Bill Baker and Wesley Baker

Time frame 1830 - 1930  Sneedville, Tennessee

I have letters my great grandmother, Martha Jane McCollum Rhea, wrote to my grandparents. The names of the people she writes about are familiar to me if they are family. The others made no sense until Sheldon found the box of photos. In two of her letters, she writes about the Bakers. Sneedville was a very small area with very few families. Most of them married each other so although I haven't tracked my family beyond 2nd cousins, I am probably related to everyone, at least by marriage.  

Bill Baker

On January 2, 1919 my great grandmother writes:

"Jack Baker and Emma and son Willie lives with the old folks. Jack is a worker." 

Here is a possible clue. The picture is Bill Baker and my great grandmother is talking about the son, Willie. 

On November 22, 1919, she writes: 

"John Jaynes paid 3000 for that strip between them and George Baker. Yes, Jack Baker, his wife, and boy of 7 or 8 years lives with his father and mother. They deeded the land to them at their death. Maggie Baker married Frank Seal." 

In this part of the letter, she doesn't identify the boy of 7 or 8, or the names of the parents. Still, again small town. If all the Rhea's are related, then all the Baker's are too. She goes on to say that Maggie Baker married Frank Seal. A lot of the Rhea's married Seal's. This is where I think we might be related by marriage. 

The picture of Wesley Baker is not very good but at least it is one of the photos with a name. Even though my great grandmother doesn't identify the rest of the family by name, Wesley Baker was probably related to Bill Baker. The fact that Jewelle had this photo tells me that he was important enough to save the picture, just like that of Bill Baker.