Baker's Premium Bitters

I bought her a bottle, well, just for to try
And the way that she drank it, ya think she might die
I bought her another, it vanished the same
And then she got cod liver oil on the brain

Oh doctor, oh doctor, oh dear doctor John

Your cod liver oil is so pure and so strong

I'm afraid of my life I'll go down in the soil

If me wife don't stop drinkin' your cod liver oil

--"Cod Liver Oil" (Traditional)

Recently putting in random ancestors' names into Google to see what might pop up, I came across more newspaper ads for my 4th-great-grandfather Elijah Baker's Premium Bitters, among the earliest I've found yet.  In 1853 through at least mid-1854, they appeared in the Richmond Mail almost daily, changing themes with each passing month.  In spite of their wild claims, some of them are quite poetic, if overly dramatic.  Read on for a good laugh, and then place your own order - for just fifty cents a bottle, it's quite the bargain!


This first ad was printed in the paper 162 years ago today:

CHILLS AND FEVERS. --- No disease known to the medical profession is half so annoying as Ague and Fever, owing principally to the fact that the strongest medicines must be used to uproot and drive it from the system.  – One of these is quinine, the deleterious effects of which are known to all who have heretofore had to take it.  But since the discovery of BAKER’S PREMIUM BITTERS, which have never yet failed to prevent the disease, when taken in time, or to cure it in its worst form, most other remedies have been abandoned and they declared the only panacea for that disgusting malady.  As a proof of this, the Proprietor invites attention to certificates in his possession from those who have been cured, after the failure of all other remedies.  For all diseases of the stomach these bitters stand unparalleled, while in ordinary colds and coughs they invariably effect a speedy cure.  As a family medicine – and especially as a tonic, they have no equal.  Every house keeper should keep them on hand – and persons living in Ague and Fever districts should take them freely in the fall months.

January 1854:

In January – The first and usually the coldest month of the year – when the ground is covered with snow and frost, when the human system is more sensitive and susceptible of cold than at any other time, there is no other medicine yet discovered, to compare with BAKER’S PREMIUM BITTERS, as a preventive or cure of diseases incident to the season. For colds and coughs they are a never failing panacea when taken according to directions. And why? Because they give tone to the nerves and muscles, add life and vigor to the frame, expel impurities, sharpen the appetite, improve digestion, and prevent improper secretions. By these Bitters the liver is made to perform its proper functions; and as they contain no mineral or other poisonous substances, they may be taken by all sexes, ages and conditions, without fear of injury. The proprietor has thoroughly tested his discovery in very many cases of bad colds and coughs, and has the satisfaction of saying, that in no single instance, where they have been fairly tried, they have ever failed to produce the desired effect. All we ask the public to do, is to test them fairly, and decide upon their merits.

February 1854:

FEBRUARY is a trying month upon the human frame, and not unfrequently lays the seed of Consumption and disease, which often end in death. How often have we witnessed the gradual decline of some fair damsel, or sprightly boy, whose constitution had been attacked by an ordinary cold, and which permitted to go unchecked, preyed night and day upon the life-blood of its victim, till its fatal pangs had fastened upon the lungs too strongly to be removed, save by Him who holds man’s destiny in the hollow of his hands. Had the friends and parents of the sufferer but known the efficacy of Baker’s Premium Bitters, and administered them, as directed in in the incipient stages of the disease, how different might have been the result. But alas! the golden moment was permitted to escape, the PANACEA was not applied, and death was the result. If the Proprietor had not the certificate of hundreds of persons who had been relieved and cured by his Bitters, when other remedies had failed, he would not recommend them so confidently; but having these, he feels it to be a duty he owes to his fellow men, to press upon them the urgent necessity of trying their medicinal qualities and learning their virtues. They are perfectly harmless, and may be taken at all times by adults or children.

March 1854:

MARCH -- Fickle, blustering, ever changing March – brings in her train, nervous affections of every variety, some of which were declared incurable for many years, even by the most skilful physicians. Among these, we notice NERVOUS HEADACHE, producing sick and nauseating stomachs, and incapacitating the sufferer for all profitable employments. An elderly lady in this city, whose respectability and veracity cannot be questioned, has given a certificate over her own signature, declaring that after suffering for ten years with violent nervous headaches, notwithstanding she had been treated by eminent physicians all the time, she never found any permanent relief, until she was induced to use Baker’s Premium Bitters, two bottles of which completed a cure of the disease. Other persons have used the BITTERS for the same disease, and with similar success. Does this not show, that the Bitters are all they are represented to be, and that the Proprietor has not attempted to humbug the people in his medicine. Where a remedy is offered for a disease, and the discoverer is known to be a responsible man, the public do themselves and him injustice, not to give it a fair and impartial trial. – These Bitter are purely vegetable, and may be taken without the fear of danger.

