My Genealogy Hound

J. D. BAKER, Fulton County, is the sixth in a family of twelve children born to James M. and H. W. (Gillespie) Baker, both natives of Virginia. The father of subject was born April 25, 1796, and is still living in Tennessee. The mother died December 13, 1882, aged seventy-five years. Subject was born at Halifax Court House, Va., December 13, 1835, and remained with his parents until twenty-four years of age. May 13, 1861, he enlisted in the Third Tennessee Volunteers, Confederate Infantry, remaining with that regiment until its reorganization in 1862, and then joined the cavalry command of Gen. N. B. Forrest. He was taken prisoner in 1863, while engaged in a small skirmish near the Tennessee River, and taken to Alton; Ill., where he was kept until June, of the following year, when he made his escape. He found employment at chopping wood near Alton, and soon obtained sufficient money to pay his passage to Hickman, where he was arrested the morning after his arrival. He was soon released, and starting to rejoin his command, which he supposed was stationed near the Tennessee River, was recaptured by a detachment, of Federal troops in Obion County, Tenn., and taken to St. Louis. There he fortunately met the man with whom he had chopped the wood after making his first escape. The man vouched for the prisoner being all right, and after satisfying the officer in command that he was not a Confederate soldier, he was allowed to have his liberty. He came back to Hickman, and made another attempt to rejoin his command, but was again arrested by the Federal authorities and taken to Cairo, Ill., from which place he was afterward paroled. After being paroled he returned to Hickman and engaged in farming, which he still carries on, in connection with gardening and the dairy business. Mr. Baker was married, in 1865, to Miss Hettie Carr, whose parents were natives of North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Baker are the parents of three children, Ella A., Willie F. and James T. Mrs. Baker is a member of the Baptist Church.