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."
Signers of petition: Hiram Watson, Benjamin Witmer, Abraham Huber, Samuel Summers, Christian Brenneman, Jacob R. Miller, Christian Kreider, John Tombow, John C. Smith, John Nagle, Siles Winter, George Martin, James Passmore, George Hart, Daniel Resler.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Signers of petition: Henry Hart, Matthias Wilson, James Rice, W. A. Crawford, Hugh [O'Laid], Theodore Crawford, Edmund E. Rhoades, John J. Porter, [unknown signature], Henry Galen, John Smith, Benjamin Welson, Matthis McComsey, Simon Hart, Henry Appleton, Mathis Myers, L. Morton.
Possible additional signatures: John Spence Jr., Henry Smith, Henry Rees, Henry Good, [ ] S. Hough, Tilman Thompson, David K. Haverstick.
1 item, 1 piece
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Signers of petition: George Getz, Henry Mayer, Jacob Mauk, Jacob Sener, Frederick Hoffman, Jacob Brubaker, Benjamin Bear, Emanuel Wertz, John Ream, John Kauffman, William K. Martin, [signature in German].
1 item, 1 piece
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Located on the road leading from Lancaster to the Buck Tavern.
April term.
Signers of petition: Samuel Herr, Christian Brenneman, Hiram Watson, C. Breneman, John Nagle, David Snavely, Martin Huber Jr., David Huber, Samuel Huber, Benjamin Herr, Benjamin Huber, Henry Rush, John Smith, George Martin, John Strohm.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Signers of petition: Jacob Kreider, Daniel Fulton, Jacob Bostick, William J. [Stroebe], George T. Clark, John McCallister, Thomas McCorran, William Cross, Christian Shultz Sr., Joseph Gochenour, Jonas Urban, John Williamson, Henry Andrews, Henry Gall, Robert Cohick, Philip [Hitts], John McMullen, William J. Hess, Jacob King, Obed Werfel, John Houser, Francis B. Groff, James Morrison, [ ] Phillips, Abraham Snavely, Benjamin Long, Benjamin Long, Benjamin Rowe Sr., P. H. Gochnauer, Lewis Urban, Henry M. Kreider, John Charles, M. W. Schindel, John Cole, Samuel Martin, John Eberly, John P. Long, Henry Diffenbaugh Jr., Samuel Gardner, Robert [Laire], Samuel [Horace], Christian Yordy, Jacob Hibble, Samuel Hess, Samuel Charles, Jacob Acman, Jacob House, Isaac Houser, Benjamin Fritz, Daniel Eckman, Benjamin F. Sides, Amos Groff, John F. Sterrett, T. W. Housekeeper, C. W. Shaub, George H. Kling, Christian K. Howry, John Rohrer, Emanuel Stetter, John Gochenour.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Signers of petition: Nathaniel Smith, Henry Isenbarger, David Mowrer, Jacob Cramer, Abner Peoples, Henry Wimer, Samuel Ressler, J. R. Rohrer, Joseph Herr, John Miller, Josiah [McMullen], John Raub, Daniel Huber, Martin Herr, Emanuel Winter, John Clark, Samuel Summers, John Huber, Samuel Hart, John Eshleman, [signature in German], George Kreider, John Tombow, Peter Miller, David Summers, Andrew Reese, John Mann, John Bleacher, Benjamin Coughnour, John Varly, Adam Varly, Michel Finefrock, James Howet, Henry Sprout, George [Harman], Henry Harman, Amor Reynolds, Joseph Gochenour, Henry Lefever, Jacob Leaman, George Hart, John Peoples, A. W. Baldwin Jr., [unknown signature], Joseph Winter, Benjamin Winter, Simon Winters Jr., Simon Winters Sr., Socrates Miller, Henry Reese, William [McMullison], Daniel Resler, Daniel Lefever, Siles Winter, Joshua Winter, Jacob Isenbarger, John Kepperly, Henry Reinhart, Peter Krug, Daniel Brenneman, Thomas Robinson, John Huber, Peter Ross, Emanuel Reese, Samuel Harman, Henry Newport, Jacob Miller, Jacob [Sumers], Peter Rees, Martin Rees, George Stiver.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Located on the road leading from Lancaster to Port Deposit.
April term.
Signers of petition: Christian Brenneman, David Snavely, Henry Martin, Daniel Resler, Henry Rush, John C. Smith, John Strohm, George Martin, George Hart, Benjamin Huber, Martin Huber Jr., Samuel Huber, John Gochnauer, Hiram Watson.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
This record group contains canceled orders that were issued by the county commissioners for payment to be made by the county treasurer. The orders show date, order number, amount, name of payee, purpose, and signatures of the county commissioners. In the case of "poor children," teachers were reimbursed by the county for tuition and/or the supplies purchased for students whose parents were unable to pay. Orders include: Poor Children, Almshouse, Bridges, Coroners' Inquests, Prisons, Roads, Court House, and Tax Exonerations.
System of Arrangement
The record group is organized chronologically, then arranged by order number within each year.