John Milnes Baker, author of "A Knickerbocker Legacy," has compiled an in-depth and intriguing history of his Dutch forebears who immigrated to America over 350 years ago.
The Scottish Edgars, the second family included in the Baker publication, likewise immigrated over 300 years ago to the Woodbridge area of NJ.
By 1766, a 4th generation American Baker (Matthias) became the first family member to marry the first Scottish-American Edgar member, Catherine.
In great part, the Edgar family's ancestral research, both its Scottish and American branches, began over 100 years ago.
More recently, I also wish to acknowledge my son, Ian H. Edgar, whose research talents have proved invaluable, both in their scope and detail. Of course, only John Milnes Baker's passionate research efforts coupled with his organizational talents have been able to produce this ancestral gem.

I am so pleased that John Milnes Baker has written this very comprehensive history of our family. It helps make great sense of the people and places that my Grandmother, Christine Virginia Baker Rowell, had told us about all of our childhood. The publication is beautifully presented and is a keepsake for family reference.

John Milnes Baker’s A Knickerbocker Legacy is a well researched genealogy that focuses on the Baker and Edgar families of New Jersey and New York. The genealogy should be very useful to anyone interested in those families, but can also be a great resource in the research of other families from the time period and area as the index spans over ten pages, listing the names of all people mentioned within the book. The book is not only useful for its genealogical research but also the rich primary documents it provides.

A Knickerbocker Legacy: The Baker Family and The Edgar Family of Rahway N.J. and N.Y.C. is a thoroughly researched genealogy spanning over 200 years. The book includes maps, photographs, family trees, and excerpts of documents which allow for the reader to connect with the histories being told. A Knickerbocker Legacy provides not only a fascinating look into the lives and history of a tri-state area family, but also insight into the extensive documents and research that goes into preserving family histories. The book is especially of interest to those who live in the area these families live in as it is easy to connect and imagine them in the settings.

I was glad (and flattered) to have been sent a copy of this book by its author along with a request to write a review. I have known John Milnes Baker for decades now through the Saint Nicholas Society, of which we are both members and he is a leading light and a former President (as am I). I always knew that the English-seeming Baker name was originally spelled Backer and was Dutch. But, until I read this book, which is an updated edition of an earlier one first published 50 years ago, I did not know any of the particulars of his family. From reading the entries for many ancestors and relatives, I noted that they include many accomplished individuals, educated and professional, who were active in their professions, right up to John himself, who is a talented architect and published author. As well as a family history with lots of biographical information, John has produced an almost panoramic (if you will) portrait of a successful New York family crossing the centuries from New York’s earliest days to the present. This is one of the most interesting family histories I have read and I hope that this short review does it justice.