DANIEL AND SUSAN BAKEMAN (Neal Pollard)

In the annals of American history there is a remarkable story you may not know. Daniel Bakeman was born on October 9, 1759. He married Susan Brewer on August 29, 1772, though not yet a teenager. Soon thereafter, he joined the American army during the Revolutionary War. Not only did he survive the war, he lived almost another 100 years. When he died on April 5, 1869, he was most likely the last surviving veteran of the war that made us a country. He lived about four years after the end of the Civil War. As remarkable as that distinction is, he also was part of another world record that still stands to this day. His marriage to Susan lasted until September 10, 1863, when she passed away. That means the Bakemans were married for 91 years and 12 days!

I cannot find anything about the details of that marriage, though they left many descendants who carry, through various spellings of the family name, the names Bachman, Beckman, Bakeman, Bateman, and even Baker (genealogytrails.com). Various archives indicate that Mr. Bakeman was spry and humorous to the end and that Mrs. Bakeman exhibited needlework she had done without the aid of glasses when she was 102. They lived and died in a town called Freedom, and Mr. Wakeman holds the distinction of having voted in every election from Washington to Grant!

As remarkable as his military distinction is, his marriage distinction deserves higher honor. He fought in and survived a war that lasted less than ten years. He endured hardships, who knows how many ups and downs, and undoubtedly some trying marital moments en route to almost a century of marital bliss. They were together to the end, an exaggerated example of commitment and highest love.

You will almost certainly fail to break the Bakemans’ record for length of marriage, but you might exceed what they enjoyed for depth and breadth. What are you doing to build upon the highest love for your spouse? What daily investments are you making? Your marriage will be remembered by those who know you. How it will be remembered is something over which you exert full control. Make it a legacy of lasting love!