George Peter Baker

Peter was born in Strasbourg when it was a part of Germany (actually, Strasbourg became part of France, effectively, on Sept. 30, 1681, when Louis XIV marched into the city during the War of the Reunions - the Treaty of Ryswyck, signed Sept. 20, 1697, made the French annexation formal... therefore, in 1706, it was part of France).

Information on the Baker Hoax (members.tripod.com/~Crystal_J/Baker.2.html), as transmitted by Craig Hammerberg:

An example of how the Baker Hoax penetrated the American media and was legitimized can be seen in a write up of the Baker family in a published history of Somerset county (HIstory of Bedford and Somerset counties Pennsylvania by E. Howard Blackburn and William H. Welfley, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906) On page 172, it is written "He married Sarah Baker, a descendant of George Peters Baker, on the River Rhine, Germany. He was very wealthy. He had four sons and a daughter, who emigrated to this country about 1752. One son died soon after arriving here. The family was highly educated. The surviving brothers were surgeons and performed much government work. They possessed large estates in many sections of the United States. Prior to 1800 they were officers in the army, one Colonel Henry Baker, became a merchant and had ship at sea, also owned much land near Philadelphia Pennsylvania, where he died in 1801. Before his death his lands were leased for ninety nine years, and the business portion of the city today is located on this tract. By will his estate fell to his brothers, Jacob and Peter, and the sister Elizabeth. They resided in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania and later moved to Somerset county, where Jacob was killed by Indians around 1816. Peter emigrated to Ohio.Colonel Henry died single." This is the foundation of the Baker Hoax.

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Find A Grave page suggests (without sources):

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=129147688

George Peter "Ernest" Baker

• Birth: 1706, Germany
• Death: 1788 - Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA

Family links:

Spouse:

• Leah Ferree Baker (1715 - 1778)*

Children:

• Henry Baker (1730 - 1758)
• George Baker (1732 - 1802)
• Philip Baker (1738 - 1788)
• Peter Baker (1742 - 1824)
• Elizabeth Baker (1750 - 1830)
• Mary Baker (1755 - 1855)
• Jacob Baker (1764 - 1822)

Burial: Carpenters Graveyard, Paradise, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA

• Created by: Kim Garvey
• Record added: May 03, 2014
• Find A Grave Memorial# 129147688

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A genealogy for Jacob Baker can be found at genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/baker/20936. Here, Jacob Baker is the son of Jacob Becker who married Anna Maria in Pennsylvania. Jacob Becker was born in Germany in 1695 and immigrated to New York. He then moved to the Tulpehocken Settlement in Pennsylvania around 1734. He made a will which is recorded in Lancaster County, PA in 1772 and was dead by August 1, 1772 (Lancaster County Wills Volume C page 119). In the will Anna Maria was named his wife and Jacob his eldest son. According to this genealogy Jacob Baker, the son, died in Somerset County, PA in the 1790s. Could Jacob Becker and Peter Baker be related, possibly brothers? Both of their wills show them living in Lebanon Township, Lancaster, PA. This history of Jacob Becker is nice as it puts him and the Bretch family in the same areas, New York and Tulpehocken, PA.

Alternatively, Jacob Baker may be the son of Peter Becker. See will in sources which list Jacob as son and ELizabeth as wife. However Jacob Baker is listed in the Proceedings and addresses of the Pennsylvania-German Society, Volume 6, as being born October 1760. This is too late for this Jacob to marry and have offspring by 1770. Thus, it would appear that the elder Jacob Becker is the father of Jacob Baker.