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Category: Baker Family

  • Alice (Baker) Power’s Diary: March 1947

    Alice (Baker) Power’s Diary: March 1947

    And now, let’s see what’s happening down in East Jeddore in March 1947. The wood has been sawed up and the fishing boats have been launched.

    Saturday March 1, 1947:
    I am passing down the valley
    they say is so lone

    Sunday March 2, 1947:
    Bud down getting
    3 more teeth out
    Enos + Jim with him

    Monday March 3, 1947:
    I washed Earl
    hung clothes out
    to dry My cold isnt well

    Tuesday March 4, 1947:
    Hon came home
    on the Bus tonight
    a nice fine day

    Wednesday March 5, 1947:
    Hon up home and
    up to Ednas
    for dinner

    Thursday March 6, 1947:
    Hon down to Elsies
    for supper
    Ralph + Elsie here tonight

    Friday March 7, 1947:
    Hon going back
    on the Bus tomorrow
    morning Anna here for tea

    Saturday March 8, 1947:
    Bud went up to
    Roses to stay
    overnight

    Sunday March 9, 1947:
    Maurice here this
    afternoon
    Doris here for dinner

    Monday March 10, 1947:
    hauling pretty well done
    Hall sawed 3 hours for
    us today cost 5.50

    Tuesday March 11, 1947:
    Hall finished sawing
    our wood this morning
    had 8 ¾ hours cost $5.50

    Wednesday March 12, 1947:
    Sawed Robs and Ross
    Arnolds wood. Sawing Ralphs
    tomorrow cost him 6 dollars

    Thursday March 13, 1947:
    Blessed are the
    mercyfull for they
    shall obtain mercy

    Friday March 14, 1947:
    I washed and cleaned
    up the room and
    Buds room today

    Saturday March 15, 1947:
    I had my work all
    done early and cleaned
    up before dinner

    Sunday March 16, 1947:
    Arnold Ralph + Elsie here
    for tea We all went up
    to Ednas tonight

    Monday March 17, 1947:
    Mason and Jim launched
    their Boats.
    Ralph + Elsie here tonight

    Tuesday March 18, 1947:
    launched our Boat
    and Ralphs today
    Snowed 1 inch last night

    Wednesday March 19, 1947:
    Pass me not oh gentle Saviour
    hear my humble cry
    While on others thou are calling
    do not pass me by

    Thursday March 20, 1947:
    Earl + Bud finished spliting
    firewood yesterday 19

    Friday March 21, 1947:
    Saviour like a shepherd lead
    us. Much we need
    thy tender care

    Saturday March 22, 1947:
    Saviour Saviour hear my
    humble cry While on others
    thou are calling do not pass me by

    Sunday March 23, 1947:
    Albert here for dinner
    Edna and Wilson here
    for tea 24 people here today

    Monday March 24, 1947:
    I washed and ironed
    Ralph + Elsie here
    for dinner

    Tuesday March 25, 1947:
    thunder and lightning
    tonight Pop went home 8 o’clock

    Wednesday March 26, 1947:
    Uncle Rob launched
    his big Boat

    Thursday March 27, 1947:
    Earl got his Bounty
    $7.80 Anna + Enos here
    for tea Lobster licence came

    Friday March 28, 1947:
    Snow Storm
    Bud + Ralph got their
    Bountys 6.80 each
    Pop not down tonight

    Saturday March 29, 1947:
    Troubled heart thy
    God is calling. He is
    drawing very near

    Sunday March 30, 1947:
    Saviour Saviour hear my
    humble cry While on others thou are
    calling do not pass me by

    Monday March 31, 1947:
    I washed and was
    over to Evas sewing on my quilt top

  • Alice (Baker) Power’s Diary: February 1947

    Alice (Baker) Power’s Diary: February 1947

    And now, let’s see what’s happening down in East Jeddore in February 1947. Sounds like there’s some sickness going around.

