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- Nicholas Baker and his brother Nathaniel came from England to America inthe spring or early summer of 1635. He was educated in England, receivedhis Bachelors degree in 1631/2 and a Masters in 1635.
He drew a house lot in Hingham, Mass on 18 Sept. 1635. He became aFreeman on 3 March 1635/6, sixth in a sequence of eight Hingham men.Nicholas or his wife, or perhaps both, belonged to the Hingham church asearly as 1638, and several of their children were baptized there. Theyremoved to Hull, and he applied to the General Court on Aug 2, 1642 toplant at Seekonk, but apparently did not go. In 1660 they went insteadfrom Hull to Scituate, perhaps because he was ordained the third ministerof the First Church there.
He successfully brought together the first and the second churches whichhad quarrelled for twenty years. Cotton Mather tells us that "I amcontent that there should be received (for the saints of this catalogueof early New England ministers already departed have received him) honestMr. Nicholas Baker of Scituate; who, though he had but a privateeducation, yet, being a pious and zealous man; or as Dr. Arrowsmithexpresses it, so good a logician that he could offer up to God areasonable service; so good an orator, that he persuaded himself to be agood Christian; and being also one of good natural parts, especially of astrong memory, was chosen pastor of the church there; and in the pastoralcharge of that church he continued about eighteen years, until thathorror of mankind, and reproach of medecine, the stone (under which hepreached patience by a very memorable example of it; never letting fallany word worse than this, which was an usual word with him, 'A mercy ofGod it is no worser!' put an end unto his days."
The Last Will and Testament Nicholas was probated at Plymouth the 30th ofOctober 1678, on the oaths of Major James Cudworth and Thomas Clapp. Thewill mentions second wife Grace, sons Samuel and Nicholas, daughters,Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah and Deborah, wife's grandchild, Mary Web, andgrandchild, Mercy Baker. It appoints wife Grace Executrix, and eldest sonSamuel as joint executor with her. It appoints brother, Nathaniel Baker,and "my loving kinsman", John Loring, to be overseers.
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1611 - 1678 (67 years)