Name: Joesphine Baker (Turck)
Birth Date: March 30, 1858
Birth Place: Milwaukee Wisconsin, USA
Death Date: May 31, 1942
Death Location: Jacksonville Illinois, USA
Burial Place: Interred in cemetery near Cedar Creek, WI
Summary
Josephine Turck Baker (1873-1942) was a successful author, publisher and composer who lived in Evanston from approximately 1900 until her death in 1942. Baker established the International Society for Universal English and for almost 40 years published its popular magazine, “Correct English.” She wrote and published textbooks and gave talks on grammar, vocabulary building and “the art of conversation.” She also wrote plays, poetry and one novel, “The Burden of the Strong,” published in 1915. Her home was a center of Evanston social life and she was a strong supporter of the local arts community.
Father: James Byron Turck
Mother: Sarah Ashby
Children: Five: Beatrice, Roschen, Frederick James, Frederick Sherman, One Child Name Unknown
Education: Milwaukee Downer College: Honorary PhD, 1902. School of Oratory, Boston University: AM, 1897. Milwaukee Downer College: AB, 1878. Chicago Law School: Honorary PhD.
Years in Evanston: c.1900-1942
Sources: Archives and Collections: "Baker" Biographical Files, Evanston History Center. Evanston, Illinois. "House Cards" Evanston History Center. Evanston, Illinois. Other Primary Sources: Josephine Turck Baker "Correct English" and the Ancestory of Pop Grammar by Christopher Gould, The English Journal, Vol 76, No.1, pp 22-27 Secondary Sources: "Josephine C Turick [Josephine K. Turck]." Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1860. M653, 1,438 rolls "Josephine L Bakes[Josephine Turck Baker]." Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2002. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.