Reverend Andrew Baker story

Contributed By

Rev. Andrew Baker (1749-1815 )

As described by The Baker Family History site at:

http://www.bakerdesign.com/bakerh istory/early_history.html

"He was born in Grayson Co.,Va.and later his family moved to Wilkes Co., N.C. where he grew up, along with his 14 brothers and sisters.

When Andrew was about 19 he met a young lady,Elizabeth Avent who was from Brunswich Co., Va. ( Brunswich Co. was about 150 miles northeast of his home.) They were married in 1769. Elizabeth was only 16, and Andrew was 20. Elizabeth was of French Huguenot descent, from an aristocratic family when she married Andrew. Her parents was against the marriage and disinherited her and told her never to return home. They had nine (9) children,seven boys, (Solomon, Henry, Andrew, Joseph, James, John, Elijah), and two girls, (Nancy and Martha.)

In 1773 Andrew acquired a farm located in Washington Co., Va., and was later Lee Co. ( At that time, Washington Co.included what was later divided up into nine counties. Washington, Lee, Wise, Dickerson, Buchanan, Scott, Russell, Tazewell,and Smyth). Henry was born in1774, and the Revolutionary War started in 1775. Children born during the war were: Andrew, Joseph, James ,and John .

The Watauga Settlement in upper East Tennessee was formed in 1772 and was joined by John Sevier and his family. Virginia officially organized Kentucky County in 1777. After a large migration of new settlers over the next 15 years Kentucky became a new state in 1792. By 1776, there were approximately 25,000 people living west of the mountains.Rev Andrew ,who at this time had become a Baptist minister, enlisted in the army and became a chaplin. He service was probably during the latter part of the war. In 1780 a group of these mountain men on the frontier, from the Watauga Settlement and from Wilkes, Ash, and other neighboring North Carolina counties, organized a small army and marched over the mountains. On Sept 20, 1780 Major Patrick Ferguson"s army of Loyalists were annihilated by the Frontier Army in the battle of Kings Mountain. This battle was followed by another equally victorious at Cowpens.

After the war they had three more children. Nancy,Elijah, and Martha . Elizabeth was 17 with the first baby and 38 when the last baby was born .Andrew and Elizabeth lived on this farm for another 24 years

Rev Andrew moved around among this area, starting Churches and Pastoring Churches ,Rev. Baker was one of the ablest, wisest, and most successful minister's in the area.Some of the Churches in which he preached and pastored were as follows:

Dutchman's Creek Church & Eatons Church

Fox Creek Baptist Church

Brier Creek Church, Wilkes Co. NC1781-1794

Eatons Church- formed 16 Dec 1790

Lewis Fork Church, Wilkes Co., NC 1792-1794

Sinclair's Bottom Church, Washington Co., VA

Providence Church, Yadkin Co. NC in1805

Thompson Settlement Baptist Church, Lee Co., VA 1811-1815

Andrew died in 1815 and Elizabeth lived there until her death in 1844. She was 91 years young. Andrew and Elizabeth are buried in a family cemetary located on top of a hill above their old farm. The DAR erected an honorary grave stone with an engraved plaque recognizing his service in the Revolutionary war."

http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/48605847/person/20433246399/mediax/1?pgnum=1&pg=0&pgpl=pid%7CpgNum