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After working as a Pullman porter for the Santa Fe Railroad, James Nathan Baker, Sr. decided to open a funeral home in 1917 for Cleburne's African American Community. Licensed as an embalmer in 1922, he operated a funeral home with his mother-in-law, Mattie Gaston Barnes, in their home. In 1926, he and his wife, Ransome Antoinette, moved to Fort Worth and opened a Baker Undertaking Company at this site in a house owned by his father, The Rev. Henry Baker.The Baker Funeral Home continued to grow in the 1930s. After a building expansion, Baker added a community ambulance service in 1932, and his brother opened a third funeral home, in Mineral Wells, in 1935. Together, the three businesses served African Americans throughout the region.In 1938, James Baker founded the Diamond Mutual Burial Association, which helped clients plan for funerals arrangements. During the 1940s, he purchased People's Burial Park. The funeral home was once again remodeled and enlarged.Baker's seven children had always assisted in running the business. He retired in 1967, and after his death in 1970, his son Herbert Victor Baker (d. 1989) became president. Under his leadership, the business continued to grow.Today, Baker Funeral Home is owned and operated by the third and fourth generations of family members who continue to uphold James Baker's commitment to service. A community landmark, the funeral home is a cultural resource, with connections to Fort Worth's historic African American community and its residents, leaders, churches and cemeteries. (2004) |
