David Baird

DAVID BAIRD, who conducts an extensive lumber business at the corner of Pearl and Front Streets, Camden, was born April 7, 1839, in County Derry, Ireland, son of James and Ann (Robinson) Baird. James Baird, Sr., who was a native of the same place, had five children. Of these, James Baird, Jr., the father of David, carried on the business of a road contractor, and died in 1858, aged forty-five years. His wife, a daughter of David Robinson, of County Derry, had eight children, of whom six are living. She died aged forty years. Both she and her husband were members of the Presbyterian church. David Baird, the eldest child, spent his boyhood in his native land. On coming to America, he worked for a time on a farm. Then in 1859 he entered the employ of Gillingham & Garrison, lumber dealers of Philadelphia, with whom he remained until 1872. On leaving them, he started in business for himself, and has since been very successful. He is largely engaged in buying and selling lumber, making extensive purchases in Pennsylvania and the South, also in the North and West. At the present time he is occupied in clearing a large tract of timber land in Alabama, using twenty miles of railroad to bring the lumber to the saw-mill in Mobile, and employing about two hundred and fifty men. He makes a trip to Alabama once a month. His yard in Camden, with a frontage of two hundred feet and a depth of twelve hundred feet, and designed for the storage of large timber, spars, etc., was established in 1872. Some of the timber brought from the Pacific coast in large vessels is one hundred and ten feet in length and three feet in diameter. More of it comes from Nova Scotia, pine and oak from Michigan and the States bordering on the Great Lakes and Canada, and hackmatack from Bangor, Me. Mr. Baird has conducted some of the largest lumber camps in the Western States, Western Virginia, North-west Pennsylvania, and Lewis County, New York. He has been a Director of the First National Bank since 1888, is Treasurer of the Camden Lighting and Heating Company and the Atlantic Electric Light Company, and he is a Director in the Gloucester & Woodbury Railroad Company. On January 23, 1868, Mr. Baird married Miss Christiana Beatty, a daughter of William Beatty, of Philadelphia. They have had six children, of whom four are living, namely: Mary, the widow of William F. Peacock; Irving C.; Christiana; and David Baird, Jr. Mr. Baird's political principles are Republican, and he is very prominent in public affairs. He is a member of the Republican State Committee, and he served as a delegate to the National Convention that nominated President Harrison. He was on the Board of Chosen Freeholders for four years. In 1887 he was elected Sheriff to serve three years, and was again elected in 1896 to serve until 1899. In 1895 he was appointed a member of the State Board of Assessors for four years.