Harry P. Baker of Wilmore passed away in an Anthony hospital last Sunday morning. He had been in failing health for some time.

Funeral services were held in the Methodist Christian church in Wilmore Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. and were in charge of the pastor, Rev. A. Wayne Riggs.

Melvin Smith sang, "Beyond the Sunset" and "God Understands," accompanied on the piano by Mrs. Ernestine Zeigler. The pallbearers were Lester Trummel, Ed Baker, Jay Pepperd, Carl Snyder Jr., Fred Booth and Lawrence York Jr.

Interment was in the Wilmore cemetery.

Obituary

Harry Powell Baker, son of Henry and Emily Baker, was born in Iowa March 24, 1869, and died at the Galloway Hospital in Anthony, Kansas, November 13, 1955, at the age of 86 years and 8 months.

He moved with his parents to Missouri and from there to Kansas in April, 1885. He spent most of his young manhood working on farms and ranches in Comanche county.

He was married to Lillie York, April 1, 1901. After their marriage he operated a farm in the New Eden neighborhood, later moving to Colwich, Kans., where they operated a restaurant and barber shop. He disposed of his business in Colwich and bought land in Arkansas, where they lived until his wife's health failed, and they moved back to Kansas where she died in 1944.

Harry was baptized and joined the United Brethren church in 1901.

He leaves to mourn his passing five sisters and one brother; Mrs. Martha Wright of Temple (sic - Tempe?), Ariz., Mrs. Nellie Wall, Coldwater, Kansas, and Mrs. Alice Grace, Mrs. Ethel Trummel and Lew Baker of Wilmore; also nieces, nephews and friends of that community and others.

And so another old settler has departed this life, and his name is added to the list of those whom are fondly remembered.

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Memories of Uncle Harry Baker

by Grant Lucius Wright

"Mother was the oldest one of the (Baker) children to live, and there was Harry, the oldest boy, there was only two boys, Harry and Lew. Harry didn't get along with his dad very well and I guess he got beat up a lot when he was a kid, as soon as he got partway big enough he took off. Harry was a rough and tough one. What he did no one even knows, he'd come back once in a while and finally married an old maid, a York girl, near Wilmore and stayed around there for awhile and then they settled down in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

When I was in the sales yard, a fellow came in, lived down in Glendale and he got to coming to sales and I got acquainted with him and he told me he was from Siloam Springs and I told him I used to have an uncle that lived down there name was Harry Baker, did you know him? He said "Hell, yes, that fighting SOB." (chuckled) And I tell you what, he'd known that fellow for twenty years and he went to bed with a quart of whisky beside the bed and a chew of tobacco in his mouth.

I went back to Kansas, I think it was in '23 and I was at Grandmother Baker's and Harry came in on the evening train and the next morning said "Let's take a walk down the creek." Now, Grandma lived out on the banks of Mule Creek, so we went off down there in the timber and he took his shirt off and said, "I want you to help me change these dressings." And I'm telling you - he was cut to ribbons. Sliced all over the front, there wasn't any on his back, so he got it when he was going forward. Every morning we'd go down there and change his bandages, and no one ever knew, besides me, that he'd been hurt at all, and he never let on to anyone that he'd been hurt. And he holed up there and he got healed up some and went back down.

And he finally, when he got old, he came back to Wilmore and tamed down, his wife died, and had a house, fixed him up, they fixed up a room for him, a big room in her garage that she never used and he lived there until he died."

-- Excerpt from The Memoirs of Grant Lucius Wright.

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Also see:

Memories of Lew Baker: The Baker & Powell Families

Llewellyn Edward & Catherine Elizabeth (Roderick) Baker

The Powell Trek to Comanche County, Kansas

Zelma Hazel (Baker) White, sister of Lew Baker.

The Memoirs of Grant Wright, nephew of Harry Baker; Roland Wright's younger brother

Dead Body of Roland Wright Supposed To Have Been Found
The Western Star, December 18, 1903. Harry Baker's investigation into the circumstances surrounding his missing nephew led to the arrest of the man who murdered Roland Wright.

Reward for Arrest & Conviction of Murderer or Murderers of Roland Wright
The Western Star, January 23, 1904.

Lillie (York) Baker, wife of Harry P. Baker.

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Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!