
Jacob J & Caroline (Bollenbacher) Baker, St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio (2018 photo by Karen)
This is the tombstone of Jacob J. and Caroline (Bollenbacher) Baker, located in row 1 of St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:
BAKER
Caroline
1842-1914
Jacob J.
1840-1889
“Jacob” John Baker was born in Shelby County, Ohio, on 17 April 1840, the third child born to Johann Becker (1808-1888) and Barbara Catharina (Wiedmann) (1812-1894). Jacob’s parents were both born in Germany. The names Baker and Becker were often used interchangeably in older records and some branches of the family changed the spelling from Becker to Baker.
Jacob’s father Johann Becker immigrated to America in 1833 and married Barbara Catharina Wiedmann in Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in 1836, according to church records. Their two oldest children were born in Pennsylvania before the family moved to near Piqua in Shelby County, where their other children were born. They had at least seven children, six living to adulthood. The family moved to Mercer County, Ohio, in October 1853.
In 1860 Johann and Barbara Becker resided in Black Creek Township with their six children, including their son Jacob: John, 50; Barbara, 48; John P, 21; Jacob, 19; Louisa, 16; Catharine, 15; William, 11; and Henry, 9. [1]
Their son, today’s subject, Jacob Baker married Caroline Bullenbaugh in Mercer County, Ohio, on 18 June 1863. [2] That was the spelling of both their surnames on their marriage license. Bullenbaugh is another name that changed over the years and morphed into Bollenbacher.
Caroline was the daughter of John George Bollenbacher (1800-1889) and Maria Elisabeth “Henrietta” (Alt) (1805-1900), both German immigrants.
Caroline Bollenbacher was born in Bavaria on 1 June 1842 and came to America with her parents, arriving in New York on 7 May 1852. The family, as listed on the passenger list: George 48; Henrietta, 47; Catharine, 19; Jacob, 14; Adam, 9; Caroline, 7; and Carl, 5. [3]
By 1860 the George Bollenbacher family was settled in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, and had a Skeels Post Office: George Bollenbacher, 60; Henrietta, 55; Jacob, 22; Adam, 20; Caroline, 18; and Charles, 14. [4]
Their daughter Caroline married Jacob Baker three years later, in 1863. They resided with their children in Liberty Township in 1870: Jacob Baker, 29; Caroline, 28; Charles, 6; Anna, 4; Lewis, 3; and Caroline, 10 months. Jacob’s occupation was farmer. [5]
By 1880, Jacob, 39, and Caroline Baker had eight children, ranging from age 2 to 16 years: Charles, Anna, Louis, Caroline, Mary, Lydia, Jacob, and Henry. Jacob’s occupation was farming. [6]
Jacob Baker had a large farm about a mile east of Chatt on Tama Road. By 1876, Jacob was also the proprietor of a sawmill in Chatt, [7] in partnership with Adam Bollenbacher and William Gehm. Jacob accidentally lost his life at the sawmill on 6 June 1889, when he stopped the big circular saw to make a repair or to change a part. Someone inadvertently threw the belt, starting up the saw again, and Baker’s body was cut in two by the saw. He was only 49 years old. [8]
Baker’s body was reportedly the first in the community to be embalmed by Chattanooga’s undertaker John Allmandinger, and he was reportedly the first to be taken to the church and cemetery in the new black, horse-drawn hearse. [9]

Jacob J Baker, St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio (2018 photo by Karen)
The accuracy of the accident’s location varied in some newspaper accounts:
Jacob Baker, a wealthy farmer from Chattanooga, Mercer County, fell on a sbear [sic] [saber?] and was instantly killed. —Xenia Democrat News, Xenia, Greene, Ohio, 15 Jun 1889; MyHeritage.com.
Jacob Baker, of Mercer County, while standing near a large circular saw watching a man run the trucks toward him, on Thursday of last week, fell against the saw and was killed. –The Sidney Journal, Sidney, Shelby, Ohio, 14 Jun 1889; MyHeritage.com.
Jacob Baker of New Haven, O. [sic], was cut in two by a circular saw. –The Miamisburg Bulletin, Montgomery, Ohio, 21 Jun 1889; MyHeritage.com.
Jacob Baker, near New Bremen, O., fell against a circular saw and was cut in two.—The Evening Bulletin, Maysville, Mason, Kentucky, 15 Jun 1889; MyHeritage.com.
