154th Baker Family Reunion

MALTA, N. Y. » The Baker family will hold its 154th annual reunion from 10 a. m. to 2 p. m. on Saturday, Aug. 11 at Malta Community Park, continuing a tradition begun in 1865. Shortly after the Revolutionary War, veteran James Baker married Cornelia Westervelt on Long Island. Soon after birth of their first child, Cornelia died in 1791. James Baker married again in 1795 to Ruth Post of Dutchess County. Ruth would give James 15 sons.

The Bakers moved to the Town of Stillwater, Saratoga County, in 1800. By 1865, the majority of their 16 sons had children and grandchildren. As some of those families began to spread south and west, it prompted those still living in the Stillwater area to hold their first Baker Family Reunion in 1865.

The Bakers have met every year since, except once during WW II.

Those attending the yearly Baker Family Reunion also include descendants of the Westervelt and Post families, as well as their guests. Those who wonder if they could possi- bly be descendants are welcome to attend.

Family Historian Maria Carr will help them to research their genealogical links to the family.

There will also be displays of documents and photographs from the 1850s onward and family members are encouraged to bring news of marriages, births and deaths, so that the family record will stay current.

The yearly gathering will be brought to order by the president of the Baker Family Reunion, Judy Farnan-Farrago. She will use the presidential gavel, fashioned in 1964 from wood taken from a tree that had stood in front of the original Baker family homestead in Stillwater. That building still stands.

Those attending are asked to bring a covered dish to share on Aug. 11. Hotdogs, hamburgers, drinks and tableware will be provided.

The Malta Community Park has picnic tables under a pavilion, bathroom facilities, playground equipment, a basketball court, and walking trails. The site is fully accessible with ample parking.

Malta Community Park is on Plains Road County Route 108 in Malta.

Directions: Take Exit 12 off the Northway ( Route 87), then east onto Route 67 and onto County Route 108 East. The park is on the left.

For further information email: bakerreunion@ roadrunner.com. Or visit the Baker Family Reunion’s Facebook page ( http:// www. facebook. com/ thebakerfamilyreunion) or blog ( http://thebakerfamilyreunion.wordpress.com/).