    Saturday February 1, 1947:
    I had my work
    all done and
    cleaned up before dinner

    Sunday February 2, 1947:
    Fred and Edna
    here for supper

    Monday February 3, 1947:
    I started my fourth
    mat this is the
    last for this year

    Tuesday February 4, 1947:
    (Little Rob’s birthday) Ralph Elsie and
    Edna here tonight
    I was hooking

    Wednesday February 5, 1947:
    No snow or no
    hauling so far this
    winter

    Thursday February 6, 1947:
    Edna down and
    made Ice Cream
    for us

    Friday February 7, 1947:
    Hon came home
    on Bus tonight
    finished my fourth mat

    Saturday February 8, 1947:
    Bless the Lord
    oh my soul
    Bless his holy name

    Sunday February 9, 1947:
    Hon up to Annas
    Ralph + Elsie here tonight

    Monday February 10, 1947:
    I washed and
    ironed Electric light
    man here. Bill was 268

    Tuesday February 11, 1947:
    Hon gone back on the
    Bus. Anna gone in
    for her teeth

    Wednesday February 12, 1947:
    Oh what peace we often
    forfeit

    Thursday February 13, 1947:
    Earl and I up to Edna
    for supper
    I made Hons baby clothes

    Friday February 14, 1947:
    Fulton here hauling
    hardly any snow

    Saturday February 15, 1947:
    Fult gone home
    just hauled 1 ½ days
    cost us 9 dollars.

    Sunday February 16, 1947:
    Bud down Dr. Wilson
    went asleep and got
    20 teeth out

    Monday February 17, 1947:
    He wept that we may weep
    each sin demands a tear In heaven
    alone. no sin is found and there no weeping
    there.

    Tuesday February 18, 1947:
    I washed Earl put
    clothes out. I have
    Bronchitis so bad

    Wednesday February 19, 1947:
    Bud and I have
    awful bad colds
    his gums are paining.

    Thursday February 20, 1947:
    Earl + I up to Roses
    Earl painted green + yellow
    on the Boat Bud isn’t well

    Friday February 21, 1947:
    Snowing + raining
    Bud and I have
    bad colds

    Saturday February 22, 1947:
    Let your lower lights be burning
    send a gleam across the
    wave

    Sunday February 23, 1947:
    Mason here for supper
    I dont feel well have
    a bad cold + bronchitis

    Monday February 24, 1947:
    a big snow storm
    12 inches down now
    teams hauling tomorrow

    Tuesday February 25, 1947:
    Bless me oh my Saviour Bless
    me, As I bow low at
    thy feet

    Wednesday February 26, 1947:
    Fulton hauling
    for us today
    lots of snow down

    Thursday February 27, 1947:
    Ralph finished hauling
    helped Fulton haul
    for us this after noon

    Friday February 28, 1947:
    Fulton finished hauling
    our wood. 22 loads
    cost 24 dollars

  • Alice (Baker) Power’s Diary: January 1947

    Alice (Baker) Power’s Diary: January 1947

    And now, let’s see what’s happening down in East Jeddore in January 1947. It’s a new year and it looks like my great-grandmother is sure busy making mats.

    Wednesday January 1, 1947:
    New Year’s Day
    Lord guide and keep us
    forgive our many sins
    May we all love and serve thee more

    Thursday January 2, 1947:
    Alan, Rose, and family
    were down with Otis
    yesterday New Year’s

    Friday January 3, 1947:
    Ralph + Elsie here for dinner
    We were down there
    tonight (snowing)

    Saturday January 4, 1947:
    When upon life’s billows you are tempest
    tossed and you’re discouraged thinking
    all is lost, count your many blessings

    Sunday January 5, 1947:
    Mr. Jim Chase brought
    Olive home today.
    Alan + Ralph here for dinner.

    Monday January 6, 1947:
    I finished my first mat
    this winter Fred here
    for dinner about 2 inches of snow

    Tuesday January 7, 1947:
    Earl & Bud started
    to chop our fire wood
    down on Ralph’s land

    Wednesday January 8, 1947:
    Oh what peace we often forfeit
    oh what needles pain we
    bear.

