HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG3900.AM: Charles W. Baker, 1838-1923
Diary (transcript): 1864-1868
Polo, Illinois; Virginia City, Montana: Farmer; gold miner
Size: One folder
BACKGROUND NOTE
Born in Winchester, Virginia, on May 14, 1838, Charles W. Baker moved with his parents to Ogle County, Illinois, in 1859. Baker left Polo, Illinois, on April 21, 1864, and travelled to the gold fields in Montana. He staked his first claim on July 27, 1864, at Washington Gulch, Montana. Baker worked in the gold fields around Virginia City, Montana, for several years before returning to Ogle County, Illinois, on September 2, 1867. He married Lydia Windle at Mount Morris, Illinois, on February 27, 1868. The Bakers farmed in Ogle County, Illinois, until 1883, when they moved to Clinton County, Missouri. Baker farmed near Cameron, Missouri, until 1907, when they moved to Kidder, Missouri. Charles W. Baker died on January 25, 1923. Baker’s wife and three children survived him.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of one folder containing a photocopy of a diary transcript. Charles W. Baker kept the original diary during an overland journey along the Platte River Road from Polo, Illinois, to Virginia City, Montana. Entries in the diary date from 1864 to 1868. The entries include brief information on the weather, activities and notations of income and expenses. History Nebraska does not hold the original diary. Della Mae Jacobs, Charles Baker’s granddaughter, transcribed the diary in 1974.
INVENTORY
Overland diary (transcript) of Charles W. Baker, 1864-1868
Subject headings:
Baker, Charles W., 1838-1923
Diaries
Frontier and pioneer life — West (U.S.)
Gold miners — Montana
Overland journeys
West (U.S.) — Description and travel
TMM 11-24-2020
