George L. Baker Biography

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. 
	Ogle & Co., Chicago, 1898. Pages 476-477

	Scan, OCR and editing by Joy Fisher, jfisher@sdgenweb.com, 1999.

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GEORGE L. BAKER.-This name will be readily recognized by the citizens of Britton 
and vicinity as that of a wide-awake and progressive member of the business 
population of that city, who is the proprietor of one of the leading drug stores 
of Marshall county.

Our subject is a son of Richard Baker, who was born in County Cork, Ireland, May 
5, 1818, and there learned the art of brewing, and which he followed in Canada 
for a number of years, having migrated to that country when a young man.  While 
in Canada he married Sarah Raycroft, also a native of County Cork, where she was 
born December 6, 1822.  Nine children were born to them, of whom the subject of 
this sketch is the first born.  About 1848 Mr. Baker moved to La Salle, 
Illinois, where he lived and followed the occupation of brewing until about 
1860, when he moved to a farm in Bureau county, near the village of Ohio, 
Illinois. He bought land there and made that his home until 1881.  He then moved 
to Watertown, South Dakota, and at once filed a homestead in Clark county, near 
Elrod, but continued to live in Watertown for about one year.  He then moved to 
his farm and has since made that his home.

George L., the subject of this sketch, was born in La Salle county, Illinois, 
November 22, 1850.  He attended school in his native town and lived on a farm 
for a number of years.  In 1877 he opened a meat market in the town of Ohio, 
Bureau county, Illinois, and continued in that business until 1882.  Selling out 
that business he then went to South Dakota and settled first in Mellette, Spink 
county, took a homestead, and lived there one year.  He then went to Watertown 
for a short season and from there he went to Brown county and for one year lived 
on a claim which he still owns.  In 1884 he moved to Britton and conducted the 
Arlington hotel from July until October, being its first landlord.  The hotel 
building has since become the property of the county and is being used as a 
court house.  In the fall of 1884 he traded the hotel for a full stock of drugs, 
which he sold in 1885 to accept the position of post-master at Britton under 
Cleveland's administration.  He was also chief bookkeeper for R. C. Libby, the 
miller, for a period of four years, and on January 1, 1898, he again engaged in 
the drug business and today has one of the most complete stocks in northern 
South Dakota.

May 16, 1877, at Boone, Iowa, Mr. Baker married Miss Kate Fagan, a native of 
Bureau county, Illinois, where she was born March 25, 1852.  To this union have 
been born three children:  Edward, George and Claude.  The oldest two were born 
in Bureau county, Illinois, and the youngest in Groton, South Dakota.  Mr. Baker 
is a Democrat and has been probate judge of Marshall county for two years.  He 
has also been village clerk and member of the village board.  He is a Royal Arch 
Mason, a Knight Templar and a member of the A. O. U. W.  Mr. Baker is one of the 
earliest settlers in this part of the county.  When he moved to Britton the 
nearest railroad was at Andover, and his name is closely identified with the 
history of the growth and prosperity of Britton and that part of Marshall 
county.