984,1175-1176


RICHARD BAKER. A life distinguished for its moderation, contentment and peace is that of 
Richard Baker, the inheritor of New England thrift and reliability, and the owner of a ranch 
of forty acres three and a half miles north of Newman. This genial farmer is a familiar figure 
in this section, having lived here since 1884, engaging in alfalfa and hay raising, and pursuing 
always the even tenor of his ways. Undoubtedly the same kind of existence was pursued by many 
of his ancestors in Hampshire county, Va., where he was born February 9, 1832, and which also 
was the birthplace of his parents, Richard and Mary (Martin) Baker, and the scene of the agri- 
cultural activity of his grandfather, Michael Baker. Both of these sires participated in the wars 
of their adopted country, the former in the war of 1812. in which he acquired the rank of cap- 
tain, and the latter in the war of the Revolution, espousing the cause of the downtrodden colonists. 

The Virginia home of the Bakers was a modest one, yielding a livelihood which permitted of 
few advantages for the six sons and two daughters, of whom Richard was the second oldest. 
He was permitted such education as was obtainable in the rural schools of Hampshire county, 
but eventually became dissatisfied with his prospects in the Old Dominion and looked around for 
broader opportunities. In 1853 he took the initial step toward reaching the coast, making his way 
overland to Missouri, where, the following year, he joined a caravan bound for the land beyond 
the Rockies. Driving an ox-team the most of the way, he eventually came to San Jose, but the 
same year went further south to Mexico, and engaged in raising cotton for a year. The experi- 
ment proving disastrous, he returned to San Jose, and in 1866 went to Hollister, remaining until 
1884. The fall of that year he came to the San Joaquin valley, bought his present farm, and has 
ever since lived here alone, save for the help required to harvest his products. Mr. Baker has 
never felt called upon to identify himself with political or other public undertakings, although 
he votes the Democratic ticket, and is a steady attendant of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 
He is highly respected for his quiet and unostentatious life, for his honesty and uprightness, and 
for his generosity in aiding those less fortunate than himself.