Estate Fraud and Baker Family Ancestors

Family Descendants, Attorneys, and Judges Fooled by Swindlers

Nov 16, 2009

Lured by a fraudulent will, thousands of Baker family ancestors spent their life savings chasing a dream.

The fraud later described as “the most magnificent swindle of the 20th century” involved property in the centre of Philadelphia.

Baker Family Estate Fraud

Late in the 19th century, a group of businessmen in the United States placed advertisements in many newspapers. They described the unclaimed estate of Revolutionary War veteran Jacob Baker of Pennsylvania. They called upon Bakers everywhere to register claims. The ads stated that claimants would have to produce proof of relationship to Jacob Baker.

The men stated that a will in their possession was indisputable proof of the $80,000,000 estate’s existence. The estate was said to include property where several major buildings are located:

Benjamin Franklin’s gravesite and some mineral-rich acreage throughout Pennsylvania were also included.

Attorney Fees and Descendants’ Searches

People searched everywhere for those vital pieces of their family histories. Letters went out across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Overwhelmed by the response, the businessmen could not handle the accumulating correspondence. They set up branch offices of the Baker Heirs Association in many states. Another was located in Ontario, Canada.

The Associations required each applicant to pay various fees several times throughout a year. Filing fees required to claim the massive estate could also be sent to the Associations. At the peak of the activity, thousands of family histories were sent in.

The expenses that included travel and attorney fees were so great that many families lost their life savings, homes, and farms. People honestly believed that the fees would cover verification and registration of their claims.

The entire scheme was well organized. To maintain the appearance of credibility, the Associations forwarded regular progress reports to all prospective ‘heirs’. Attorneys, judges, and government officials were also fooled. County judges became involved in declaring the validity of records taken from family Bibles.

Fraud Investigation and Convictions

On August 19, 1937, U. S. Postmaster James A. Farley announced that the entire Baker estate story was a huge hoax. A reporter for the Philadelphia Record stated that some were calling it “the most magnificent swindle of the 20th century”. After thorough investigations by Canadian and U.S. officials, 24 members involved were tried and convicted.

The alleged will was examined by a handwriting expert and tested by a chemical engineer. The signatures were forgeries. The paper on which it was written was manufactured long after the will’s date.

Further investigations proved that no individual named Jacob Baker from Pennsylvania served as a commissioned officer during the war. No land grants were given to anyone by that name in the state.

The gigantic fraud carried out through the U. S. mails netted well over $1,000,000. Citizens of every state, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba were victimized.

Baker Family Ancestry Searches Continue

New people interested in the Baker family ancestry invariably find some old papers or letters that refer to the will. The questions start all over again. As recently as March 12, 1974, there were questions about the estate in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Hopeful questions appeared on a genealogy forum a few years ago.

Until all legitimate family papers presented during the hoax are found and shared, the inquiries will probably continue.

The copyright of the article Estate Fraud and Baker Family Ancestors in Genealogy is owned by Kathleen Airdrie. Permission to republish Estate Fraud and Baker Family Ancestors in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.