April 1854:

APRIL. – The month of buds and blossoms – the hay-day of Spring – the regeneration of nature is on us, with its pleasant breezes, genial sun and invigorating showers. At this particular season, the human system is re-organizing itself for a general change, and now it is that the impurities of the blood are easiest discovered, and its general effects most severe. The liver, the pendulum to the motive power of the body, has become deranged, and for want of proper action, and undue quantity of bile has been secreted, the effect of which is to produce that loathsome and annoying disease, Dyspepsia, for which there is no cure so certain as BAKER’S PREMIUM BITTERS. – However severe the case, if the Bitters are taken according to directions, they will arouse and quicken the liver, produce steady and proper digestion, improve the appetite, re-animate the spirits, give confidence to the mind, and eradicate every thing that tends to the production of Dyspepsia. Reader, are you a Dyspeptic? And if so, do you wish to be cured? Then procure these Bitters without delay. They have been fairly tried in more than five thousand cases, and in no single instance have they failed to effect a cure or give relief, when taken as directed. A single bottle may do you more good than all the Calomel that was ever manufactured, while its very composition forbids the idea of injury from it.

May 1854:

MAY -- dearest May, how we welcome thee, with thy rich perfumes, thy warbling songsters, green fields, luxuriant vegetation, early fruits, and beautiful flowers. Queen as thou art of the season, we would fain pay thee all the adoration due thy royal birth, but then thou art a seductive tempter, leading us into an extravagant consumption of thy early productions from which spring forth disorders of the bowels and dangerous fevers. But then we can forgive these little foibles, since by the medicinal qualities of thy plants and herbs the great antidote has been furnished us in BAKER’S PREMIUM BITTERS, which never fail to remove the languor incidents to thy visits, and heal the disorders of the stomach which grow out of the excessive use of thy tender delicacies. – Welcome, thrice welcome, then, gentle, charming May, since to thy kindness are we indebted for the component parts of those BITTERS, that stand preeminently above all other discoveries for the cure of colds, coughs, nervous headaches, and disordered stomachs. Could all the afflicted be induced to believe in these BITTERS and become whole, thy praises would be sounded on land and sea, from pole to pole – for from the discovery of America to the present hour, the ingenuity of man has never succeeded in compounding a remedy so universal, and yet so free from danger, as BAKER’S PREMIUM BITTERS. Come then all ye who are afflicted, and be cured of your ills. The remedy is a simple and sure one, and the price only fifty cents per bottle.

June 1854:

June – The first of Summer months is here, attended by sultry hours, and scorching suns. Fruits are ripening, and vegetables have assumed perfection’s garb. How voraciously is every cherry – a most unwholesome berry when not maturely ripened – seized upon and swallowed down by young and old, and how soon are the sad effects of such rashness made manifest, in the hundreds of cases of violent dysentery, among all classes, conditions and sexes. In rural districts, where fruits are more plentiful, and doctors harder to be found than in the city, every family should keep a supply on hand of BAKER’S PREMIUM BITTERS, for they are beyond question the very best and most effectual remedy that we have ever seen used, to check and conquer this dangerous complaint, which, if permitted to run too long, often becomes incurable. From the venerable patriarch of ninety to the wattling babe of one year old, these BITTERS may have been given with great benefit, in all case of disordered stomach and bowels, while for dyspepsia, nervous headache, and bad colds, they claim to be superior to every thing else yet offered to the public. We detest empyricism as any man can, and would no sooner offer an impure or dangerous medicine to the public than we would offer a dose of arsenic to our child; but knowing as we do, that these Bitters are invaluable to persons living in the country as well as in town, we insist on their trying a few bottles, that we may have the benefit of their experience.

Presidential Pardon

May the spirit so strong in the shadow and storm
Hold fast to what is right
And surely as you breathe the gentle air of peace
This land shall shelter in the light of love
This land shall shelter in the light
--"Land Of Light" by Roy Gullane

In July of 1865, my 4th-great-grandfather Elijah Baker, living in Richmond, Virginia, applied for a presidential pardon after the Civil War.  That petition was granted 148 years ago today, and a "full pardon and amnesty" was issued by President Andrew Johnson.

