Jonathan Hamilton Baker

Virginia native Jonathan Hamilton "Ham" Baker came to Texas in 1858 with his brother G. W. Baker and his uncle Eli Young. Stricken by malaria while a teacher in Fort Worth, he later moved to Palo Pinto County where his uncle Frank Baker was homesteading. Here he opened a school, believed to be the first regularly organized school in Palo Pinto, and soon after helped establish the town's first Methodist church. In 1859 Baker was chosen to lead a company of local men organized to defend the area against Indian attacks. He first served under Capt. J. R. Baylor and later participated with Capt. Lawrence Sullivan Ross in the recovery of Cynthia Ann Parker, the white woman seized by Comanches in 1836. During the Civil War he served as the leader of the home guard. Baker was also an open range cattleman, and in 1869 he began driving his herds to Kansas railheads. Active in local government, he served as deputy sheriff, justice of peace, deputy postmaster and clerk of the county and district. In 1890 he moved to Granbury, where he became a successful nurseryman. For over 60 years Baker kept a detailed diary, which now provides a thorough account of his distinguished life and the frontier of Texas.

Jonathan Hamilton Baker is a historical marker in Palo Pinto, Palo Pinto County, dedicated in 1983. It is one of 45 historical markers documented in Palo Pinto County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 53 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.7674, -98.2991 near Palo Pinto. The nearest cataloged historic site is Courthouses of Palo Pinto County (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Palo Pinto County Courthouse, Palo Pinto Methodist Church, and Old County Jail.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5363002842. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.