Al Barker

Alfred L. Barker (January 18, 1839 – September 15, 1912) was an American amateur and professional baseball player. He played one major league game, in 1871, for the Rockford Forest Citys of the National Association.

Barker was one of the original players for the then-amateur Forest Citys when they were founded in 1865, but by the time the club joined the professional National Association in 1871, he was a backup who would appear in only one league game.

Early life

Barker was born on January 18, 1839, in Lost Creek, Indiana, to Ira and Margaret Barker. In 1848 his family moved to Daysville, Illinois, and then in 1853 settled in the area of Rockford. While nominally amateur, the club was fully professional. Washington won the first seven games of their tour by large margins, before facing the Rockford club in Chicago on July 25. Captained by Barker and with 17 year old pitcher Al Spalding on the mound, Rockford delivered Washington their sole defeat of the trip, winning 29–23. Baseball historian John Thorn described it as the upset of the century.

Personal life

Barker married Narcissa Tripp in between his two enlistments in the Civil War, but the union was short-lived. In 1872, he married Sarah Converse, and they remained together until she died in 1906. Together, they ran a dancing school in Rockford for over 25 years.

Barker died of stomach cancer on September 15, 1912, at the age of 72 in Rockford, Illinois.