Elijah was a well-known business man in Richmond, and the owner of "Baker's Premium Bitters".  According to his advertisements, these bitters cured a wide variety of ailments:  dyspepsia, nervous headaches, deranged liver, ague, diarrhea, and malarial troubles.

For Diseases which arise from the Stomach and Bowels, BAKER'S PREMIUM BITTERS are peculiarly adapted, while in the incipient stages of BILIOUSNESS, NERVOUSNESS, COUGHS and COLDS, they are superior to all other remedies.  The fact that a single bottle has cured ague and fever of six months' standing, and relieved nervous headache which had resisted all sorts of remedies for years, are proof sufficient that they possess healing virtues rarely found in medicinal preparations.  So simple and effectual are their operations, and yet so certain are their beneficial results, that all who try them once ever after adopt them as the great panacea for all ills.

I'm not sure of his reasons for applying for a pardon.  I've found little evidence that he was directly involved in the conflict, beyond selling some cords of wood to the Confederacy.  His only son, Dabney Baker, did enlist in the Confederate army, though his service was brief.

Certainly Elijah suffered some losses, though, from both sides.  In March 1862, Confederate President Jefferson Davis declared martial law in Richmond, placing the city under the command of General John Winder.  His first order was to forbid liquor sales in the city, and soon after, Baker's Bitters were seized.  I'm not sure how long this lasted, but his business did continue after the war was over.

In October of 1864, two of Elijah's horses, which he claimed were valued at $7,000, were taken during a raid by the Union army.

In October last, when the Yankee raiders, under Command of Cortz, came up as near Richmond as Majr Christians farm, they met my team + self on the road + deprived me of my two + only farm horses, they were as good + as valuable as any in the Country + not being able to replace them, my farming interest suffered but little short of my first loss. During this month however I succeeded in capturing two of the enemys horses at + on my farm beyond White Oak Swamp + have brought them out of their lines + into Richmond.  Their value though is not by half of those I lost, but hope to use them at my other place nearer Richmond + within our lines.

Elijah Baker's petition for amnesty was filed on July 18, 1865:

I most respectfully represent that I am a Virginian by birth, am now in the 56th year of age, was always most decidedly opposed to the Rebellion, and did nothing of myself to bring on the War.  I have never borne arms against the United States, and the only assistance I ever rendered the so called Confederate cause was such as I was of necessity compelled to render in consequence of my being a resident of a Southern State.  Like most of the Southern people, I have been greatly injured in my pecuniary interest by the actings and doings of the Government of the so called Confederate States.  I am sincerely glad that peace has been restored and hope that we shall never again have a repetition of the scenes of the last four years.  I consider myself a Loyal Citizen of the Government of the United States and shall do all in my power to support and sustain the same.  I have taken the oath of amnesty mentioned in your proclamation of the 29th May last, as will appear by the annexed certificate. I consider my estate worth over twenty thousand dollars. I was the owner of 15 slaves at the date of the emancipation proclamation of the late President of the United States, to whose emancipation I consent, and I do not desire that slavery shall ever again exist in the State of Virginia. No proceedings have been commenced, to my knowledge, for the confiscation of my property or any part thereof. I most respectfully ask that the pardon and amnesty mentioned in your proclamation aforesaid of the 29th of May last may be extended to me.

So many years after the fact, it's impossible to gauge how sincere Elijah was, but it is worth noting that the notary witnessing his oath was his son-in-law, James Wood.

Ten days later, on July 29, 1865, amnesty was granted:

Whereas, Elijah Baker of Henrico County Virginia by taking part in the late rebellion against the Government of the United States, has made himself liable to heavy and penalties; And whereas, the circumstances of his case render him a proper object of Executive clemency; Now, therefore, be it known, That I, Andrew Johnson, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in consideration of the premises, divers other good good and sufficient reasons me thereunto moving, do hereby grant to the said Elijah Baker a full pardon and amnesty for all offences by him committed, arising from participation, direct or implied, in the said rebellion, conditioned as follows, vix:  This pardon to begin and take affect from the day on which the said Elijah Baker shall take the oath prescribed in the Proclamation of the President, dated May 29, 1865;  and to be void and of no effect if the said Elijah Baker shall hereafter, at any time, acquire any property whatever in slaves, or make use of slave labor;  and that he first pay all costs which may have accrued in any proceedings hitherto instituted against his person or property; And upon the further condition, That the said Elijah Baker shall notify the Secretary of State, in writing, that he has received and accepted the foregoing pardon. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Mary Ann Baker

