This collection contains Thomas Baker's three surveying books which document land and property ownership in southern Lancaster County, primarily Colerain Township from 1856-1902. Octorara Creek, Kirkwood, Christiana and Upper Oxford Twp. are among the place names.
Admin/Biographical History
Thomas Baker traces his ancestry back to Sir Richard Baker (1568), born in the county of Kent, England. In 1685, seven generations before Thomas Baker was born, Joseph Baker immigrated to Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Born in Chatham, Chester County to Lewis and Diana Baker, Thomas was well-educated; a teacher until 1840, when he commenced the study of surveying. Land surveying is the location of points on, above and below the surface of the earth and the relation of those points to a common reference system. Employed at Jonathon Goss, at Unionville Academy in Chester, he surveyed over 650 farms in Lancaster County's Colerain Township. He married in 1855; his family adhering to his Quaker faith. The Biographical Annals in Lancaster, published in 1903, describes Baker as "…a man esteemed by his neighbors for his many good qualities and excellent character, and in disposition he is a man of warm heart and kindly feeling."
Over 10,000 estate inventories, dating from 1682 to 1850, were examined to produce this record of possessions in an early rural county. The author provides lists of possessions broken down by type and by decade. For instance, the section on CLOTHING is broken down into 71 separate items, e.g. Pantalets, Pantaloons, Pants, Pelisse, Petticoat, Pocket, Pocket-book, Purse, Robe, Safe guard, Scarf, Shawl, Shift, etc. Within the tables for each item, the author may break down the item by color or type. For instance, in the CLOTHING>Apron table, there is a breakdown which includes the following: green, flowered muslin, green grazet silk, blue, blue holland, checked, white, leather, etc. The breakdown of possessions by decades can provide a general idea of when certain possessions were popular in Chester County. For instance, in the section TEXTILES> Velvet, velvet doesn't begin to appear until 1740 and becomes more popular from 1780-1810; but it becomes less popular in the period from 1820-1849. Each section begins with a dictionary with definitions of the separate items; for example a "safe guard" is "a sort of Dust-Gown, or Riding Garment, worn by Women; also a coloured Stuff Apron; also a swathing Bond for Children". Overall, this book is a unique compilation of local government records being used to understand patterns of ownership of household items.
Papers filed for construction and repair of bridges. The types of petitions presented to the Court of Quarter Sessions include: petitions for bridge construction and repair, petitions for inspections, and petitions for bridge funds. Other types of items include: specifications, proposals, and contracts for bridge construction and repair; bridge blueprints and plans; correspondence; bills for materials; and bridge condition reports. Many papers show date; court term and case number; names of petitioners, viewers, inspectors, and contractors; costs and fees; location of bridge; and name or number of bridge. The order and report of viewers documents are of particular interest as they usually include a copy of the original petition; the order and names of viewers to inspect the site; the public announcement for the viewers meeting; the report and recommendation of viewers, often with a drawing of the site and surrounding area; and the court decision.
System of Arrangement
Records are arranged by township, then chronologically within each township.