Drucilla Jane Baker was the wife of William Winfield Plank. She was born 3 May 1883 at Bryant, Indiana, Jay County. Her father was Oscar Baker 1850-1927 and her mother was Mary Elizabeth Webster Miller the daughter of Calvin Baker and Mahaila Elizabeth Mayberry. Oscar Baker was the son of Stephen Baker 1812-1865 and Lucinda Vining 1817-?. Drucilla parents had the following children.
Samuel T. Baker born 27 September 1879 Franklin Co, Ohio. Died 4 April 1966 at Bryant, Indiana. Buried at Gravel Hill Cemetery in Bryant, Indiana. He lived most of his life at Bryant, Indiana in a log cabin that his father built about 1865-70 with the help of his grandfather Stephen Baker. He dressed simply in clothes that looked like they were out of the 1890’s. I visited him 2 separate times when I was young. He was a very nice man. He gave my a gold railroad watch when I visited him. My father Troy Plank, lived in Bryant as a child and spent much time with “Uncle Sam”. Sam was my fathers favorite uncle. The cabin has no electricity and water was pumped with a hand pump. Some times tourists would stop as the cabin was across from a park and ask to take pictures of Sam and his sister. Sam never married and lived in the cabin until the last few years of his life. The cabin was sold and moved a few miles north to a park and used as a display, it never looked like the old cabin. Sam always gave something to relatives. He wrote many letters to my parents and others. He had a good sense of humor. He remarked to a newspaper that he had went to the 1917 world’s fair and that was the last time he had attended a fair. Did not see much of a reason to go to another one. He gave me some Indiana arrowheads he found it the field. He also gave some to my cousins Charles.
Arvilla Mae Baker born 16 May 1881 Jay county near Bryant, Indiana. Died 1957 at Bryant and buried at Gravel Hill Cemetery. She never married and lived her life with her brother Sam in the old log cabin. She dressed in old style clothes and wore a bonnet like the women of the 1880”s. It was if time had stopped and her and her brother never came up to modern time. They did ride in cars if people took them some where. She was a very nice women and was very nice looking as a young woman. What happened that she never married is unknown. She must have had young men courting her.
Luther I. Baker was born 27 August 1883 Bear Creek twp., Jay County near Bryant, Indiana. He died 15 November 1918 in the Influenza epidemic that occurred at that time. Many people died as it swept across the area. He was a nice looking young man from the photo that I have that Sam gave to my father. He must have worked for the railroad as Sam gave me his gold railroad pocket watch. My father would only let me have it and kept it for me when I was in the Air Force. I was a remembrance for my father Troy, of his Uncle Luther.
Albert Baker was born 3 June 1878. He died at the young age of 18 Months. The cause in not known.
Drucilla Jane Baker’s grandfather was Stephen Baker. He was born in 1812 at Lake Champlain, New York. He died 14 September 1865 at the age of 51 years 1 month and 6 days from his tombstone. He is buried in Bloomfield Cemetery just south of Bryant, Indiana. His tombstone is in a good state of preservation. He married Lucinda Vining. She was born 1817 in Ohio. She died after 1870. Her father was Luther Vining and he is buried at Bloomfield Cemetery. He was born in 1790 and was married to Sybil Webster. The Vining family can be traced on the internet several hundred years back to England.
Stephen and Lucinda had the following children.
Oscar Baker, father of Drucilla Jane Baker Plank
Heston Baker sold his farm at Bryant, Indiana and moved to Hareritta, Michigan about 1910.
Solon Baker sold his farm at Bryant, Indiana and moved to Harrieta, Michigan about 1910.
Luther (I. or J.) Baker born in 1843 in Ohio. He died 8 November 1919 in Los Angles, Calf. And is buried a Mountain View Cemetery, Altadena, Calif. He was in the Civil War 39th Indiana Volunteers, 8 Indiana Calvary/. War records show Luther “J”.
James M. Baker born 1845 Ohio. He married Rachael Walters. She was born 1850. Their children were Elmer E. and Gilbert Troy “Troy” Baker. There are many descendents living in Indiana.
Flesling Baker
Isa H. (or Jsa H) Baker
Drucilla Baker and her husband William W. Plank moved from Bryant, Indiana to Buckley, Michigan in 1920. Her uncles Solon and Heston had moved about 10 years before and lived about 18 miles away from Buckley. Maybe they had an influence on the Plank move to Michigan.
William Winfield Plank Family History
William Winfield Plank was born in Paulding, Paulding County, Ohio on 25 June 1881. His father was Lewis Plank and mother was Elnora Glentzer. William was left a orphan when he was 4 years old. Both his father and mother died of Influenza. His father died when William was 2 years old at age 26. His mother died when William was 4 years old, she was 22 years old. Relatives, Elnora’s cousin Mary E. Glentzer and her husband Theo. Siberry of Bryant, Indiana, raised William Plank. William was serious about a young girl, Elnora Roush, but her parents forbid them to see each other.
