Sarah Louisa Denny was born May 10th, 1840, in Clark County, Indiana. She was the 2nd child of 5 born to Samuel Thomas Denny & Lucy Ann Dow.

Sarah grew up in or around Wood Township/ the town of New Providence (like her husband), which at that time was a small farming community near the banks of the Ohio River. The Ohio River creates the natural border between the states of Indiana & Kentucky. Sarah’s father was a cabinet maker (sometimes also referred to as a carpenter or undertaker). Sarah’s parents had previously lived in Washington County, Indiana, which is the county west of Clark.

Sarah is married to William Henry Baker on September 26th 1856. Due to New Providence being such a small town, the Baker and Denny families most likely interacted with each other often and knew each other for years prior to the marriage. 

As mentioned in her husband’s page, the couple moved to Illinois sometime before 1860 and remained there until at least the birth of their 3rd child, Horace, who was born back in Clark County, Indiana, in March of 1863.

After the Civil War, Sarah Louisa’s parents (Samuel & Lucy Dow Denny) decided to sell their belongings in Indiana and head to the Pacific Northwest. It is said that the decision to move would only happen if all of the family went because Sarah’s mother, Lucy, demanded it. Their journey starts in 1866 and is further documented in a research post.

When the Baker family arrived in Steilacoom and then in what would become Tacoma, there were all but a few families living in the area. A few months after arriving, Sarah gives birth to her last child, Lena Tacoma Baker, who is said to have been the first white settler born in Tacoma.

At some point, the family settles in what is now Sumner and homesteads near the Stuck River.

Sarah Louisa Denny died on November 20th, 1916, at age 76. She is buried beside her husband at the Sumner Cemetery, along with her daughter Lena, and many other family members.

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