No. 7714 Eleanor Jameson Williams Baker, Mrs. Walter Baker
William Dana Orcutt. Good Old Dorchester. (Cambridge, 1893). 467.
The name of Mrs. Walter Baker will long e remembered in Dorchester, not only because of her delightful personality, but also for the many acts of benevolence which she performed. She was married to Mr. Baker in 1840, and first lived in Boston; subsequently, however, her husband purchased the fine estate on the corner of Washington and Park Streets, in which she resided until her death in 1891. Rev. Edward G. Porter, writing of her, says:–
“Having lost her four children in early life, she drew to herself a large number of friends in such a hospitable manner that she was never at a loss for companions all the rest of her life. Her guests included both the rich and poor, the old and the young, the cultivated and the unfortunate. With a rare magnetism and the broadest sympathy she attracted persons of every name an station from near an from far. Greek, Italian, Bulgarian, Japanese, African, and Indian visitors have sat at her table. … When the War of the Rebellion broke out Mrs. Baker opened her house, and furnished quantities of material for the women of Dorchester to make into clothing for the volunteers. She visited the army hospitals, and gathered a large number of books for the soldiers’ Free Library at Washington. She had a strong character, an independent mind, a discriminating judgment, and a boundless charity.
Note: Eleanor was the second wife of Walter Baker, owner of the chocolate factory.