William was 18 and joined the U.S. Army and served in the Spanish American War. He enlisted Jan. 8, 1898 and was discharged Jan. 7, 1901. He was in Co. L, 30th U.S. Infantry and served in the Philippine's on the islands of Mindoro and Luzon. A reference is made to a Havana Campaign number 23. On returning to the states William had lost track of Elnora and meant Drucilla Jane Baker. William and Drucilla were married 13 August 1904 at Bryant, Jay County, Indiana. Drucilla was born 3 May 1884 in Bryant, Indiana. Her parents were Oscar Baker and Mary Miller. She had 2 brothers, Luther Baker and Sam Baker and one sister Arvilla Baker. William and Drucilla were Methodists and when they moved to Michigan change membership to the Buckley Congregational Church.
William Plank was a grain elevator operator in Bryant for 16 years. He also did farming and was a carpenter. William and Drucilla, while living in Bryant, Indiana, had the following children
Milo Winfield Plank born 4 Jan.1905
Lewis Oscar Plank born 8 Feb 1907 died 4 days later
Charles Luther Plank born 8 Feb 1908
Troy E. Plank born 24 May 1910
David Luther Plank born 29 March 1916
Floyd Lee Plank born 18 Sept 1917
Paul Richard Plank born 14 May 1924 at Buckley, Michigan
In 1920 William, Drucilla and the boys moved to Cornell, Buckley, Michigan. Several families moved from Bryant, Indiana to the Buckley area and purchased farms. William bought a 45-acre farm closer to Buckley, which is still in the family and owned by his grandson, Gary Plank. Two of Drucilla's uncles, Solon Baker and Hestor Baker had sold their farms at Bryant, Indiana and moved to a town by the name of Harrietta, Michigan before 1910 about 20 miles from Buckley. There they bought a farm and lived there the rest of their lives. Possibly, this was an influenced William to locate at Buckley. William began farming the 40 acres wi th the help of his sons. William had a car but he never learned to drive it so he always had one of the sons to take him wherever he wanted to go. That was before they were ever old enough to have a license. All of William's sons attended Buckley school and graduated except for Troy who had to quit school to work the farm full time when he was 16. As the sons became young men they went off on their own or with the case of some were drafted or enlisted in the military during World War II.
William rented the farm out and bought the old Walker Bank building in Buckley, (it had went out of business during the depression), where he turned it into a Post Office and he was Post Master for a few years. We used to like to visit the bank vault as children, which he used as a storage for canned goods. William gave some of the sons safe deposit boxes that remained there just for storage. William was my grandfather and he gave me a brass bank with the words "Buckley Bank" on it and indicating it was paying 3 1/2 % interest on savings. It is a keepsake and is like in new condition and in my collection. Later he retired and lived upstairs in the building. Charlie built an elevator called a "man lift" so his mother would be able to get out. It was a neat ride, a platform with no sides with a large rope that went over a pulley to which was attached a weight. This was counter balanced by the weight of the person and a weight on the platform. You released a brake and the platform went up to the second floor.
Many weekends were spent at "Grampa's". It seemed like every weekend some of the sons would visit and many times 3 or 4 were there with their families, which meant a lot of cousins would be there and time to play and share knowing each other. The sons and their wives would spend time playing cards and enjoying time with each other. This was what was done for ente rtainment, as most did not have a lot of money. All of us cousins have very fond memories of those times.
Cards were not the only favorite pastime, fishing was one thing all the sons enjoyed and spent time with each other. While fall came hunting was enjoyed not only for the meat but time for the brothers to be together. I remember my father, Troy, saying that when he and Floyd and Charlie were hunting they were not having any luck and saw a large hole up in a tree and figured that a animal was there. One got on the other shoulders and was going to drop a large cherry bomb firecracker, (very powerful in those time and would split a fence post in two), just as they were about ready to drop it into the hole it fell down to the others feet and went off. Scared the pants off of them. They had many other stories to share, wish we could have recorded them. Floyd had a shotgun and while target practice at Troy's farm got bored and sh ot the rooster weather vane (it still is full of holes). My mother told me another time Floyd had a new 22 rifle and said it could shoot into a piece of railroad iron. Of course the other brother said no, so Floyd had to prove it. He shot and the bullet bounced off and came back and struck him in the arm. They dug the bullet out and treated it, as it was not serious. Mom said he never told his wife what happen.
