Thomas Vester Baker

Thomas Vester Baker was born in either Perry Co., KY, Pike, Co., KY or Wise Co., VA, 25 Mar 1832, depending on what record you are reading. He died 20 Mar 1909 at Texas Ridge, Latah Co., ID and was buried in the Elwood Cemetery where he has a fine marker on the grave of himself and his wife. His brother Henry Baker's wife, Mary Short Baker, is buried next to them. She was the sister of Thomas Baker's wife.

Thomas Baker married three times. He married 1st Matilda ESTEP 5 Jul 1852 in Pike Co., KY by William Hatfield, J.P. She was born 1837 in Pike Co., KY, the daughter of John FRAZIER ESTEP and Sarah E. NORMAN. She died 27 Oct 1860 in Portsmouth, Scioto Co., OH according to Thomas Baker's pension papers. He married 2nd Olivey OSBORN 14 Jun 1861 in Buchanan Co., VA. She was born 1832 in Scott Co., VA. Olivey was the daughter of Benjamin OSBORN and wife Luan. She married 1st to a JACKSON before 1860. She died in 1863 and Thomas Baker married 3rd Nancy Ann SHORT 19 Jan 1864 in Louisa, LawrenceCo., KY. She was born 8 Mar 1840 in VA. Nancy was the daughter of Charles SHORT and Ann MULLINS. She died 14 Apr 1928 in Deary, Latah Co., ID and was buried in the Elwood Cemetery, Latah Co., ID with her husband.

Thomas Baker moved many times in his childhood and in his adulthood. His father was on the census in 1830 Perry Co., KY, 1840 Lee [Wise] Co., VA and in 1850 in both Pike Co., KY and in Tazewell [Buchanan] Co., VA. Thomas Baker married his first wife, Matilda Estep, in Pike Co, KY and their children were reported as born in Pike Co, KY until they moved to Ohio where his wife, Matilda, died shortly after the birth of their 4th child. Thomas then returned to his father's home and married Olivy Jackson in 1861 in Buchanan Co, VA. This marriage is not mentioned in his pension papers and was of short duration. It does say in his pension papers that on the 23 November 1862 he was enrolled at Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a private in Capt. Isaac E. Gray's Company D, 39th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry of the Union Army and was honorably discharged at Louisville, Kentucky on the 15 September 1865. At the time of his enlistment he was 5'8" tall, fair complexion, blue eyes, dark hair and his occupation was farmer.

Thomas Baker was on the roll of the 39th Regt. from his enrollment until 1863 when he was reported sick during May and June and in the General Hospital in Ashland, KY. William Baker, the brother of Thomas, had joined Company D on the 15 November 1862 when they were both reported as having mustered in 16 Feb. 1863 at Peach Orchard, KY. In March of 1863 they marched from Peach Orchard, KY 18 miles to Louisa, KY and in April of 1863 they marched 80 miles to Pikeville, KY where they fought and captured the rebel Col. French and his regiment and returned safely to Louisa, KY. It was after this that Thomas Baker took sick and was in the hospital. In June of 1863 they marched again to Pikeville where part of the Regiment proceeded to Pond Creek, 30 miles, and fought the enemy nearly all day. Part of the Regiment at the same time, in company with other troops, marched to Gladeville, VA where Col. Condit and his men were captured and brought off in triumph. The whole regiment then marched to Louisa, KY.

So we see from this Regimental history that the 39th was stationed in Louisa, KY and that was where Thomas Baker met and married his third wife, Nancy Ann Short in January of 1864. In June of 1864 the Regiment after marching from Louisa, KY nearly to Pound Gap, VA pursued rebel General Morgan to Cynthiana, KY by way of Mt. Sterling, KY, a distance in the whole march of about 300 miles and thence to Lexington, KY. In July of 1864 they marched to Mount Sterling, KY and in Sept. of 1864 to Saltville, VA, a distance of about 225 miles, marching back to Lexington via Prestonsburg, Louisa and Mount Sterling KY. In April of 1864 they marched from Louisa to Licking River in Magoffin Co, KY and captured rebel Col. Clay and his regiment after fighting him for about four hours.

In his pension application in 1908, Thomas Baker reported that after the war he lived in Scioto, Co., OH for two years, Adams Co., OH for two years, Stearns Co., MN for 36 years and Latah Co., ID after that. But on the census he was living in Pike Co., KY in 1870, Meeker Co., MN in 1880 and Stearns Co., MN in 1900. He had four children with his first wife and eight children with his third wife and all of this large family moved from Minnesota and settled in Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

Courtesy of Gwen Boyer Bjorkman

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