| Notes |
- From the Myrna Papers on Ancestry.
"This was a report given to the Kentucky Rifle's Association in 1972. It seems that the Association had employed Mr. Dyke to do some research for them. They wanted him to see if he could find out the person or persons responsible for making the first Pennsylvania Rifles or what was sometimes call the "KENTUCKY LONG RIFLE". Mr Dyke in his report states; "We feel as though these early gunsmiths came into Chester, Pennsylvania, or New Castle, Delaware, from abroad and migrated up the Susquehanna River to where the Pequea flows into it and set up shop making guns." He goes on to say that Robert Baker came into Lancaster Co., Court on August 15, 1719 and asked permission to erect a gun boring mill at the mouth of Pequea Creek on his land. Permission was granted. Robert Baker and his son Caleb set up their gun shop and operated it until 1728. It was at this time Robert Baker d.. His son, Caleb Baker, continued to operate this gun shop until the family moved to Amelia Co., Virginia.
The above Caleb Baker was the grandfather of Abner Baker, first Clerk of Clay Co.,. Although Abner Baker is the one of the most interesting of people, he is not the subject of our story. I only used his statements and those of Mr. Dyke to establish the fact that some of the Bakers now living in Clay and Owsley Counties can trace their ancestor's back to these early Pennsylvania Bakers.
Abner Baker, in his "Life Book", stated that his grandfather Caleb, had two brothers, Andrew and Samuel Baker. These two brothers would prove the most adventurous of this Baker Family. In the early 1750s Andrew Baker, John Cox, Enoch Osborn and several other neighboring families in Pennsylvania set out on a westward journey. This journey eventually led them into the Yadkin River Valley, in present day Wilkes Co., North Carolina. This small group of Pennsylvanians would be among the first to settle in the area.
Some of these people settled along the Yadkin River, others of the more adventurous nature, crossed the Blue ridge Mountains and settled along New River in what is now Ash and Allegheny Counties, North Carolina. No white man had attempted settlement here before. New River was known at the time only by it's Indian name "Saxphaw". It was here, along the south branch, Andrew Baker made his first home.
Andrew Baker remained in the area of New River until about 1753, He then decided to push even deeper into Indian country. He moved down New River into what is now Grayson Co., Virginia, very near the North Carolina line. Here Andrew staked out a large track of land he called his "Peach Tree Bottom" track. But the next summer, he and his family were run out by the Indians. He returned to his prior settlement on New River, where he would remain for the next ten years or so. He did, however, make one other attempt to settle his "Peach Tree Bottom" track. This was in 1767 or 1768. This time he encountered another problem. In Andrew's long absence, Dr. Thomas Walker, a surveyor for the Loyal Land Company, had staked and claimed the "Peach Tree Bottom" track, for his employers. He had to now purchase a 1000 acres of his orig. claim before he could resettle on it again. It seems that it just wasn't meant to be. The following year, he was once again forced out by the Indians and back to his old settlement. One might wonder why Andrew was so determined to settle this particular track of land. The answer lay in what was on and in this land, more so, than the land itself. For you see, one of the largest iron ore deposits in this area was discovered on the land. I think Andrew Baker, and at least one of his sons, were involved in the Iron business. His son James Baker and he built several large iron furnaces along Cranberry Creek, a tributary of the south branch of New River. The remains of some of these Iron Furnaces can be seen even today. They were at their peek production during the Revolutionary War.
Robert Baker, Sr. lived in Lancaster Co., PA, on Piquea Creek. He and his sons were gunsmiths in Lancaster Co., PA, in VA and in NC. They invented/developed the "Kentucky" Rifle and developed hand operated machines to cut the rifling in the barrel. From Bonnie Jean Miller Website."
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1660 - 1728 (67 years)
