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."
The history and antiquities of the four Inns of Court, namely, the Inner Temple, Middle Temple, Lincoln's Inn, and Gray's Inn : and of the nine Inns of Chancery, to wit, Clifford's Inn, Clement's Inn, Lion's Inn, New Inn, Strand Inn, Furnival's Inn, Thavies Inn, Staple Inn, and Barnard's Inn : also of Serjeant's Inn in Fleet-Street and Chancery-Lane, and Scroop's Inn : containing every particular circumstance relative to each of them, comprized in the well known and justly celebrated work, written by Sir William Dugdale, and published in folio in the years 1666, 1671, and 1680, under the title of Origines juridicales, &c. : to which is subjoined an appendix, containing several modern orders made by the Society of Lincoln's Inn
the whole is published by desire of some members of Parliament, in order to point out the abuses in the government of the Inns of Court and Chancery ...
The law of bills of exchange, promissory notes, bank-notes, and insurances : containing all the statutes, cases at large, arguments, resolutions, judgments, decrees, and customs of merchants concerning them, methodically digested ; together with rules and examples for computing the exchange between England and the principal places of trade in Europe : also, the arbitrations of exchange ... illustrated with variety of examples
The office and duty of executors : or, A treaties directing testators to form, and executors to perform their wills and testaments according to law. Originally compiled by that judicious and approved author, Tho. Wentworth
And now enlarged with a supplement, containing divers matters and things not comprized in former impressions, relating to wills, executors, administrators, devises, legacies, &c. Collected from the common and statute laws, and methodically digested, rendring the whole compleat, and in all its parts conformable to the present time and laws now in force. With references to the several acts of Parliament and authentick books of reports both ancient and modern authorizing and approving the same. By H. Curson.
