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Fact or Fiction? More Answers on the Dewitt Blackman Mug Book Bio

In " Fact of Fiction: Dewitt Samuel Blackman and the 1890 Mug Book ," I wrote about my project to see how accurate a county history "mug book" biography was for my husband's great-great-great-grandfather. His biography appeared in the book  Portrait and Biographical Album of Sumner County, Kansas, Containing Full-Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County , published in 1890. For this just-for-fun project, I entered each fact noted in the bio into a spreadsheet and researched each to determine if they were true, false, or somewhere in between. Some claims were about Dewitt, his wife, and their family, while others involved his parents, his wife's parents, and even some generations further back. There were many claims to document, and I didn't complete the task with that first post. I've continued to research the facts, and here's my latest update. The following facts in the biography are tr...
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SARAH DYER

Sarah Dyer Baker, photo taken after 1913.1


31 Days of Writing Family History Challenge

January 27, 2022:   Paternal Great, Great Grandmother #3 - Sarah Dyer (1860-1932)


by Nancy Gilbride Casey

One of greatest genealogical gifts I received this past year was seeing a family portrait which included members of the Cassidy and Baker families. This precious photo included the only image I've ever seen of Sarah Dyer Baker, another 2x great grandmother (above), and wife of Joseph Baker of yesterday's post. 

Sarah represents a combination of our Irish and Scottish heritage. She was of Irish descent but was born on 25 September 1850 in Clyde, Lanark, Glasgow, Scotland, to Michael Dyer and Catherine Manley.2

Detail of Sarah Dyer's birth record from Scotland. Father Michael's occupation is noted as "hawker," or street merchant, who likely pushed a handcart with goods in the neighborhood.

Sarah's parents appear to be from Killala, County Mayo, Ireland. As Sarah's older brother Patrick and older sister Bridget were born in Ireland, the family emigrated no earlier than 1845, immediately following the Irish Famine. It is likely they came to not only escape the desperate situation in County Mayo—one of the hardest hit areas in Ireland during the Famine—but also to earn enough money to emigrate elsewhere.3

Around 1870, the family made their way from Scotland to Canada, and by 1871 the family was living in Port Dalhousie, St. Catharines, Ontario, in the same neighborhood as members of the Baker and Cassidy families.4

As noted yesterday, Sarah married in 1878 to Joseph Baker, and the couple had ten children over 21 years. She outlived her husband by many years, living to the age of 71. 

Sarah died on 15 February 1932, and is buried at Victoria Lawn Cemetery in Ontario. She is buried in a family plot, along with her father Michael Dyer, mother Catherine Manley Dyer, husband Joseph Baker, and sister-in-law Kathleen Baker.5

The inscription for Sarah Dyer Baker is likely on the back of this headstone at Victoria Lawn Cemetery in Ontario. Here are inscriptions for her mother Catherine and father Michael.6  

 

BONUS: Sarah's Obituary7

 

 BONUS: Lineage Chart from Sarah Dyer to me.



NOTES

1 Detail from photo of Charles Cassidy, Edward Baker, Ina Baker, Mary Jane "Mayme" Cassidy/Sister M. Magdalena, Catherine Cassidy and Sarah Dyer Baker, after 1913, unknown photographer/location; private collection of R. Firestone [address for private use], 2022. Date of photo calculated based on date when Mary Jane "Mayme" Cassidy received the Sisters of St. Joseph habit in 1913 and when she took final vows in 1920, per her order's biography. Individuals are identified on the back of the photo, by one of the daughters of Edward and Catherine Baker: "Dad's Mom," "Mom's Dad," etc.

2 Statutory Births, unknown page, record #959, birth of Sarah Dyer, 25 September 1860; image: Scotland's People, supplied by K. Murphy, 2018; citing National Records of Scotland.

3 Niagara Peninsula Branch, Ontario Ancestors, "Roman Catholic Singles." Victoria Lawn Cemetery. Ontario #3424. Ontario: The Ontario Genealogical Society, 1989-2005. Page 9. Listing for Dyer; image provided by Niagara-Peninsula Branch, Ontario, Canada; "[DYER] Catherine/ wife of Michael Dyer/ Died/ Aug 31, 1888/ Aged 73 years/ Michael Dyer/ Died April 24, 1890/ Aged 80 years/ Natives of Mayo, Ireland." Also: 1851 Scotland Census, Borough of Glasgow, St. Enoch Parish, #63 [unreadable street], Michael Dyer (25); image, Scotlands People, provided by K. Murphy, 2018.

4 "Mrs. Sarah Baker," obituary, The St. Catharines Standard, 16 February 1932, no page/column; image supplied by Ontario Ancestors, Niagara-Peninsula Branch, Ontario, Canada. Notes that Sarah had lived in Canada for 62 years. Also: 1871 Census of Canada, Nominal Return of Living, Province of Ontario, District 21 Lincoln, Village of Port Dalhousie, p. 49, line 2, Sarah Dyer (10); image, Library and Archives Canada (https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/ : accessed 27 January 2022); citing Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.

5 Ontario Ancestors, cemetery inscription publication, listing for Dyer.

6 Ancestry, Find a Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/168593840/michael-dyer : accessed 26 January 2022), memorial 168593840, Michael Dyer (1810-1890), Victoria Lawn Cemetery, Niagara Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada; headstone photo by Dan Lanteigne, 2016.

7 "Mrs. Sarah Baker," The St. Catharines Standard, 16 February 1932.

 








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