William and Drucilla lived above the bank. Drucilla had a stroke and passed away on 8 Sept 1941. She is buried in Grant Cemetery near Buckley. In 1944 William married Nancy Knox who died in 1947 suddenly of a brain tumor. In 1 May 1948, William married Endora Alberta Roush in Stockwell, Indiana. She was born 26 Oct 1879 in Jay County, Indiana. She was William's childhood sweetheart. She died 31 May 1974 and is buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Portland Indiana. Most of us remember her as the step grandmother that we all loved. We called her "Aunt Allie" or "Allie". She was a sweet woman and never was head to complain. She had several heart attacks. When she was 90 years old she wanted to go to her sisters in Florida, grandpa had passed away. She was going to go by train. I was in the Air Force and on leave and was shipping out to Thailand and Viet Nam. She decided to fly if I would help her. It was her first trip in a airplane. She held my arm on take off and was a little scared but soon was enjoying the ride. I helped her get out of Chicago and was on my way. She flew by herself each year after that for visits. The airlines told her that they would give her a free flight when she was 100. I would have liked to see her do that, she died at age
96. A great Christian lady whose life and character could be an example for us. All the grandchildren will never forget her.
William died 23 Feb 1967 as the result of a stroke. He is buried in Grant Cemetery, near Buckley with his first wife, Drucilla.
Lewis Plank was the 7th child of Philip and Mary Plank and was born in 1856 in Indiana. He was probably born in Bear Creek Township, Noble County, Indiana. The 1860 census shows his father Philip Plank and mother Mary and 7 children living in Noble County. His father was a farmer like most people in those times. The 1880 census show Lewis to be 24 years old and living in Jay County, Indiana and that his occupation was a farmhand and painter. He was single at the time. On July 7, 1880 Lewis Plank was married to Elnora Glentzer. Elnora was born 3 March 1863. Elnora Glentzer's parents were Abraham J. Glentzer and Elizabeth Whiteman. Her parents’ ancestors came to America from Germany and fought in the Revolutionary War. Lewis' father was from Prussia, Heese (area around and including Germany).
Lewis was 24 years old and Elnora was 17 when they were married. They had moved to Paulding, Paulding County, Ohio, which is just across the Indiana-Ohio state line. We do not know why they moved there. Perhaps relatives were living there. A son, William Winfield Plank was born 25 June 1881 in Paulding, Paulding County, Ohio. Lewis and Elnora had no other children. Lewis Plank died of Influenza in 1883 when William was 2 years old. He was buried in Clark Cemetery just south of Hicksville (cemetery is overgrown with trees and no longer in use, looks like woods across a farmers field). Tombstone could not be identified in 1999. The Tombstone has now been restored and readable. It appears that Elnora stayed in Paulding and died 2 years later on 14 Oct. 1885 of Influenza. She is
buried in Clark Cemetery beside of her husband. Her tombstone is not listed in the records but her grandson Paul Plank had visited the gravesites when he was a child. William Winfield Plank was left an orphan when only 4 years old. His mother’s cousin and her husband, Theo, raised him. Theo Siberry and Mary E. Glentzer Siberry of Bryant, Indiana. Theo. Died 1944 and Mary died 17 March 1943
and are buried at Limber Lost Cemetery, Bryant, Indiana. William joined the U.S. Army when he was 18 and served in the Spanish-American War.
David Wesley Freemyer Sr. was married to Catherine Loucks.
He went with a group to preach the gospel to the Tories in Fredricksburg, Ontario, Canada around 1804. His son David Wesley Freemyer Jr. was born there, and his sister Catherine.
Updated list of his children:
1.Gertrude "Charity" Freemyer born 16 May 1793 Palatine, Montgomery Co., NY. She married Oct-Nov 1809 Fredricksburg, Ontario, Canada to Henry Bower.
2. George A. Freemyer born 21 Feb 1794 Albany Co. NY died 7 Apr 1876 Worth County, Missouri.
He married Martha Shreeves.
3. Hannah Freemyer born 1796 Albany Co. NY. She died 31 Jul 1871 Lawrence County, Ohio. She married Samuel Bayard in Washington Co. Ohio.
4. Margaret Freemyer born 1797 Albany Co NY. married John Johnston, lived in Washington co. Ohio
5. Catherine Freemyer born 1802 Ontario, Canada , died 24 Apr 1891 at Lodi, Columbia County, Wis. She married Rev. Henry Maynard in Athens County, Ohio.
6. Elizabeth Freemyer born 30 Aug 1814.
7. David Wesley Freemyer Jr. born 22 Mar 1808 Fredricksburg, Ontario, Canada. He died in the Civil War in Arkansas. He married Dorothy Sill in Monroe County, Ohio. He removed to Knox County, Missouri around 1850, a Confederate in the Civil War.
Submitted by: Wanda Greathouse