1966 Autumn Quarterly News
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Man of His Time LONGYEAR MARK BAKER WAS NO FARMER Lake Winnipiseogee (Winnipesaukee) at heart. Although a son of the land, encouraged him to strike at Pigwacket, -, F 0 UN DATI 0 N he was also heir of a long line of an- headquarters of the Indians on the '-' cestors who had left imprints on their Frontier. Lovewell's men were greatly Quarterly News environments. His English ancestors outnumbered, and despite heavy losses were among the sturdy yeomen of Kent inflicted on the Indians, many of the AUTUMN, 1966 during the stirring activities of the company were killed, including the in- fifteenth and sixteenth centuries which trepid Lovewell himself. Although a wrested a measure of civil and religious defeat, the battle broke the power of freedom from the autocratic hands of the Indians and destroyed their com- Fragment King and Church. mander, Paugus, who had not only I see something of God each hour of Some became Protestants and about incited the Indians to raid the settlers, the twenty-four, and each moment 1640 Thomas Baker, who had been baptized in Elmstead but later lived in then, Ashford, County Kent, came to Massa In the faces of men and women I see chusetts after his excommunication by God, and in my own face in the the Diocese of Canterbury for non glass, conformity to Church requirements. He I find letters from God dropt in the had started life in Kent with a patri street, and everyone signed by God's mony of about eighty-five pounds and as a miller he doubtless increased this name, by the time he started for America. He And I leave them where they are, for I settled at Roxbury, not far from his know that wheresoe'er I go, brother Richard and his nephew John, Others will punctually come for ever who had preceded him by some three and ever. years. By 1652 he was operating his WALT WHITMAN own tide-mill in the Roxbury area From "Song ofo-M-yself," 1-&5 ---Where-foh~thalha- hundr€4 y~an; prior to the American revolution the Baker family were respected freemen Exhibitions and had acquired considerable land Gallery 2: A CONCISE SURVEY of from the government of Massachusetts M ARK BAKER (1785-1865) important steps in the growth of the in recognition of military service and Father of Mary Baker Eddy Christian Science movement; copies by purchase. of the original edition of Science and When Captain Joseph Baker, a third but had himself been spurred into Health and its six main reprintings, generation descendant of Thomas, mar action by the French, who coveted the together with the first editio~ of the ried Hannah Lovewell in 1739, he left rich New England area. Church Manual; portraits illustrating his comfortable home in Roxbury, and In recognition of their bravery, several departments of the church the young couple journeyed seventy-five Captain Lovewell and the men who organization. miles north into the wilderness of Sun served with him, were awarded grants Rotunda: PHOTOGRAPHS of in cook, now Pembroke, New Hampshire. by both the governments of Massachu formal views of the daily life at Hannah Lovewell had inherited land setts and New Hampshire in the Sun Chestnut Hill in Mrs. Eddy's time. awarded posthumously in 1727 to her cook area, a part of which was later Ground Floor Area: PORTRAITS OF father, Captain John Lovewell, the known as Pembroke and Bow. Hannah EARLY WORKERS, among them distinguished Indian ranger. Captain Lovewell received one-third of the a number of Mrs. Eddy's earliest John Lovewell had lost his life at Pig grant made to her father and Captain students; a sitting room where may wacket, now Fryeburg, Maine, while in Joseph Baker acquired additional land be seen the earliest known oil por command of a small company orga from her two brothers and co-heirs, trait of Mary Baker Eddy painted by nized with the permission of the Mas who lived in Dunstable. Eventually Edward P. Billings. sachusetts general assembly to fight the Captain Joseph and his wife owned the Indians. For many years various tribes entire grant which lay in Pembroke and Quaterly News, Autumn, 1966, Vol. 3, No. 3 of Indians had made frequent and Bow. Their eldest son, Joseph, married © Longyear. Foundation destructive raids on the settlements of Maryann McNeil Moore in 1762. They Sub>cription, $3.00 Annually. New England. Captain Lovewell's first settled in Bow on about 500 acres of Sent without charge to Friend> of Longyear Foundation. successes along the northern reaches of the Lovewell grant. Maryann Moore August 2015: Minor edits have been made to this newsletter to reflect new information that has come to light since the original publication. (or Moor) was the daughter of Cap George Sullivan, of wool specialist and tain William Moore and Mary McNeil, businessman, and Albert, of attorney. whose parents were John McNeil and Mark decided in 1835, after his his wife, Christian Kenney McNeil. In mother's passing, that it was time to the mid-seventeenth century, John's take a smaller farm in another com grandfather along with other members munity where the family would have of the clan McNeil had crossed from better educational advantages and a their native Scotland to northern Ire more interesting life. He moved to land and settled there. John and his Sanbornton Bridge in 1836. His son wife emigrated from Ireland to Amer Albert wrote his brother George ica in 1718. Sullivan on August 23, 1836: "Indeed Mark Baker, youngest son of Joseph I see no reason why he (Father) may and Maryann Baker, was born in 1785 not be satisfied. He lives in the neigh on the homestead familiar now to so borhood of two sanctuaries - a matter many as the birthplace of Mark's of great moment - two academies, a youngest daughter, Mary Baker Eddy. very pleasant village, society agreeable, The house had been built by Joseph, etc. etc." who also brought the land under culti MARK BAKER's DESK In his home life he was a strict vation. Mark lived with his father and Exhibited at Longyear Foundatio11 father whose theological sternness was mother and brought up his young fam to a degree neutralized by the gentle ily in the old Baker house. From his overlapped because the grants to Pem mother, Abigail. She was the daughter earliest days Mark Baker was in close broke were made by the government of of the much loved Deacon Nathaniel touch with community matters in which Massachusetts and those to Bow by the Ambrose of Pembroke whose forebears his father and grandfather participated. government of New Hampshire. had lived from the thirteenth century Both Joseph and his father, Captain As he grew to manhood Mark Baker in the Parish of Kersey, County Suffolk, Joseph, were active in their local came naturally to a position of respon until the great Puritan exodus from churches, Captain Joseph at Pembroke sibility in his community. For many that part of England during the first and Joseph at Bow. Both served as years he was agent for the poor and half of the seventeenth century (1630- selectmen in their communities and was Coroner for Rockingham County, 1645). One Henry Ambrose was bap both wete collectors orprovmciaf rev whrch then mcluded Bow. He served tized on June 2 I , 15 84 m St. Mary's enues. During the Revolutionary War, on the school board, was moderator of Church in Kersey. He was a yeoman, Captain Joseph, then beyond the years town meetings, and Clerk of his church. a substantial citizen with a family of of active service, was elected a member Repeatedly he acted as official agent five. A son Henry was baptized on of the Committee of Safety for Pem for Bow and helped settle the annual June 12, 1613 and became a carpenter. broke. His son Joseph was one of business of the town. Later, in San When his pastor Timothy Dalton of forty-eight men of Bow who volun bornton, he became Justice of the Woolverstone, near Ipswich, was sus teered to serve in the Revolutionary Peace for Belknap County. pended for non-conformity, Dalton War, but he seems not to have been None of his children wished to make joined the Puritan movement and came called. farming a life work and one after to America, bringing many of his fol Captain Joseph surveyed the land another of his sons chose other oc lowers among whom was Henry Am grants of Pembroke and Bow, which cupations - Samuel, that of mason, brose. They founded the town of Hampton, New Hampshire where Henry became a proprietor, building MARY BAKER EDDY'S FOREBEARS houses in New Hampshire and later in THOMAS BAKER (1607- 1683) m. 1639 ELIZABETH BEWLEY (Came to America ca. 1640) Massachusetts. Six generations later, in ~~------------------~ JOHN BAKER (1645- 1732) m. 1670 MARY--- direct line of descent, came Abigail Ambrose, who became the wife of THOMAS~~----------------~ BAKER (1676-1761) m. 1702 SARAH PIKE (1676 -1720) ~~----------------~ Mark Baker, and mother of Mary CAPTrAIN JOSEPH BAKER (1713/14-1797) m. 1739 HANNA~~o:O:,.::EL~ ~ :21 ~::~K=oy Baker Eddy. 1 (Came toArnc:rica1 1 in 1718) 1 Abigail's spirituality and understand 1 U . W11liam Moore m. Mary McNeil• 1 ing often comforted her children when ~ they came in conflict with Mark JOSrEPH BAKER (1740-1816) m. 1762 MAi::~;.;~;;~~~::~;~~~;:PYI Baker's strong Trinitarian Congrega l MARK BAKER (1785- 1865) m. 1807 ABIGAIL AMBROSE (1784-1849) tional convictions of a final Judgment (Sixth Baker generation in America) ~ Day, the dangers of endless punish ----MARY BAKER EDDY~ (Seventh generation in America) ment, and a Jehovah merciless toward unbelievers.