M. 5 May 1681 in Concord, Massachusetts2
Wife: Elizabeth Dutton
D. 8 Jun 1702 in Concord, Massachusetts3
The ancestors of people who trace back to Puritan New England are often shadowy because they had a common first and last name. For William Baker, there’s only certainty about where he lived, when he married and when he died — and the many descendants he produced. Sloppy research has led to mixing him up with another man by the same name, William Baker born on October 19, 1655 in Ipswich, but that was definitely a different man.
The William Baker of this biography was born sometime during 1650s, likely in Concord, Massachusetts.1 His parents were William and Mary Baker who lived in Concord by 1656. William Sr. was missing from a list of Concord residents dated March 6, 1654,4 and this has led some to jump to the conclusion that he must have migrated from England between the two dates. But this is highly unlikely since Puritans pretty much stopped leaving England during the 1650s; the persecution against them took a break while the Cromwells were in power. More plausible is that William Sr. was elsewhere in Massachusetts in March 1654, or he was left off the list by mistake. As for his origins in England, he’s impossible to trace because of his name.
After William came of age, he got married to a woman named Elizabeth Dutton, with the wedding taking place on May 5, 1681 in Concord.2 William and Elizabeth had seven children between 1682 and 1696, two of whom died as infants. All of these births were noted in Concord records, which don’t offer up many more details of the family.
The period of time when William was farming his land and raising his family was fairly uneventful in that part of Massachusetts. King Philip’s War had ended Indian aggression there, and the 1680s and 1690s were peaceful in Concord. William seems to have kept a low profile; a 1689 list of freemen in the town (those eligible to vote on local issues) do not include his name. Likewise, his name doesn’t appear in town histories, and he probably had little to do with civic matters in the community.
When William’s wife Elizabeth died on April 7, 1698,5 four children were still underage, and this is likely the reason he remarried. There is some confusion, though, over whether he had one or two more wives. Some think he had a brief marriage with a woman named Sarah; a town record stated, “Sarah the wife of William Baker died September 1, 1699.” Other researchers say that William married a woman named Abigail Ballard, but there’s no record of that marriage either. William passed away at Concord on June 8, 1702.3
Old Burying Ground in Concord where William was likely buried. (Source: Find-a-Grave)
Children:
1. Mary Baker — B. 28 Mar 1682, Concord, Massachusetts;6 M. Thomas Whitney (1681-1747), 26 Jul 1704, Concord, Massachusetts7
2. Elizabeth Baker — B. 15 Sep 1684, Concord, Massachusetts;8 D. 23 Jan 1757, Concord, Massachusetts;9 M. (1) John Woolly, 29 Nov 1711, Concord, Massachusetts;10 (2) Joseph Stow, 16 Jul 1719, Concord, Massachusetts11
3. Susannah Baker — B. 25 Aug 1686, Concord, Massachusetts;12 D. 5 Jun 1748, Plainfield, Connecticut;13 M. Samuel Spaulding (1686-1749), 22 Oct 1705, Concord, Massachusetts14
4. Thomas Baker — B. 25 Jun 1689, Concord, Massachusetts;15 D. 9 Dec 1690, Concord, Massachusetts16
5. John Baker — B. 6 May 1692, Concord, Massachusetts;17 D. 3 Aug 1692, Concord, Massachusetts18
6. Sarah Baker — B. 15 Aug 1693, Concord, Massachusetts;19 D. 16 Feb 1743, Concord, Massachusetts;20 M. Nathaniel Bell (1692-1749), 31 May 1711, Concord, Massachusetts21
7. Joseph Baker — B. 8 Jan 1696, Concord, Massachusetts;22 D. 3 Sep 1761, Littleton, Massachusetts;23 M. Alice Jefts (1691-?), 11 Dec 1716, Concord, Massachusetts24
Sources:
1 Estimated birth data based on age at marriage and place of marriage
2 Marriage record of William Baker and Elizabeth Dutton, Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
3 Death record of William Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
4 The History of Concord, Massachusetts, Volume 1, Alfred Sereno Hudson, 1904
5 Death record of Elizabeth (Dutton) Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
6 Birth record of Mary Baker, Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1635-1850, 1891
7 WikiTree listing for Mary Baker
8 Birth record of Elizabeth Baker, C., M., M., B., M., & D.
9 Find-a-Grave listing for Elizabeth Stowe
10 Marriage record of John Woolly and Elizabeth Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
11 Marriage record of Joseph Stow and Elizabeth Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
12 Birth record of Susannah Baker, C., M., M., B., M., & D.
13 WikiTree listing for Susannah (Baker) Spaulding
14 Marriage record of Samuel Spaulding and Susannah Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
15 Birth record of Thomas Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
16 FamilySearch listing of Thomas Baker
17 Birth record of John Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
18 Death record of John Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
19 Birth record of Sarah Baker, C., M., M., B., M., & D.
20 WikiTree listing for Sarah (Baker) Ball
21 Marriage record of Nathaniel Bell and Sarah Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
22 Birth record of Joseph Baker, C., M., M., B., M., & D.
23 Death record of Joseph Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
24 Marriage of Joseph Baker and Alice Jefts, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
