{"id":5679,"date":"2024-02-01T00:24:09","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T00:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/?p=5679"},"modified":"2024-02-01T00:45:36","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T00:45:36","slug":"susie-baker-gordon-to-1925","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/biography\/susie-baker-gordon-to-1925\/","title":{"rendered":"SUSIE BAKER GORDON ? to 1925"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Ethel Baker<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Judge Henry Davis Papers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Swift Baker, the father of Susie Baker Gordon, was born at Hopewell, the Baker estate, located about a mile from Gordonsville, Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He fought in the confederate Army during the Civil war and later married Maria Jane Davis of Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the Bakers were born six children, two boys and four girls, of whom Susie was the second child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Susie\u2019s young girlhood, she had a private tutor in Latin for several years.  She attended the Gordonsville Female Institute [constructed in 1878] and was graduated from that school.  At the age of eighteen she began teaching in the country schools of Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, Susie Baker, graduated from the Peabody Normal College of [Nashville,] Tennessee with a life certificate.  While attending Peabody, during the summers, she would take courses from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville.  She continued to take refresher courses at the University of Virginia during her life time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susie Baker went to Granbury, Texas, about 1893, and began teaching Latin and English in the\u00a0Granbury High School<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0She also had subjects in the grade school.\u00a0\u00a0She would go home every summer and teach Latin in Peabody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to several of her pupils who are now living in Granbury, she was a good disciplinarian, but not one to make pupils dislike her.  She was a conscientious teacher who loved children, and children, loved her.  The men and women in Granbury have never forgotten her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She often helped pupils over the telephone.  She was strict about formation of lines, was fair minded, and had no pets.  She gave programs to bring out talents and to teach children to appear before crowds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She started the custom of entertaining the graduating class formally.  Some children would never have known how to use silverware otherwise.  She was a very understanding person \u2013 always acted with dignity.  The children didn\u2019t even want to be disrespectful.  Still she could laugh and see fun, but the work must be done; however, they could be pleasant about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She lead [sic] pupils to love geography and other studies.  She did definite teaching.  She often had her pupils go to her home, to help them with some problem that needed more time than could be given at school.  Not only would she help with lessons, but often would help plan different types of entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Fort Worth, Texas, on November 3, 1907, Susie Baker was married to\u00a0Mr. A.P. Gordon<\/a>\u00a0of Granbury.\u00a0\u00a0They lived in the lovely Gordon home in Granbury on the Fort Worth Highway.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Historical Home of Alonzo Peyton Gordon & Susie Baker Gordon
307 East Pearl Street in Granbury, Texas
Photo courtesy of Wayne Moyers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Gordon continued with her teaching.  There was a large library in the home, and with Mr. Gordon\u2019s assistance, she continued to help her pupils with their studies and to entertain them.  Mr. Gordon was a typical Southern gentleman and had that sweet Southern attitude toward Mrs. Gordon and her pupils.  According to a former pupil, he always seemed to think everything Susie did was wonderful.  They entertained many graduating classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of her former pupils remember a big fat cat called Pete, that both the Gordons and the pupils loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Gordon died. [1847-1921]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Gordon continued to teach in the Granbury High School until 1924, when her health completely failed.  She then returned to Virginia, on her doctor\u2019s advice, to be with her people, but lived only a few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Gordon died March 24, 1925, and was buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Gordonsville, Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the town of Granbury, there are many who knew Susie Baker Gordon, both as a friend and a teacher.  She still lives in the hearts of many of her former pupils and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is fitting to end this biography with a beautiful tribute by one of Mrs. Gordon\u2019s former pupils, Mrs. Mary Walley Johnson:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel honored to be granted the privilege of writing a tribute to my beloved teacher and friend, Mrs. Susie Baker Gordon.\u00a0

Through the years, I came to realize the greatness of her heart more and more.\u00a0\u00a0So many fine characteristics I could attribute to her, that I am at a loss to single out those most outstanding.\u00a0

However, considering her from the angle of teacher, I should probably level it off as Thoroughness.\u00a0

No fact was ever given to us and then left to fall into obscurity.\u00a0

Once she had emplanted an idea \u2013 it was embellished from day to day.\u00a0\u00a0It was connected with other fields of interest until finally it would become an open door to some greater, more valuable field of knowledge.\u00a0

I remember when I had eighth grade algebra \u2013 Wentworth\u2019s Book I, she had on her desk Book II, III, and IV.\u00a0\u00a0As we mastered a chapter, for instance, Quadratic Equations, she took up Book II, and gave us with her help, all that she could of it.\u00a0\u00a0There was always some girl or boy who could \u201ccatch the Gleam\u201d and work in the book ahead.\u00a0

And so it happened, that by the time we reached the fourth year, our work was practically fun, and we could enjoy our next step in math.\u00a0

In Latin it was quite the reverse \u2013 Old \u201cCollar and Daniel\u201d went up with us through \u201cCaesar,\u201d \u201cCicero,\u201d and on.\u00a0\u00a0We conjugated and declined until when we took our finals in senior year, we could practically have written a beginner\u2019s Latin book, without notes.\u00a0

Never did I appreciate her more than when I visited my son, Clay Johnson, Jr. \u2013 who was attending M.I.T., and I stayed in Cambridge and round about Boston.\u00a0\u00a0Her training just came alive and charmed me at every turn.\u00a0

As \u201cI stood on the bridge\u201d made famous by Longfellow and looked out over the spires of Cambridge, I almost \u201cheard the bells on Christmas Day\u201d as I recalled the lines that she gave us with so much inspiration.\u00a0

Over in Boston, my son said one day, \u201cMother, there is the Old North Church.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Over my mind and heart there passed a great surge [of] patriotism as I repeated, \u201cOne if by land and two if by sea,\u201d and there in the sea still rested Old Ironsides.\u00a0\u00a0I was charmed at her lovely interior, cared for by the U.S. Navy, and was glad that she had never been given to the \u201cgod of storm.\u201d\u00a0

Lines from the \u201cChildren\u2019s Hour\u201d re-read themselves to me as I stood before the picture of \u201cGrave Alice and Laughing Allegra and Edith with golden hair\u201d and saw the chair that Longfellow sat in as the little girls would slip in and cover his eyes.\u00a0

There also was the chair made from the \u201cSpreading Chestnut Trees.\u201d\u00a0

Every word of these poems was plastered deep on my intelligence by Miss Baker\u2019s patient care.\u00a0\u00a0I wished that I could tell her again how much she had meant to me and how I valued the training that she had given me for appreciation and enjoyment of the better things of life.\u00a0

Erect of body \u2013 fair of face \u2013 sweet of voice and disposition, Mrs. Susie Baker Gordon embodied everything lovely that is allotted to the making of gracious womanhood.<\/td><\/tr>
 <\/td>Mary Walley Johnson<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sources of information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Belle Baker Preddy, sister, Charlottesville, Virginia
Mrs. C.J. Theirmer, cousin, Warrenton, Virginia
Mrs. Byrd Gordon Wear, Granbury, Texas
Mrs. Henry Nutt, Granbury, Texas
Mrs. Mary Walley Johnson, Granbury, Texas
Former pupils<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Ethel Baker From the Judge Henry Davis Papers Thomas Swift Baker, the father of Susie Baker Gordon, was born at Hopewell, the Baker estate, located about a mile from Gordonsville, Virginia. He fought in the confederate Army during the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biography"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5682,"href":"http:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5679\/revisions\/5682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/granburydepot.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}