NB 1056
Aug. 4, 2006
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is the third in a series of three feature articles prepared for New Brunswick Day 2006 celebrations. Entitled Spotlight on New Brunswick's Past, the series is a reflection of the people, places and events in New Brunswick's history.
John Baker (1796-1868): The Washington of the Republic of Madawaska
The border between Canada and the United States has not always been well defined, nor even peaceful. In the 1800s, both nations claimed the same land along the shores of the upper St. John river as their own, and both authorized settlers and resources for development of the region. Such was the case with John Baker of Merumticook (Baker Brook).
John Baker arrived in Madawaska in 1817 from Moscow, Mass. (later Maine) with a group of settlers from the Kennebec region. They settled near the mouth of the Merumticook and in nearby Saint-François-de-Madawaska, with the intention of lumbering along the upper reaches of the St. John River. Baker did not stay in Madawaska, however; he continued on to the Gaspé, and worked in the woods of the Bay of Chaleur until his brother's death. He then returned to Merumticook to take over his brother's gristmill and sawmill operations, and eventually married his brother's widow, Sophia.
After Maine became a state in 1820, Baker, a passionate republican, petitioned for grants of land that he had already obtained from the Province of New Brunswick. These grants were located within the disputed territory of the upper St. John River, along the banks of the Merumticook.
Baker soon became a well-known activist in the region. Known as the George Washington of the Republic of Madawaska, he defied New Brunswick authorities in many ways, and was twice arrested and jailed in Fredericton. On July 4, 1827, he and his neighbours gathered at the Baker home to celebrate American Independence Day. Baker had erected a flag staff, and as part of the festivities he and his guests ceremoniously raised a handmade flag designed by Baker's wife. Their flag represented the Republic of Madawaska, and featured an American eagle on a white background, surrounded by a half-circle of red stars. The date of Aug. 10 was set for the declaration of a constitution for the American Republic of Madawaska, and their village was to become the capital. A few days later, word reached Fredericton that there was "disorder amongst the people, occasioned by Baker and others in the upper settlement," and an investigation soon followed.
Upon instruction from New Brunswick's attorney general, George Morehouse visited the Bakers on Aug. 7. A heated discussion took place, and when Morehouse asked Baker about the flag, Baker replied, "This is the American flag, have you never seen it? In that case you can take your time and examine it." The magistrate did. He took it back to Fredericton, and on Sept. 10, Baker and his neighbours were rounded up and arrested on charges of conspiracy and sedition.
The problem, however, was that Baker and his friends were citizens of the United States, and arresting American citizens on what was considered American soil so angered the state of Maine that it threatened to send troops to march upon the capital of New Brunswick. Sir Howard Douglas, lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick, did not back down, so Baker was required to pay a fine of 25 pounds, or serve two months in prison.
United States troops never did march upon Fredericton, but the boundary dispute between Maine and New Brunswick continued for many years. The disagreement was eventually taken to the King of Netherlands for international arbitration, and even reached the point of war in 1838, but was finally settled by peaceful means with the signing of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842.
Baker lived the rest of his life in Madawaska, and when he died in 1868, was buried in Saint-François-de-Madawaska. Some years later his remains were moved and reburied in Fort Fairfield, Me., where a monument was placed in his honour. The inscription on it reads:
"Erected by authority of a Resolve of the Legislature of Maine, A.D. 1895, to commemorate the Patriotism of JOHN BAKER, a loyal son of Maine in maintaining the Honor of his Flag during the contentions on the disputed Territory 1834-42."
For more information on life in New Brunswick during the time of John Baker, visit the Virtual Museum of Canada's New Brunswick: Our Stories, Our People website. For a list of New Brunswick Day events, visit the New Brunswick Day website.
06/08/04
MEDIA CONTACTS: Rebecca Geburt, New Brunswick Day committee, 506-453-2063; Cynthia Wallace-Casey, Heritage Branch, Wellness, Culture and Sport, 506-453-2915, e-mail: cynthia.wallace-casey@gnb.ca.
06/08/04