by Rachel Coleman
The Bakers made their business a family affair, even though they experienced several changes in occupation. Henry Calvin Baker was born in 1889. He was a house mover and homebuilder in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. His only son, Harold Lea Baker, became a young apprentice when he was very young; he would ride around with his father to learn the trade. Harold helped his father build their family home, he helped in the shop behind their house, and he helped to move the houses for their business. This required a significant amount of skill and structural knowledge to do safely. Early on, they used oxen and horses with winches and complicated moving equipment in the delicate process of lifting homes and delivering them to their new locations in one piece.
Henry was very successful and a well-loved member of the community, but what impressed Harold the most about his father was the way his father treated those who were less fortunate. During the Great Depression, Henry constructed living spaces in the shop in their backyard for the families of two employees. He allowed them to live there quite inexpensively and paid them whether they had work or not. At Christmas time, he delivered a card to each family with a note inside saying that their rent had been paid in full for the month.
After serving in World War II, Harold followed in his father’s footsteps by putting his knowledge of residential construction to use and started a business building spec homes in Florida, one at a time, from the ground up. He didn’t trust anyone outside the family to achieve the high-quality craftsmanship his dad had taught him, and so by necessity, his four sons, Rick, Rand, Rob, and Ron Baker, were hired for the job. Eventually, the family moved back to Ohio where Harold along with his wife and his sons developed 100 acres in Tallmadge, Ohio, into a golf course and large swimming hole called Baker’s Acres. It required an enormous amount of work so everyone in the growing family contributed. They graded the land, installed the sprinkling system, cared for the lawn, managed the clubhouse, painted structures, monitored the swimming hole, served guests in the clubhouse, and they did it as a family, all together.
When the grandchildren came along, they worked on the golf course too. Early in the morning, Harold would find his grandson, who often lived with his grandparents, and say, “Hey, let’s go check out the course.” They’d hop in a golf cart and drive around the golf course. Harold pointed out edible wild plants in the surrounding woods and taught his grandson life lessons like being a man of your word and the value of hard work. His grandson learned everything he knew about being a good husband, father, and man while working with his grandfather on the golf course. Baker’s Acres was sold in 2001, completing an era of five generations of Bakers who grew up together, worked together, learned together, and loved together.
Your ancestors may have been shoemakers, sailors, coal miners, seamstresses, or so much more! Find out how you can learn about your ancestors' occupations through census records and other sources.
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