Tha osag nam beann		The sigh of the hills
Gu fann ag imeachd		Is weakly departing
Gach sruthan 's gach allt		Each stream and brook
Gu mall le bruthach		Go slowly down the hillside
Tha ealtainn nan speur		The birds of the sky
Feadh geugan dubhach		Are sad in the branches
A caoidh gu'n d'fhalbh		Lamenting that you left
'S nach till thu tuille		And will never more return
--"MacCrimmon's Lament" (Traditional)

Today marks the 194th birthday of my 4th-great-grandmother, Mary Ann Mettert Baker.  In many respects, she had a privileged life, being the wife of a wealthy businessman and living in the Church Hill neighborhood of Richmond.

But she also suffered through many losses in her life.  Her father George Mettert likely passed away when she was a teenager;  he last appears on the 1830 Census, and by Mary Ann's marriage in 1838, her mother Nancy was listed as her guardian and giving consent.

Elijah and Mary Ann Baker lost two daughters, Georgetta and Mary, in infancy.  Another daughter, Mattie, died on Christmas Day in 1872 at the age of 21 in a tragic accident.

Miss Mattie Baker, aged about twenty years, the beautiful and accomplished daughter of Mr. Elijah Baker, who resides on Venable street, between Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth, was fearfully and fatally burned Tuesday afternoon, about one o'clock, by her clothes taking fire.  Miss Baker had retired to her room for the purpose of writing a letter, and while sitting near the fire, thus occupied, her dress took fire, and in a few moments the unfortunate young lady was enveloped in flame.  Her cries soon brought her mother and brother from the floor below to her assistance, but not before she was horribly burned.  A physician was immediately summoned and did all in his power to alleviate the agony of the sufferer.  The injuries sustained were, however, beyond human control, and Miss Baker died about half-past six o'clock yesterday evening.

Then came the 1860s, bringing the Civil War and reconstruction era.  Yet as hard as the war was on Richmond, the roughest patch for Mary Ann came in the late 1880s as a number of personal tragedies struck in the family.  In 1886, her niece, Mrs. Mary Morton, lost her young son Oden when she mistakenly mixed up her sons' medications.

A sad and dreadful mistake occurred yesterday morning at the residence of Mr. Peter A. Morton, at 810 Jessamine street. Two of Mr. Morton's little boys have been sick for some time.  There was a bottle of fever mixture and one of carbolic acid on the mantelpiece.  One of the boys, aged about six, had a sore leg, and the acid had been used on it.  The eldest child, aged nine years, was given a spoonful of the carbolic acid instead of the fever medicine.  This occurred at 6:30 o'clock.  The accident was at once discovered, and the best medical aid summoned, but the child died at 8:30 o'clock, after much suffering. Mr. Peter A. Morton is a painter, doing business on north Fifteenth street.  He was a gallant Union soldier, and is a prominent Phil Kearny Post man and a true member of the United Veterans.  All of his comrades, both of the blue and the gray, as well as the community, will sympathize with him and his bereaved wife.  Mrs. Morton is frantic with grief. She will have the condolence of all who read the account of this sad casuality.

The following year, the Bakers' only son, Dabney Gathright Baker, died of cancer at the age of 46, leaving behind his wife Lucy and four children.  Just four months later, Mary Ann's nephew was killed when a boiler exploded at the paper mill where his father worked.

Mr. Mettert, an elderly gentleman, whose hair is silvered with gray, and who has been a watchman at the mill for a number of years, said:

"It is my custom to keep my lantern lighted at night, so that when I hear a noise I can look about the premises at once.  My son came in the front door (opening on the new street at the north side of the building), and I met him directly he came in, knowing that he wanted to see me.  After we had been talking for a little while he said that he wanted to see Alec, the colored engineer, and went down into the engine-room to see him.  I came on back here and sat down where I am now (at the back of the establishment).  In a few minutes I heard the sound, and upon examination found that there had been a terrible explosion.  My son after seeing Alec went into the boiler-room, and he is now dead, or I fear he is, as nothing has been seen of him.

In April of 1888, two of Elijah and Mary Ann's young granddaughters, Ruby and Mary, died within days of each other.  With the girls' deaths, their parents were left childless.

