David Davenport Baker (1819 - 1873)

Born 29 Jun 1819 in North Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Baker — married 3 Sep 1838 in Macon, North Carolina, United States

Died 30 Aug 1873 at age 54 in Kansas, United States

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Biography

David Davenport Baker (see research note) was born 29 June 1819 in North Carolina to Martin Alexander Baker and Elizabeth Buchanan^[1]. In the 1820 and 1830 Federal Censuses, David was likely counted in the household of his father, Martin, in Burke County, North Carolina (see early census research note).

David married Mary Baker on 3 September 1838 in Macon County, North Carolina^[2]. Mary was born 16 April 1806 in Buncombe County, North Carolina to Thomas Baker and Susannah Wiseman^[3][4]. David and his bride were half cousins - they shared the same grandfather (David Baker) but each were descended from a different wife of that common grandfather (see diagram).

In the 1840 Federal Census, David and his family lived in Cherokee County, North Carolina^[5]. It is likely that his wife, and young son Thomas, were also counted in his household (see early census research note).

Sometime during the year 1849, David moved his family to Kentucky^[4]. In the 1850 Federal Census, David and Mary lived in Pulaski County, Kentucky^[6]. Also in their household was their next six children^[6] (their youngest, Thomas, had passed away).

In 1851, David moved his family again, this time to Iowa^[4]. In 1852, David and his family were living in Columbus City, Louisa, Iowa^[7]. It is likely his wife, four sons (William, John, Martin, James), and two daughters (Susan, Nancy), were also in his household (see early census research note). His father, Martin, lived next door^[7]. David and his family continued living in Louisa County, Iowa in 1854^[8], but moved to Leavenworth County, Kansas Territory (see research note) the next year^[4].

In the 1860 Federal Census, David and his family lived in Kickapoo Township, Leavenworth County, Kansas Territory^[9]. David's profession was noted as "farmer"^[9]. In the 1865 Kansas State Census, David and his family continued living in Kickapoo Township (now in the State of Kansas)^[10]. Also in the household were David's son-in-law, Thomas Henry Cox (husband of daughter Susan), and grandson James (son of Thomas Henry Cox and Susan Baker)^[10].

In the 1870 Federal Census, David and Mary continued living in Kansas, but now in Walnut Township, Atchison County^[11]. David was a farmer while Mary was keeping the home^[11]. Also in the household were their two youngest children, James and Mary^[11].

David and Mary had at least nine children together:

1. Thomas Martin b. 1839 d. 1842
2. William Harvey b. 1841 d. 1924
3. John Flournoy b. 1843 d. ?
4. Martin Alexander b. 1844 d. ?
5. Susan Elizabeth b. 1845 d. ?
6. Clarissa Katherine b. 1848 d. ?
7. Nancy Ellen b. 1850 d. ?
8. James Melville b. 1852 d. ?
9. Mary Almira b. 1854 d. ?

David was 54 years old when he passed away. He died on 30 August 1873 in Kansas^[1][4]. He is buried in Kickapoo Memorial Cemetery located in Kickapoo, Leavenworth, Kansas^[12].

Research Notes

Two Different David Davenport Bakers

This David Davenport Baker has the same name as his uncle (father's brother). This David Davenport Baker was born in 1819 while his uncle was born in 1801. They are often conflated.

Analysis of David Davenport Baker within Early Census Records (1790 - 1854)

David Davenport Baker was mapped through multiple early census records. This analysis starts with a proposed list of family members (obtained from the Pamunkey Bakers website), and then adds assumptions (e.g. whether or not someone was present in the household in that census year, or in what age group an individual was counted, etc.) to that list in order to achieve the counts of family members, by age group and gender, noted in each census. Over the early census years (1790 - 1852), it is likely that David appeared in two households:

1. Google Sheet for household of Martin Alexander Baker (father of David). David was likely in his father's household in 1820 and 1830. Very few assumptions were made to match the counts published in these two censuses.
2. Google Sheet for household of David Davenport Baker. After his marriage to Mary, David was the head of his own household. Very few assumptions were used to match the counts published in census years 1840, 1852 (State Special Census of Iowa), and 1854 (State Census of Iowa).