Jacob’s tragic death left his widow Caroline with nine children under the age of 20, the youngest under 3 years of age, and three older children, a total of twelve children.
In 1900, widow Caroline Baker resided with six of her children: Caroline Baker, 38; Jacob, 24, son; Henry, 22, son; Dewalt, 20, son; Hulda, 17, daughter; Fredona, 16, daughter; and Amelia, 13, daughter. She reported that all twelve of her children were living. [10]
In 1910 widow Caroline Baker lived with her daughter Lydia (Baker) Rothhaar and her family: George Rothhaar, 43; Lydia Rothhaar, 37; Raymond Rothhaar, 15; Clifford Rothhaar, 11; Ralph Rothhaar, 7; and Caroline Baker, 67, mother-in-law. Caroline reported that all twelve of her children were living. [11]
Caroline (Bollenbacher) Baker died at the home of her daughter Mary Stuckey, near Chatt, on 21 January 1914.
Mrs. Caroline Baker, a pioneer woman of the county, aged 71, died suddenly Wednesday evening at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Fred Stuckey, near Chattanooga. Death resulted from heart trouble, though she had been in ill health since early fall.
The deceased is survived by seven daughters—Mesdames Wm. Rothaar, of Dayton; Geo. Rothaar, near Chattanooga; Wm. Garmen, of Van Wert; Albert Garmen, of Chattanooga; Caroline Stuckey, of Berne, Ind.; Mike Linn and Fred Stuckey, near Chattanooga-and four sons, Jacob, Lewis, Henry, and DeWalt.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 10 o’clock at St. Paul’s Evangelical Church, with Rev. Samuel Egger in charge. [12]

Caroline (Bollenbacher) Baker, St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio (2018 photo by Karen)
Jacob and Caroline (Bollenbacher) Baker had the following children:
Charles William Baker (1864-1950), married Catharine Bauer
Anna H. Baker (1865-1940), married William H. Rothhaar
Lewis G. Baker (1867-1957), married Mary Koch
Caroline Christine Baker (1869-1953), married Christian E. Stucky
Mary Baker (1871-1963), married Fred Stuckey
Lydia P. Baker (1873-1941), married George F. Rothhaar
Jacob Adam Baker (1875-1960), married Kathryn Linn
Henry Christian Baker (1877-1956), married Margaret Koch
Theobald A. Baker [aka Dewalt] (1880-1961), married Clara M. Anselman Dewalt????
Hulda L. Baker (1882-1976), married Albert Oscar Germann
Fredona Dorthea Baker (1884-1964), married William Frederick Germann
Amelia Magdalena Baker (1886-1976), married Michael Linn
[1] 1860 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, p.88, dwelling 623, family 628, John Bachar [sic]; Ancestry.com.
[2] Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Mercer Marriages 1861-1887, p.45, John Jacob Baker & Caroline Bullenbaugh, 18 Jun 1863; Ancestry.com.
[3] New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1957, George Bollenbacher, 7 May 1852; Ancestry.com.
[4] 1860 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, p. 359, dwelling 1015, family 1020, Geo Bulenbaught [sic]; Ancestry.com.
[5] 1870 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, p.150A, dwelling 128, family 115, Jacob Baker; Ancestry.com.
[6] 1880 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 188, p.472D, dwelling 30, family 31, Jacob Baker; Ancestry.com.
[7] Mercer County, Ohio, Combined 1888 and 1900 Atlases and 1876 Map of Mercer County, Ohio, 1999, Mercer County Chapter OGS, p. 11 & 17.
[8] History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Scranton, 1907, p. 407.
[9] “Ohio’s Chattanooga: An Oil Town Of Yesterday,” The Daily Standard, Celina, Ohio, 28 Apr 1977.
[10] 1900 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 85, p. 12, dwelling 220, family 226, Caroline Baker; Ancestry.com.
[11] 1910 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 119; dwelling 338, family 298, George Rothharr [sic]; Ancestry.com.
[12] Caroline Bollenbacher Baker obituary, Find a Grave,com, Memorial no. 22502740, St. Paul UCC Cemetery.
A blessed Easter to you and yours! I look forward to your posts every week. Thanks so much!
Thanks, Deb! Happy Easter to you and your family.
Thank you so much. Happy Easter to you and your family.
Wishing you a very blessed Easter 2025! I, too, enjoy your blog posts. Thanks for taking the time to create…
Happy Easter! Thanks for all your blogs Karen. I really enjoy them. Deb