If you have been keeping track of
the numbers, you will see that I skipped number 9, which was
disaster. I couldn't find a woman within the time limits to write
about, so I have gone on to number 10.
I have chosen Catherine (Brown)
Baker, who was my half 2nd great-grandaunt. She was the
daughter of my 3rd great-grandmother Sarah Lollar and her
first husband, Thomas Brown. I find it very interesting that
Ancestry.com in their DNA ThruLines suggests that I have 20 matches
from Catherine's descendants, through 9 of her children. This makes
me quite confident that I am related to this “strong woman.”
Catherine should have been a
strong woman because she had 14 children and at least 13 of them
lived to adulthood. Maybe she learned this from her mother, who had
just 2 children from her first marriage, but 14 from her second
marriage to my 3rd great-grandfather, Thomas O'Neal. As
Catherine was the oldest daughter she was having her first 3 children
while her mother was having her youngest 3 children (1841 - 1845).
Catherine married her husband,
Oliver Baker, 17 Mar 1841 in Franklin County, Indiana, and they were
married for over 60 years until Oliver's death 30 May 1905 in
Delaware County, Indiana. This is another indication that Catherine
was a strong woman. She lived less than a year as a widow before her
death 25 Feb 1906, also in Delaware County. They were both buried
there in Union Cemetery, near Eaton. At least through 1900 Catherine
and Oliver lived in Franklin County. It was sometime before 1905 they
moved about 60 miles to Delaware County. Their son William was living
there in 1900.
On censuses (1860 – 1900)
Catherine was marked as unable to write, but apparently she could
read. I hope she was able to read the information about her son
Maxwell, who lived in Brookville, Franklin County, Indiana. A
biography for him was published in 1899 in the Biographical and
Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin Counties,
Indiana, Volume II, pages 929-931. It included the following
about her: “His parents are Oliver and Catherine (Brown) Baker,
worthy and esteemed residents of this county.”
Another time that Catherine needed
to remain strong was during the Civil War as she had 3 sons who were
the right age to fight. Her son Maxwell did become one of the
soldiers in Company A of the 35th Indiana Infantry. It
appears he was a substitute for someone else and joined near the end
of the war, 15 Oct 1864. The official records show that the 35th
Infantry was involved in the operations against Hood in north Georgia
and north Alabama until November 3. They participated in the
Nashville Campaign to the end of the year, including the battle of
Franklin on Nov 30 and the battle of Nashville Dec 15-16. In 1865
they moved to Huntsville Alabama and were on duty there until March.
They were involved in operations in East Tennessee until April 22nd.
I expect both Maxwell and his mother were happy to know the War was
ending as Lee signed the document of surrender on April 9th
and other generals were signing until the official end of the War on
26 May 1865. The 35th Infantry went to Nashville until the
middle of June when they were sent to New Orleans. Later they served
in Texas until mustered out 30 Sept 1865. Maxwell served long enough
that he did get a pension in 1890.
It has been a delight to learn
more about this relative of mine, Catherine (Brown) Baker, a “strong woman.”
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