Abigail A. Baker (1784-1849) was born in Pembroke, New Hampshire, and
died in Sanbornton Bridge (now Tilton), New Hampshire. She was the beloved mother of
Mary Baker Eddy. In 1849, shortly after her mother's death, Eddy wrote the poem "To My
Mother in Heaven," in which she mourned the loss of her mother and thanked her for the
strength of faith she had instilled in her. Baker's obituary describes her as possessing
"a strong intellect, a sympathising heart and placid spirit." She was the youngest
daughter of Nathaniel and Phebe Ambrose of Pembroke. Nathaniel was the town collector
and deacon for "The Congregational Society in Pembroke," helping purchase land for a
meeting house (1802) and helping with the incorporation of the Society (1815). Abigail
Baker was an active and lifelong member of the Congregational Church, regularly
attending services and making contributions to the New Hampshire Cent Institution, a
missionary fund established in 1805. Mary Baker Eddy lived with her mother almost
continuously for nearly twenty-eight years and cites her as being one of the biggest
influences in her life. Reminiscing many years later in
Retrospection
and Introspection, Eddy wrote: "Of my mother I cannot speak as I would, for
memory recalls qualities to which the pen can never do justice."
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