    Thursday January 9, 1947:
    Olive and I hooking
    some on my second
    mat this winter

    Friday January 10, 1947:
    I am safe when by
    thy side. I would in thy
    love abide

    Saturday January 11, 1947:
    Coldest night
    roads awfull icy and
    snowed some today
    Ralph up tonight

    Sunday January 12, 1947:
    Olive + Robbie down
    to Elsies. came
    home for supper

    Monday January 13, 1947:
    I washed and got
    clothes dry
    a nice cold fine day

    Tuesday January 14, 1947:
    Ralph walked out to
    the channel on ice
    Earl got 2 rabbits

    Wednesday January 15, 1947:
    I finished my second mat.
    raining tonight

    Thursday January 16, 1947:
    Saviour like a shepherd
    lead us. Much we need thy tender care

    Friday January 17, 1947:
    Olive washed
    this morning. gone up to Annas afternoon

    Saturday January 18, 1947:
    Olive + Robbie up to
    Ednas this after
    noon

    Sunday January 19, 1947:
    Mr Jim Chase came
    after Olive + Robbie
    they went back 2 oclock

    Monday January 20, 1947:
    I have a bad cold
    in my throat and
    chest.

    Tuesday January 21, 1947:
    When we walk with
    the Lord what a
    light he shows on the way

    Wednesday January 22, 1947:
    Anna + Edna here
    hooking I got some
    tablets from the doctor

    Thursday January 23, 1947:
    There’s peace and
    contentment in
    serving the Lord

    Friday January 24, 1947:
    I had a letter
    from Hon today.

    Saturday January 25, 1947:
    Earl + Bud cutting
    fire wood down
    on Ralphs land.

    Sunday January 26, 1947:
    Lord you know my
    heart is weary I am
    tired of living wrong

    Monday January 27, 1947:
    I washed and
    ironed a fine day.

    Tuesday January 28, 1947:
    I started my third
    mat. a nice fine warm day

    Wednesday January 29, 1947:
    Anna, Edna, + Elsie here hooking for me
    Ralph + Uncle Rob here

    Thursday January 30, 1947:
    Earl + I up to Ednas
    tonight. awfull
    cold out no snow

    Friday January 31, 1947:
    Bless me oh my Saviour
    bless me. As I bow
    low at thy feet

  • Photo Post #22 | Manny Baker and his garden

    Photo Post #22 | Manny Baker and his garden

    As a child my family travelled to Nova Scotia each summer to visit my Grandad Alan Mills. One of the highlights of our trips was always a visit with Manny Baker.

    Manny was my Mom’s first cousin. His mother Edna (Power) Baker (I always knew her as Aunt Poode) and my Nan Rose (Power) Mills were sisters. He lived in what can only be described as a parklike setting on Baker’s Point in East Jeddore.

    I was absolutely in awe at Manny’s property. There were ducks, geese, chickens, flowers, and fruit trees galore. Manny was also a genealogist and was a bit of an inspiration to me to get into this hobby.

    So, this week I want to share pictures I came across in one of Nan’s photo albums of Manny and his wonderful “park.”

  • Belsnickeling: A Christmas Tradition Like No Other

    Belsnickel as depicted by artist Ralph D. Dunkelberger in Alfred L. Shoemaker, Christmas in Pennsylvania: A Folk-Cultural Study (Kutztown, PA: Pennsylvania Folklore Society, 1959), 75.

    When you think of Christmas, I bet most people think about Santa Claus, the Nativity, family gatherings, tree decorating, carols, big feasts, and exchanging presents. But, what about some guy dressed in fur and antlers who visits your home a week or two before Christmas to check whether you’ve been good or bad?

    That’s the gist of something called Belsnickeling. If you’re a fan of the TV show The Office you might’ve seen an episode where one of the characters dresses up as a Belsnickel for the company Christmas party. Now, I first heard of “the Belsnickels” from my Nan, Rose (Power) Mills.

    She was born and raised in East Jeddore, a small rural fishing community, in Nova Scotia. It seems her family and neighbours partook in Belsnickeling. I don’t know how common Belsnickeling was in the broader Jeddore community or when it ceased to a “thing.” My Mom, who was born in Oyster Pond Jeddore thirty years after my Nan, never heard of it until her mother retold the stories to us. And, what stories they were.

