Born: 1806, United States (assumed)
Died: 1891
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Eleanor Jameson Williams, Mrs. Walter Baker
The following is republished with permission from the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail.
The Baker Chocolate Company, founded in the 1780s, played a significant role in Dorchester’s economy and employed many women. Eleanor Jameson Williams Baker was married to Walter when he headed the company. She had a difficult life, having lost her four children when she was still a young woman.
These losses may have accounted for her legendary hospitality and explained her need to surround herself with many friends. Eleanor inherited the company after the death of her husband in 1852 which allowed her to continue with her philanthropic work. When the Civil War broke out, Eleanor held lint-picking classes for making gauze bandages to support the Union war effort. She provided comfort to the wounded in person by visiting army hospitals and collecting books for the Solders’ Free Library in Washington D.C. Eleanor was a major donor and helped to organize the project. She provided scholarships for black students to attend the Hampton Institute, and she supported a home for elderly African American women in Lynchburg, Virginia.