Newton W. Baker - Family Histories - Coleman County, Texas

     My great Uncle Charlie Peacock moved to Coleman County in 1909, and was instrumental in persuading my parents, Newton W. and Iva Martha (Peacock) Baker, to move there from Burnet County in 1909. Newton W. was born in Burnet County, near Council Creek, August 3, 1884, and Iva Martha in Bell County, August 22, 1891, and were married in Burnet County in 1906. Their children were: Clara Lee, born June 11, 1908, in Burnet, the rest were born in Coleman County. Floyd Dale, in the Hill Community, June 30, 1910; Oleta Ardelia, November 10, 1912; Noel James, September 27, 1914; and Sylvia Arlene, November 25, 1916, all born at Hardin community.

     From 1911 to 1923 we lived on the Nowlin place, at Hardin, on approximately 850 acres. We, along with four or five other families, lived and worked on this place on the "sharecropper" plan - ⅓ of the maize, ⅓ of the corn, and ¼ of the cotton going to the landlord. Each family was assigned a certain number of acres with a house, barn and other outbuildings. Each family was allowed to keep cattle, hogs, mules and horses. Some of the families that lived on this place were the Jasper Croft's, Hope Croft of this family married my father's brother, Sam, (see Sam and Hope Baker), the Pasley's, the Raymond Copeland's, Bill and Bertha Reams, Walter and Bessie Lane, a Johnson family, the Sam Baker's, and many years after we left Coleman, the Wilton Bakers, Sam and Hope's son.

     We helped with the raising of a garden, feeding the cows, horses and mules, and cutting Blood Weeds, Careless Weeds, and Lambs Quarters for the hogs. About four times a year, Dad would travel to Coleman for supplies he could not get in Hardin and Gouldbusk. This would mean a night in the wagon yard at Coleman, one block west of Commercial Avenue and two blocks south of the courthouse. About twice a year, the whole family would go with him. These trips were always looked forward to with great anticipation, nothing tasted as good as a meal made by Mother over an open fire at the wagon yard. Before 1919, we would go by wagon to Coleman to see the afternoon performance of the circus. After 1919, Dad would pay one of the neighbors that had a car to take us to Coleman to see the circus.

     We moved to the Coleman school district in late 1923, where I attended the South Ward elementary school. We rented some land from L. J. Livingston in 1925, Dale and I were instructed to harrow the cotton field. After walking behind the harrow and horses for some time, we decided that there must be an easier way to accomplish this task. Since the horses were very good about staying where you put them, we got on opposite ends of the field and turned the team around, got them started correctly and let them go back and forth instead of us. This worked fine for several hours until Mr. Livingston told our father what we were doing. Dad explained to us that this was not the proper way to do that particular job. So it was back to following the harrow and the horses until the entire field was finished. We lived on the W. J. Coulson place from 1927 to 1933.

     Clara married John A. Pechacek of Abilene, September 18, 1930, in Coleman, had three children and lived in Abilene for the rest of her life.

     Dale worked for the J. E. Stevens Mortuary and Furniture Store for about two years, 1928 and 1929, then to Brady to operate a store and filling station, and years later to Austin, where he married Geraldine Gaines of Comanche, and had three children.

     In 1929, Oleta went to West Texas Baptist Hospital in Abilene for nurse's training, became a Registered Nurse, married Harrison Price of Vernon, had one child and called San Antonio home.

     Sylvia entered Beauty School in Abilene in 1933, went to Brady as a licensed operator, met and married Perry Arlis Stewart of Rochelle, moved to Austin and had two children.

     I went to San Angelo in 1933 to work for P. P. Ewald Trucking, Wool and Mohair Company, then several years later to Austin, where I worked for the State, then the Austin Transit Company. married and became the father of one child, had my own business, and am now retired.

     My dad died July 12, 1967, in Burnet, and Mother died February 20, 1977, in an Austin hospital, both are buried in Burnet. My brother and three sisters are also dead.

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Front row left to right: Oleta, Sylvia, Noel, Dale and Clara Baker. Back row: Newton W. Baker and Iva Peacock Baker.