View source for Andrew Baker



[[File:Stevenson%20Cottage.jpg|right|]][[File:Stevenson%20Cottage.jpg|right|thumb|[[Stevenson%20Cottage|Baker Cottage]]|, also known as Stevenson's Cottage ]] [[File:Andrew%20Baker%20tombstone.jpg|left|]][[File:Andrew%20Baker%20tombstone.jpg|left|thumb||Andrew Baker's tombstone in [[Pine%20Ridge%20Cemetery|Pine Ridge Cemetery]]| ]]'''Born:''' December 1, 1840, in Keeseville

'''Died:''' Last week of February 1924, buried in [[Pine%20Ridge%20B|Pine Ridge Cemetery]]

'''Married:''' [[Mary%20H.%20Scott|Mary H. Scott]] (1843-1924) of North Elba

'''Children:''' Grace Baker b ~ 1868; [[Milotte%20Ralph%20Baker|Milotte Ralph Baker]]; Clara Baker b~ 1874; twins born~ 1876 L. [[Blanche%20Baker%20Somerville|Blanche Baker]] (who married Dr. Lee Somerville) and R. [[Bertha%20Baker%20Vincent|Bertha Baker]] (who married J. H. Vincent) Only the twins were living when the 1900 U. S. Census was taken.

'''Andrew Jackson Baker''' a son of [[Milote%20Baker|Milote Baker]], was born in Keeseville, December 1, 1840, and moved to [[Saranac%20Lake|Saranac Lake]] with his parents in 1852. As a young man he began guiding guests at his father's hotel. In 1885, he began construction of a one and a half story house on a rise of land 100 yards north-east of the hotel. It was only the second house in the village to have an open fire-place.

In 1887, [[Robert%20Louis%20Stevenson|Robert Louis Stevenson]], at the height of his fame, spent the winter renting half of Baker's house in an attempt to cure his lung condition that may have been tuberculosis. There he wrote a number of his best essays, including ''Pulvis et Umbra'', and he began writing [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_of_Ballantrae|The Master of Ballantrae]].

Andrew Baker bought the first ticket on the new railroad when the [[Chateaugay%20Railroad|Chateaugay line]] reached Saranac Lake in December of 1887, the same winter that Stevenson rented rooms in the Baker house.

'''Sources'''

• Donaldson, Alfred L. ''A History of the Adirondacks'', New York: The Century Co., 1921 (reprinted by Purple Mountain Press, Fleischmanns, NY, 1992)
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'''''The Malone Farmer''''', Wednesday, March 5th 1924

Andrew J. Baker, probably Saranac Lake's oldest pioneer and one of the best men who ever lived in the Adirondacks, died at has home there—the house which became famous as the residence of Robert Louis Stevenson during his stay in that village—Thursday evening at the age of 83. Mr. Baker came to Saranac Lake with his patents in the early 50s and his father Col. Milotte Baker, established a hostelry at what is now the junction of Main and Pine streets which became famous in the early days of the Adironacks. The lad grew up there and became a guide to visitors at the tavern, a profession in which he became famous and which he followed for years. In early life he was one of the guides who piloted Governor Seymour on his historic trip through the mountains from Saranac Lake to the Mohawk Valley. It was with the Bakers that Stevenson and his party lived. Mr. Baker was one of the most kindly and honest men we ever knew and everybody held him in affection. There wasn't a coss-grained- streak in him. Only his wife and a sister, [[Emma%20Baker|Mrs. Hall]], who is spending the winter in California survive him. There were five children, two or three of whom lived to adult age, but all are now dead.

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