Kansas Territory

What is now the State of Kansas was originally part of the Territory of Missouri. The Territory of Kansas was formally organized on 30 May 1854 from land within the Territory of Missouri. A portion of the Territory of Kansas was admitted into the United States of America as the State of Kansas on 29 January 1861.

Bleeding Kansas

It appears that David and his family emigrated from Iowa into the Kansas Territory during the lead up for the popular vote that would decide whether the future State of Kansas would outlaw slavery or not - a period of time that is termed "Bleeding Kansas". When the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed in 1854, it repealed the Missouri Compromise (which had outlawed slavery in territory north of latitude 36°30' north), and created two new territories (Territory of Kansas and Territory of Nebraska) from land within the Territory of Missouri. Each of these new territories would determine whether slavery was legal or not by popular vote of the citizens of that territory. Many people immigrated into the Territory of Kansas in order to influence the outcome of this vote: pro-slavery "Border Ruffians" travelled from Missouri, and anti-slavery "Free-Staters" came from New England, Ohio, and Iowa.

Because David and his family arrived in Kansas after emigrating from Iowa, it would be tempting to assume that he was anti-slavery. No record has been found, however, to support David having this, or any other, political stance.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} “Person Page - 3 - David Davenport Baker, M, b. 29 June 1819, d. 30 August 1873” published within The Pamunkey Bakers - Descendants of the Bakers of Colonial Virginia and the North Carolina Mountains. Pamunkey Baker Association, November 22, 2008.
2. ↑ "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 ," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP9F-GYN8 : 28 November 2018), David Baker and Mary Baker, 3 Sep 1838; citing Macon, North Carolina, United States, p. , North Carolina State Archives Division of Archives and History; FHL microfilm.
3. ↑ “Person Page - 8 - Mary Baker, F, b. 16 April 1806” published within The Pamunkey Bakers - Descendants of the Bakers of Colonial Virginia and the North Carolina Mountains. Pamunkey Baker Association, November 22, 2008.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} 2 May 1895, Page 5 - The Leavenworth Weekly Times of Leavenworth, Kansas at Newspapers.com. Newspapers.com. Accessed 22 Nov 2020. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63654138
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYZ-7PH : 21 November 2020), David D Baker, Cherokee, Choctaw, Alabama, United States; citing p. 239, NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm. Note that FamilySearch has indexed this image to the wrong location (Cherokee, Choctaw, Alabama instead of Cherokee County, North Carolina). Review hand-written text on right side of image that is 16 images earlier to confirm this error.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M65K-M3C : 4 April 2020), David D Baker, Pulaski county, part of, Pulaski, Kentucky, United States; citing family 318, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Ancestry.com. Iowa, U.S., State Census Collection, 1836-1925 [database on-line, requires paid subscription]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Original data: Microfilm of Iowa State Censuses, 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925 as well various special censuses from 1836-1897 obtained from the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest. County: Louisa; Division: Columbus City; Image 2 of 4; Row: 23; Name: David D. Baker. Note: An alternative source is a text transcription of the 1852 State Special Census of Iowa, Louisa County, All Towns published by IAGenWeb. Searching the text transcription for "Baker" should bring you to the data transcribed for Columbus City and the entry for David D. Baker. Next to David is his father, Martin Baker.
8. ↑ Ancestry.com. Iowa, U.S., State Census Collection, 1836-1925 [database on-line, requires paid subscription]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Original data: Microfilm of Iowa State Censuses, 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925 as well various special censuses from 1836-1897 obtained from the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest. County: Louisa; Division: Columbus City; Image 8 of 8; Row: 23; Name: Daved D. Baker. Note: An alternative source is a text transcription of the 1854 State Census of Iowa, Louisa County, All Townships published by IAGenWeb. Searching the text transcription for "Baker" should bring you to the data transcribed for Columbus City Twp and the entry for David D. Baker.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M66Q-X31 : 11 November 2020), David D Baker, 1860.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} "Kansas State Census, 1865", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL6Z-6LW6 : 12 March 2020), David B Baker, 1865.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2} "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCJF-GGP : 18 March 2020), D D Baker, 1870.
12. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 22 November 2020), memorial page for David Davenport Baker (29 Jun 1819–30 Aug 1873), Find A Grave: Memorial #205139512, Kickapoo Memorial Cemetery, Kickapoo, Leavenworth County, Kansas, USA ; Maintained by Mary King (contributor 48753521).