McDOWELL. - Died, April 15, 1888, at ten minutes to 12 o'clock, at the residence of her parents, No. 2235 Venable street, MARY JOSEPHINE, youngest daughter of John G. and Rosa B. McDowell; aged one year and eleven days. McDOWELL. - Died, April 17th, at the residence of her parents, No. 2235 Venable street, RUBY JAMES, only child of John G. and Rosa B. McDowell; aged three years and eleven months. "Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of Heaven."

Less than three weeks later, on May 4th, Mary Ann's husband Elijah died from congestion in his lungs at the age of 76.  The couple had been married for 50 years.  In his will, Elijah divided up his properties, valued at $85,000, amongst his children and grandchildren, leaving Mary Ann their house at 2241 Venable Street and $800 per year.  The house is still standing today.

Two months after Elijah's death, the Bakers' eldest daughter, Mrs. Nannie Wood, passed away at the age of 45.

Mary Ann herself lived until 1896, passing away at the age of 77.  In all, she outlived five of her children (and another daughter, Charlotte, died later that same year), two sons-in-law, six grandchildren, and at least three of her siblings.

	Mary Ann's daughter In memory of Mattie E. Daughter of Elijah & Mary A. Baker Born Feb. 27th, 1851 Died Dec. 25th, 1872 In the full bloom of youth and hope, loving and beloved, her memory will be ever fondly cherished as the brightest and dearest of recollections.
	Mary Ann's great-nephew Oden Charley Son of P. A. & M. A. Morton Born Nov. 25, 1877 Died Nov. 13, 1886 "I am so glad that Jesus loves me."
	Mary Ann's son To the memory of our dear father Dabney G. Baker Clinging to the cross, He fell asleep in Jesus Jan. 13th, 1887, in the 48th year of his age. To those who knew and loved him, was revealed a character, grand and noble, pure and unselfish.
	Mary Ann's nephew Joseph G. Mettert Jr. Died May 14, 1887
	Mary Ann's grandchildren Mary Josephine McDowell Apr. 17, 1887 - Apr. 15, 1888 Ruby James McDowell May 17, 1884 - Apr. 17, 1888 John G. McDowell Jr. Aug. 18, 1903 - Apr. 2, 1906
	Mary Ann's husband In memory of our devoted father Elijah Baker Born Feb. 29th, 1812 Died May 4th, 1888 in the 77th year of his age.
	Mary Ann's daughter In memory of Nannie E. Wood Daughter of Elijah & Mary A. Baker Born August 4th 1842 Died July 24th 1888 in the 46th year of her age.
	In remembrance of our beloved mother Mary Ann Wife of Elijah Baker Born February 17th, 1819 Died March 30th, 1896 At rest
	The Bakers' family plot Oakwood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia

Grace, part 2

Place a name upon the night
One to set your heart alight
And to make the darkness bright
Paint the sky with stars

--  "Paint the Sky with Stars" by Enya

Yesterday marked my great-great-grandmother Grace Cole's birthday - only, her name wasn't originally Grace...

Tracking down Grace and her siblings in the Virginia birth registers has been interesting to say the least.  Her parents, Dabney and Lucy Baker, had five children, but it seems as though they had some difficulty deciding on names.  Further adding to confusion is that the children had trouble keeping track of their birthdays. 

Dabney and Lucy were married on July 16, 1868.  One year and four days later, their first child, Nellie Blanche Baker, was born - July 20, 1869.  Sadly, little Nellie lived only nine months.

Their second child, Grace, was born on June 18, 1871.  But going back through the birth records, her name appears as "Nellie G. Baker."  Possibly Nellie Grace?  But in all other records, starting from the 1880 census onward, her name is Grace Belvin Baker (Belvin for her grandmother's maiden name).

The Bakers' third child was Elijah, named for his paternal grandfather.  Elijah was supposedly born on September 1, 1873.  In the Richmond birth register his name is recorded as simply "D. E. Baker," and his actual birth date was October 12.

 

Next came Mattie Virginia Baker.  In theory, her birthday should be January 31, 1875, but I haven't yet been able to find her in the records.  Heaven only knows if that date is correct, or what her name might originally have been.  Hopefully, she'll turn up eventually.

Lastly is Dabney Gathright Baker Jr. - he was especially fun to search for.  Dabney wrote his birth date as August 4, though on different records the year varies between 1878 - 1881.  As it turns out, he was born on August 14, 1878, with the name "James Northell Baker" recorded.  Even better, on the 1880 census, his name is given as "Lothair."  Go figure.

P.S.  No pressure, Lesley! :)