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Although the business that became Baker's Chocolate began with John Hannon in 1765, it was the Baker family that made the company into a household name. From 1780 to 1895, for 115 years Baker’s Chocolate remained, in one form or another, within the Baker family. The long company history began with James Baker in 1780. When James retired, he passed the business along to his son Edmund in 1804. After growing the company for over twenty years Edmund turned over chocolate making to his son Walter in 1823. For almost thirty years Walter Baker expanded production and made Baker’s Chocolate a recognizable name across the country. Walter did not have a son involved in the chocolate business, so when he died the company was passed along to his brother-in-law and long-time assistant, Sidney Williams. Unfortunately Sidney died suddenly after only two years. Walter Baker’s step-nephew, Henry Pierce, then took over the company. For over forty years Pierce grew the company and increased production capacity to make Baker’s Chocolate a world-wide brand. When Pierce decided to incorporate the company in 1895, Baker’s Chocolate ceased to be a Baker family business.

Due to multiple marriages, the connections between owners of the company can be difficult to decipher. See the charts below to understand the family relationships.