Biographical Sketch of Rev. Robert Baker
Rev. Robert Baker, an early Methodist preacher who moved from Tennessee to Missouri, established the first Methodist church in Montgomery County in 1819 at Rev. Drury Clanton’s home. A veteran of the Revolutionary War, he dedicated his pension to church and Sunday-school initiatives. His two sons, Jacob and Esau, were remarkably different in stature, with Jacob towering at six feet two inches and Esau standing at four feet five. Jacob settled in Callaway County, where he famously secured his beloved dog with a honey locust stake that ultimately grew into a tree.