Frank Edward BAKER

Frank Edward BAKER

Male 1920 - 2011  (90 years)

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  • Photos
    Frank Edward BAKER
    Frank Edward BAKER
    Ron's father.
    Hazel KATHER BAKER and son Frank Edward BAKER about 1921.
    Hazel KATHER BAKER and son Frank Edward BAKER about 1921.
    BAKER Family Photo 2000
    BAKER Family Photo 2000
    Left to Right: Frank, Carole, Diane, Melinda, Elaine, Ron, David, Bill, Valerie and Richard
    Frank Edward BAKER and Jeanette PATE BAKER 1998
    Frank Edward BAKER and Jeanette PATE BAKER 1998
    BAKER Group Photo at Disneyland 2005
    BAKER Group Photo at Disneyland 2005
    Oktoberfest 2007
    Oktoberfest 2007
    Frank BAKER and Sons
    Frank BAKER and Sons
    Frank, Bill, David and Ron

    Albums
    BAKER FAMILY
    BAKER FAMILY (36)
    The Bakers came from Ramsey County, Minnesota, and prior to that, perhaps New York. Wyman BAKER, my gg grandfather is the earliest BAKER ancestor I can identify. He is buried in Appleton. His son, Frank, my great grandfather, came west to California at some point with his wife Margaret STRATHERN and son, William Edwin, my grandfather. They lived in the San Francisco Bay area and, perhaps, Napa. Frank, for whom my father is named, is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Rio Vista, California. The BAKERS and STRATHERNS were living near each other in Ramsey County in the 1880 census. William married Hazel Margaret KATHER about 1919 after he was discharged from the Army at the end of WWI. They had 3 sons, Frank Edward, Andrew (later named Robert) Eugene, and Warren Lorain. My dad, Frank was the last to die, in 2011.
    KATHER Family
    KATHER Family (15)
    The Kathers are a pioneer family of Napa, arriving there, as close as I can determine, in the 1860s. The scion is Charles Edward, who is married to a HALLER. I believe that HALLER\'S mother’s family may be BEGELSPACHER? All these names are in the Tulocay Cemetery in the Kather plot in Napa, along with others like GUISTO and SAMPSON. In the famly plot there are headstones for people that I am not sure how they fit into my family. They are \"Our Brother, Henry A. Kather, 1862-1929\" and \"Florence May, died Jan. 8, 1880 Aged 4 mos. 6dys\". We think Florence May could be the daughter of Edward Charles and Katherine ROSSINI KATHER because her headstone is the same type of headstone as the other small children of Edward Charles and Katherine.

    Edward Charles, son of Frederick Gustav (Charles), is my great grandfather. His bride was Katherine ROSSINI. How they met and courted is a great mystery.

    Edward was the town butcher, and did well in this capacity. At his funeral, Hazel flew into a tirade about how she was mistreated and how her father favored Mary SAMPSON, her cousin. The memory still haunts my father.

    Some evidence indicates that the KATHERS came to California by way of Louisiana and Texas. Not only were the HALLERS from New Orleans, but one KATHER brother was naturalized an American citizen in Travis County, Texas in the 1860s. The fact that there was a naturalization that late indicates they emigrated, probably to New Orleans, around that time, and likely from Germany
    ROSSINI Family
    ROSSINI Family (1)
    The fascinating story of the ROSSINI family would make a great novel and a movie based on it. The strapping Italian romeo Carlo Rossini for some reason emigrated to Australia (New South Wales) where he met and married an Irish lass with flaming red hair, Mary Margaret Bohne. Perhaps around 1855? Likely they were servants of rich families and traveled in the same circles. They had 4 children while in Australia, and took the giant step of emigrating to California around 1866. Legend has it that my great grandmother, Katherine, was born as the ship made its way through the Golden Gate. The Rossinis lived in a number of places in California including San Francisco, Alameda County, and Santa Cruz County. I do not know where Carlo (Charles) is buried, but I know that Mary is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Oakland.

