Ancestry of Lois Baker Part II - Gideon Baker

Gideon Baker was the son of Thomas Baker and Thomas' wife Appolonia. He was born 1743 in Poughquag, New York and died 28 June 1825 in Mt. Tabor, Vermont. Gideon was a Loyalist at the time of the American Revolution. In 1781 he got involved in a political incident. Chief among the accused were Solomon Baker and Samuel Tid, "disaffected persons" who "did lurk secretlyin Pawlings Precinct being lately withdrawn from the enemies lines". Specifically how Gideon was involved is not known but he was a cousin of Solomon Baker and because of a petition made by him we know that he was imprisoned with the others. Solomon Baker, called "an important Loyalist" was hanged in Poughkeepsie in 1781. Gideon and others were held in jail until released for lack of evidence. Gideon petitioned the Governor for freedom saying:

To his excellency the Governor; Poughkeepsie Gaol September 13, 1781. I as a petitioner humbly beg your excellency's patience to hear my petition. I acknowledge I have not gone in the line which I ought to have done. It was not done with wish of reward or prejudice to my neighbors but out of safety to my self and family. Being ignorant concerning the laws in such matters and do therefore beg in humbleness of heart and soul your excellency's pardon for that breach of the law and will for the future be carefull to do everything that in my power lies to detect all things of that kind and that in my power lies, which resolution I do fully and freely determine to prosecute and do believe my officers are convinced of my sincerity in this matter and shall endeavor to git them to come down and declare their mind to your excellency concerning this matter. Begging your excellency will graciously pardon my offence so that I may return to my family which is in great difficulty on many accounts being large and helpless which makes me very oneasy on account of their poverty and distress so I might recommend these broken hearts of my family begging your excellency may take them into consideration.

Somehow that long final sentence sounds poignantly down the ages with the intensity of Gideon's worry, grief (and probably guilt) about the situation in which he had left his "large and helpless family.

We know that the first child of Gideon's second wife was born in 1783, only two years after the time spent in jail. Did his first wife, Mercy, die during this same period? His son, David, through whom the line descends was the fifth and final child of Mercy. David was born in 1775 in the Beekman Patent and although he may have gone to Vermont with his father, he married and lived in Peru, Clinton County, New York. I will discuss David Baker in the next post.