    Apparently, a group of men would knock on the door in the lead up to Christmas. My Nan described them as having antlers and being dressed in furs or pelts. Sometimes, they wore a mask for disguise and carried a stick to tap on the floor. They rang bells that were tied to their waist.

    The Belsnickel would ask the children if they had been good or bad. They often demanded the children perform songs and then asked them for a small gift. This usually involved my Nan and her siblings going to the cellar to fetch a potato for them. Then, they were off…singing merrily on their way to the next house.

    When my Nan told me about the Belsnickels, I thought it was the most bizarre (not to mention petrifying) Christmas tradition that I had ever heard of. Must’ve been a Jeddore thing, I thought. But, after doing some digging, I have learned that Belsnickeling is a very old tradition practised in parts of the world for centuries.

    It’s rooted in German origins. The Baker family of Jeddore came to Nova Scotia from Germany, so I can only assume this is the connection to my Nan’s family. Nan’s mother was a Baker and they lived amongst other members of the Baker family.

    If you want to learn more about the Belsnickel tradition, check out the links below. In the meantime, if you hear a knock on the door in the days before Christmas there might be a man dressed in furs and antlers on the other side of the door. You might be getting a visit from the Belsnickel.

    Additonal Links:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belsnickel

    https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/what-is-belsnickeling-unpacking-a-holiday-tradition-among-most-nova-scotians-1.4188284

    https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-tuesday-edition-1.4922290/nova-scotia-belsnickeling-is-real-and-here-s-a-photo-to-prove-it-1.4922302

    https://www.visitpaamericana.com/holidays/what-or-who-is-belsnickel

    https://www.mcall.com/entertainment/mc-xpm-2013-11-29-mc-belsnickel-christmas-pennsylvania-dutch-20131129-story.html

  • Obituary for Ephraim Baker

    Ephraim Baker was my third great grandfather. He was born about 1840 on Tancook Island in Mahone Bay in Nova Scotia. Later, his father Frederick Baker moved the family to East Jeddore in Halifax County.

    Ephraim commanded a fishing boat named the Mary Jane. On December 18th, 1876 a snow storm caused the boat to run on a sandbar near Halifax. He and another crewman drowned.

    The following obituary appeared in the Christian Messenger on January 10th, 1877:

    Christian Messenger – Wednesday, 10 January 1877 – Page 14 –

    Jeddore, Dec. 26th, 1876.

    Mr. Editor, –

    A cloud of gloom is hanging over this harbour, caused by the wreck of a large fishing-boat owned by Mr. Ephraim Baker. She left here on Monday, the 18th inst., for Halifax, loaded with fish. The wind being ahead and moderate, the crew thought it best to run back again rather than stay out over night. But when they came within two or three miles of the harbour, the wind breezed up from the S.E. Though late in the afternoon, they now concluded to run for Halifax. As night came on the wind increased, and brought snow with it. In the snow and darkness they ran on Thrum Cap shoal. Mr. E. Baker and F. Gould left the wreck in a small boat, and were lost in the breakers. The remainder of the crew – five in number, remained on the wreck until she broke up, when the deck, with them on it drifted ashore. The bodies of the two men drowned, were recovered next day, and taken on board the schr. Princess, owned by Mr. Enos C. Baker, brother of the deceased, and brought home on Wednesday. Mr. Ephraim Baker, was in the prime of life, aged 35 years, and an honoured member of the Baptist Church in that place. He leaves a wife and four children to mourn the loss of a kind father and loving husband. He will be greatly missed in the community, as well as in the family and the church. We trust his bereaved partner – also a loved member of the church, will be enabled by faith to pierce the gloom, and behold the bright lining beyond, for oft,

    “God moves in mysterious way,
    His wonders to perform;
    He plants his footsteps in the sea,
    And rides upon the storm.
    Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
    But trust him for his grace;
    Behind a frowning providence
    He hides a smiling face.”

    With what power and eloquence such events proclaim the words: “Be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” I hope the event – sad as it is, may prove beneficial to many of the large number present at his funeral on the 24th inst. But impressions made by such events too often prove “like the morning cloud and the early dew.”

    Yours &c.

    Jas. Meadows.