Born in Danby, Yorkshire, England, John Baker visited the United States and Canada in 1838, walking “more than a thousand miles in search of the most desirable location” to settle.  He decided to settle in Western NY.  Returning to England to put his affairs in order, John and wife Elizabeth returned to the United States in the Spring of 1833, traveled the Erie Canal to Macedon where they purchased a farm. “102 acres of land was purchased for $2660. The homestead was built in the 1840s, gathering cobblestones from Lake Ontario, it took 10 years to build.” [Braun]

The J. & E. Baker Cobblestone Farmstead National Register property includes a total of five buildings: the house (completed in 1850); a large dairy barn; a smaller storage barn; large shed; and a carriage/machine shed. The farmstead is an architecturally and historically significant example of a nineteenth/early twentieth century farm complex, reflection the rural agricultural heritage of the region. The farmhouse is significant as an outstanding example of the cobblestone masonry construction and is an excellent example of Gothic Revival style architecture. The period of significance of the farmstead is 1850-1930.  

John and Elizabeth had seven children who grew up in this home. John lived at the farmstead for 50 years before he passed on March 14, 1891. Elizabeth passed away on January 3, 1904. Quakers, the Baker family attended the Farmington Friends Meeting Church in Ontario County. John and Elizabeth are buried in the North Farmington Friends Cemetery, just south of the Friends Church. Descendants of John and Elizabeth enjoyed growing up at the Baker farmstead over several generations.