James Baker,William Baker,George Baker,William Baker, John Baker, Hugh Baker, John Baker
James Baker (1814-1853) was born on February 4, 1814 and died about June 25, 1853 in the Delaware Bay. In 1834, James Baker married Julia Ann Truitt (B1815) of New Hope, Maryland which was just west of Whaleyville.
Julia Truitt was born on March 8, 1815 and died February 22, 1848. She was the daughter of John Truitt (B1783) and Narcissa Purnell (B1786) who were married on May 14, 1807. Father John Truitt descended from the Quaker George Truitt. Edward M. Truitt (B1811), James P. Truitt (B1808), Lemuel S. Truitt (B1822), and Rufus M. Truitt (B1827) were her brothers. It is assumed that she died in Sussex Delaware as there are no Worcester records. [The Truitts descended from famous Quaker George Truitt/Trewett of Accomac and his wife Frances Graves, daughter of Captain Thomas Graves, commander of the Eastern Shore residing in Northampton County, Virginia.]
James was left no furniture from his father's will, and Martha Baker did not mention James Baker in her will written June 21, 1841. Had he left home? Did they intentionally leave him out of their wills?
In 1837, both James Baker and brother-in-law John Dunaway were contributors to the Whaleyville Methodist Church, James's name next to John Dunaway on the list. James Baker must have also been involved with the Whaleyville Steam Mill. Three of his sister's brothers were stockholders; Edward Truitt, Rufus Truitt, and Lemuel Truitt as well as James Whaley, the executor of James's will, his brother in law John Dunaway, and nephew William Baker, son of brother George Baker.
It was originally reported in the family that James and his wife, Julia Truitt, died of T.B. and the children were sent out among relatives. However, the facts reveal that Julia died in 1848 while James lived until 1853. James was born north of Whaleyville and Julia in New Hope, west of Whaleyville. They apparently lived in Whitesville, a small hamlet on the Delaware Line just west of Gumboro. The shingle business took place from Shingle Landing which we assume would have been his port. Captain Peter Whaley made a small fortune hauling shingles from there.
Why were Cyrus and Goldsboro Baker, Josiah P. Baker, Garretson Gordy Baker, and James Baker Jr. living with relatives in 1850? Did James remarry? Was he just a bad guy? Was he a sailor incapable of taking care of the children? Why did he not appear in the Worcester Census of 1850?
We now know from Orphan Court Records that James Baker died in the Delaware Bay. We think that James Baker was a ship's captain employed by Captain Peter Whaley to haul the cypress shingles produced in the area. This would explain why he could not maintain the children. Perhaps the death of James at sea was not immediately known, and possibly the death of Thomas Baker just made it easier to also report James's death. A Captain J.D. Baker reported to Captain Whaley how his ship, the Wren, had blown ashore in a terrible storm. James Baker and Peter Whaley were third cousins! If James were a sailor, it would also explain why he was such a non-entity in the official records in Worcester and Sussex.
In 1853, we found records of two ship wrecks in the Delaware. The BUENA VISTA wrecked off of Cape Henlopen in a storm while enroute from Philadelphia to Wilmington, North Carolina. The brig CHARLOTTE wrecked on November 15, 1853 at the Delaware Bay breakwater in a storm carrying a shipload of coal from Philadelphia to Boston.
When brother Thomas Baker preparded his will in March of 1854, he did not mention his brother James as if he knew he was dead. Why was the bond of James Baker submitted by James Whaley on the exact same day that he submitted the will of his brother, Thomas S. Baker, to the Worcester Court? Dr. Gillis who handled the will of brother Thomas Baker is buried only a few feet from the grave of Captain Peter Whaley in the Whaley Cemetary.
On March 4, 1848, James Baker had either put on deposit or invested with Hiram Duncan who appears to be a money lender and slave trader. That account remained active until June 20, 1855. 
James lived until June 25, 1853. On July 24, 1855 James Whaley collected $506.91 as the executor of this account. Is this the brother-in-law Lemuel Truitt buried at the Whaleyville Cemetary?
His estate was distributed on Aug. 2, 1855 and $416.04 of this estate was distributed equally among the four sons :
On May 16, 1855, Samuel L. Truitt became the legal guardian of all four sons of James Baker. Henry Dennis and Minos Parker were securities. This is most likely Samuel P. Truitt (B1801) who lived at #4-134. Minos F. Parker, (B1830) was the son of John T. Parker (B1796) and lived at #4-174.
The inventory of James Baker was settled on May 23, 1854 and the distribution closed on November 30, 1855.
Julia Truitt Baker apparently died on February 22, 1848 according to the family records of Dr. Burton, but we have found no record in the Worcester County files. Apparently she left no will.
Directors
It has been reported to us by family now deceased that James Truitt and Julia lived closer to Whitesville. On the outskirts of this little hamlet is Line Methodist Church where we found both Baker and Truitt gravesites.
One of their children they named Garretson Gordy Baker. We found a tomb stone of a Garretson Gordy at the New Hope cemetary, the hamlet where Julia was born. He would have been a contemporary of James and Julia. 
We figured he had a significant impact on the family but could find nothing else. The children of James Baker and Julia Truitt were living in New Hope in the Census of 1850, and it is interesting to reconstruct that neighborhood from the 1850 census.
