Frank A. Baldwin, a leading attorney of Bowling Green, whose abilities and attainments one for him at an early age a high standing among the legal fraternity, was born near Geneva, New York, July 30, 1854.

His parents, Sanford and Juliette Smith Baldwin, were also born in New York State, the father December 7, 1825, at Saratoga Springs, and the mother October 12, 1827, at Seneca Falls. Soon after their marriage they came West, in 1846 settling at Perrysburg, Wood County, where Mister Baldwin soon became a prominent and influential worker in municipal affairs, holding various official positions during his residence there. In 1860 he moved to Weston and opened a hotel, which he conducted some 12 years. He then transferred the active management to other hands, and he and his wife settled down and Weston to spend their declining years free from business cares; there he died August 1, 1895. They had 12 children, five of whom grew to maturity: Mary, the wife of W. R. Worth, who manages the hotel at Weston; Hattie, the wife of Judge Young, of Bowling Green; Frank A., our subject; Nelly, the widow of Doctor George W. Pennington, of Weston; and Lulu, a bookkeeper for J. W. Long & Company of Weston, who lives at home with her parents.

Our subject attended the public schools at his home during his boyhood, and later studied in the high school at Toledo, and the Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York. Under the direction of J. R. Tyler, of Perrysburg, and MaCauley & Pennington, of Tiffin, he prepared for the bar, and was admitted April 12, 1877. In June of the same year he began the practice of his profession at Weston, and a few months later he received an extraordinary evidence of the esteem of his fellow citizens in an election to the responsible office of prosecuting attorney of Wood County; as he was the Democratic candidate this is the more remarkable, Wood County having been a Republican stronghold ever since the Civil War. Retiring from this office at the end of two years, he engaged in the practice at Bowling Green. And able advocate, his professional efforts have been attended with uniform success, and at the present there are but few cases of importance in which he is not retained on one side or the other, this being especially true of those which involve questions of criminal law. Mister Baldwin is at present a member of the building committee for the Wood County Courthouse. In 1879 he was married to Miss Clara Foote, who was born April 22, 1855 in Washington Township.

Biographical Record of Wood County, Beers, 1897, P. 510

Following Clara's death, Frank married Agnetta D. Brown Chidester, the daughter of John and Emeline Colton Brown on 15 Apr 1914,in Wood County, Ohio.

Marriage date courtesy of Stewart J.A. Woolever Jr