Submitted by Descendant: Sandra Caillouet BOYES
Thaddeus was born in North Carolina in 1826. He seems to be associated with James and George Baker who came to Florida from North Carolina in the 1830’s to settle first in Jefferson then Madison and finally in Benton/Hernando Counties.
In Benton County on 1 December 1842, Thaddeus signed the petition for protection and subsistence, but is not listed as a Florida voter in 1845 vote for statehood, perhaps because he had not yet reached his 21st birthday. By 1855 he had moved to Georgia and married Olive Spence. According to the 1860 census, Thaddeus and Olive were living in Thomasville with their two young sons; however, by early 1863 the family had moved to Hernando County, perhaps for safety or family support or both during the War Between the States.
On 25 February 1863, Thaddeus and perhaps a cousin John Franklin Baker enlisted to fight for the Confederacy for “three years or the war”. By early 1864 Thaddeus had been hospitalized in Lake City, Florida. Military records state that he was buried in Columbia County on 3 May 1864, but family history is adamant that Thaddeus died seven miles from home and is buried at Baker Hill Cemetery east of Brooksville. Interestingly, it has been verified that John Franklin Baker is in fact buried at Baker Hill.
Thaddeus Lafayette Baker was first established as a Florida Pioneer in 2000