In part 3 of this arc of Unraveling Ezra, a sub-podcast of Practical Change for Midlife Lesbians, Ezra Baker Jr. rose from Illinois banking commissioner to river-trade entrepreneur, catching the eye of Abraham Lincoln along the way. But ambition and risk brought financial ruin, desperate appeals to his son Dorsey, and partnerships with figures like Ephraim Bishop. This episode traces his bold schemes, costly missteps, and the clever escape that kept him in the game.

References & Sources:

• 1835: Ezra appointed commissioner of the Bank of Illinois – Papers of Abraham Lincoln

• 1837: Lincoln mentions Ezra from the floor of the Illinois legislature – Gutenberg

• 1842: Dorsey Syng Baker moves goods for his father at age 19 – Forty Years a Pioneer, HathiTrust

• 1855: Announcement of Ezra's land auction – Mount Carmel Register, Newspapers.com

• Ephraim B. Bishop's papers, Yale Archives – Yale Library Special Collections

• 1859: Ezra asks Dorsey for financial help – Forty Years a Pioneer, HathiTrust

• Narrative from the Haupt family – Minerd.com

• 1861: Ezra appointed Indian Agent, Washington Territory – National Archives, Bureau of Indian Affairs

This is a production of Practical Change for Midlife Lesbians/Practical Change Coaching. Learn more about Practical Change Coaching at www.practicalchangecoaching.com.

In part two of this multipart arc of Unraveling Ezra, a sub-podcast of Practical Change for Midlife Lesbians, we continue our historical detour to follow the messy, fascinating life of Dr. Ezra Baker Jr. Before he ever got tangled in scandal or made his final landing in Philadelphia, he was a young man heading west with his extended family in search of cheap land and new opportunity.

We rewind to the early 1800s, when a newly independent nation was expanding fast, the Midwest was still the Northwest Territory, and capitalism was overtaking a fading mercantile economy. Ezra's family—two households strong—packed up everything and moved to the frontier of Illinois. We explore what brought them there, who they traveled with (including a baby girl who would one day play a pivotal role in Ezra's life and legacy), and what he did once he arrived. And yes, I promise we'll get to the Lincoln connection… just not quite yet.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Historic context of Ezra's dad's involvement in a young United States

• The Missouri Compromise and the politics shaping Ezra's era

• Ezra Jr.'s role as a town-maker and mover and shaker

• A small baby named Kate who later becomes a key player in Ezra's story

• Why The Woodlands was right to keep me from messing with his grave

You can follow Ezra's known and less known story on this page (which I refer to but sometimes dispute):
🔗 https://www.minerd.com/bio-haupt_elisabethbaker.htm

🔗 A wee bit of info about Ezra Baker Sr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_Baker

🔗 Learn more about Dr. Dorsey S. Baker—the "famous Baker"—in this overview:
HistoryLink.org — "Baker Boyer Bank opens in Walla Walla on November 10, 1869"
⠀⠀(covers his career from doctor and merchant to banker and railroad-builder)

https://www.historylink.org/File/8333

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#EzraBakerJr #MidwestHistory #FrontierLife #IllinoisHistory #BankingScandals #FamilySecrets #QueerPodcaster #LesbianHistorian #WomenWhoPodcast #PracticalChange #HistoryNerd #MidlifePivot #WabashIllinois #DorseySyngBaker #woodlandcemetary #Philadelphiagraves #hauptfamily

Interested in receiving coaching? Reach out! www.Practicalchangecoaching.com

Welcome to a special series within the Practical Change for MidLife Lesbians podcast:
Unraveling Ezra — a journey into the life, legacy, and contradictions of my great-great-great grandfather, Ezra Baker Jr. MD.

This arc is a departure from my usual content, but sometimes, life pulls you in an unexpected direction. This is one of those times.

In this first episode, I share how a dramatic quote from a dusty 19th-century history book led me to a quiet cemetery plot near my home—and how that small contradiction launched a full-blown research quest across U.S. history, family folklore, political scandals, and personal reckoning.

Ezra Baker Jr. was a doctor, land speculator, a merchant, an entrepreneur, a postmaster, political appointee… Definitely an opportunist, and possibly a traitor. He was also definitely not as forgotten as people would like to believe—and not nearly as ruined as the record claims.

Along the way, I'm asking questions about legacy, masculinity, white privilege, reinvention, and the stories we choose to pass down.

• Quote from the Combined History of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash Counties, Illinois (1883)

• Ezra's burial site at The Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia

• Family narratives (and myths) from the Minerd.com Haupt-Baker page

Do you know anything about the Bakers of Wabash County, Il? Do you love researching local history, 19th-century politics, or tracing lost archives? I'd love to hear from you. The story is much more interesting in the context of the times.

Contact me at: claire@clairebakerok.com

And of course -- If you want coaching, head over to PracticalChangeCoaching.com for more info.

If you enjoy this series or want more of this kind of storytelling, the best way to support it is to share it with a friend—or leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts.

#UnravelingEzra #FamilyHistory #QueerHistorian #MidLifeMystery #LegacyAndLoss #EzraBakerJr #WabashCounty #HistoricalScandal #CemeteryStories #HiddenHistory #PracticalChange #LesbianPodcaster #WomenWhoResearch #GraveyardStories #GenealogyNerd