    Katherine ROSSINI met and married Edward KATHER some time around 1890 and had 3 children, Mervyn, Sterling and Hazel. Katherine was said to be a concert pianist. My father remembers going to her home and fooling with her grand piano, and her being very stern with him about that. She inherited red hair from her mother. I have but one picture of her but it is very very blurry. She divorced Edward KATHER and later married Adolph WOLHERS. Katherine and Adolph had 2 children, Dorothy and Lester. Katherine is buried with her mother and at least one sister at St. Mary’s. No stone is on the grave, but I hope to have one done soon.
    STRATHERN Family
    STRATHERN Family (10)
    This summer (2005) Shirley and I went to Wisconsin and Minnesota. While she was able to make some progress with her OLIGNEY family in Wisconsin (between frequent visits to Culver’s, a great place to eat), I made some great discoveries of my BAKER and STRATHERN lines in Minnesota.

    I was able to find out a lot about the STRATHERNS, who were pioneers in the Rich Valley area of Dakota County, just south and east of Saint Paul. Indeed, I was able to find the resting place of my great grandmother, Margaret Brown STRATHERN BAKER, her father, William STRATHERN, and his father, William Sr, all three of whom are buried in the Pine Bend Cemetery in Dakota County, just across the highway from an oil refinery. The Masonic heritage of my family was present in the Strathern line as well.

    The caretaker of the cemetery was kind enough to provide the name of perhaps the only living Strathern in the area, that being Norma STRATHERN SELL. Norma is descended from Walter STRATHERN (her great grandfather). Walther is brother to my younger William, all of whom are also at Pine Bend. I talked with her and her kind husband Elroy at length, a conversation made more poignant by the fact that my sister, Melinda, died about an hour prior to my conversation. It is ironic but comforting that Linda learned of the Stratherns, and indeed likely met many other departed ancestors prior to my discussion with Norma and Elroy.

    The STRATHERNS were a wealthy family of farmers and were well known in the area. Norma and Elroy still live on a few remaining acres of the farm in Rich Valley. Because Wyman BAKER was seated on the first Grand Jury in Ramsey County MN, it’s likely that these two families traveled in some of the same circles. Small wonder that Wyman’s handsome son Francis met and wooed Bill STRATHERN\'S daughter Margaret. Oh, those cold Minnesota winters!

    We were able to find some very interesting documents including some photos of some of the STRATHERNS and, most precious, the obituary of my great grandmother Margaret Brown STRATHERN BAKER. While family tradition had it that she died on a train on her way back to Minnesota, the facts were a bit different. She left California after having been widowed when her husband Francis died. She spent several months staying with children in Montana, Minnesota, and Iowa, finally succumbing in Lauren, Iowa at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Grace Carpenter. No doubt there are more cousins there.

  • Name Frank Edward BAKER 
    Born 19 Dec 1920  Sacramento, Sacramento County, California Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died 16 Dec 2011  Roseville, Placer, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I1175  Our Genealogy
    Last Modified 14 Aug 2017 

    Father William Edwin BAKER,   b. 21 May 1890, Appleton, Swift County, Minnesota Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 27 Dec 1947, Spokane, Grant County, Washington Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 57 years) 
    Relationship natural 
    Mother Hazel Margaret KATHER,   b. 19 Mar 1895, Napa, California Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Nov 1989, Lancaster, Los Angeles County, California Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 94 years) 
    Relationship natural 
    Family ID F490  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Jeanette Marie PATE,   b. 29 Dec 1930, Monterey, Monterey County, California Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 12 Aug 2002, Sacramento, Sacramento County, California Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 71 years) 
    Married 11 Feb 1948  Las Vegas, Nevada Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. Valerie Suzanne BAKER,   b. 25 Sep 1948, California Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 19 Jan 2023, Denton, Denton County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 74 years)
     2. Frank William BAKER,   b. 25 Jan 1952, Kern County, California Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 9 Jul 2001, Aurora Colorado Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 49 years)
     3. David Lawrence BAKER
     4. Ronald Warren BAKER
     5. Elaine Theresa BAKER
     6. Melinda Constance BAKER,   b. 15 Jul 1957, Lancaster, Los Angeles County, California Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Jun 2005, Citrus Heights, Sacramento, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 47 years)  [natural]
     7. Diane Rosemarie BAKER
     8. Carole Jennifer BAKER
    Last Modified 14 Aug 2017 
    Family ID F478  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Marilyn Anne SHELTREN,   b. Between 1921 and 1922, Rawlins, Wyoming Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. UNKNOWN 
    Children 
     1. Richard Allen BAKER
    Last Modified 14 Aug 2017 
    Family ID F477  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart