JOHN WILDER Student

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Students
John Wilder (1920-2001), PMSS Student
Mildred Wilder, PMSS Staff, 1961-1997
Mildred Baker Wilder (1924-2021)

JOHN WILDER Community

Friends & Family: VI 37 “Rhoda Creech Wilder’s family,” c. 1916. From left: Kermit, Brit, Sallie, John, ?, ?, ?. Children standing in a row with rail fence in background. [Vl_37_1195a.jpg]

TAGS: John Wilder, Mildred Baker Wilder, Wilder family, Wilder history,  Pine Mountain Settlement School, Harlan County KY, genealogy, community residents, grandson of William and Sally Dixon Creech, PMSS kitchen workers, PMSS students

JOHN WILDER Student

The John Wilder family lived in the community adjacent to the Pine Mountain Settlement School. John was a student during the School’s boarding school days. He also was one of Henry G. and Rhoda Creech Wilder’s nine children and grandson of William Creech and Sally Dixon Creech who donated land for the School’s construction.

John Wilder was born on October 6, 1920, at Pine Mountain, Kentucky. He was the second youngest of eight siblings, whose names were Sallie, Brittain, William Kermit, Cinda, Polly, Margaret Helen, Mary Winifred, and Callie M.

In 1941, John Wilder married Mildred Baker. A year later, the couple moved from Little Laurel to Isaac’s Creek. John owned lands adjacent to Pine Mountain Settlement School just east of the School. During the early years of the School, the Wilder property was purchased by PMSS for $1,250, an amount donated to the School by Col. Durrett. Otherwise, little information was found about John.

However, a biography of Mildred’s life exists on this website as well as an obituary on Find-A-Grave.com. She was born on May 3, 1924 in Big Laurel, Kentucky, to Willie and Maude Turner Baker in Big Laurel, Kentucky. Her obituary states that “She was a hard worker and was a respected employee in the kitchen at Pine Mountain Settlement School.”

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John Wilder died on  January 10, 2001, at the age of 80 in Harlan, Kentucky, He was buried in the Creech Cemetery, Pine Mountain, Kentucky.

Mildred Baker Wilder died on January 13, 2021, in Harlan, Kentucky. She was buried alongside her husband in Creech Cemetery. When she died at age 96, she had outlived not only her husband, but also her son Forster (who attended PMSS Community School in 1950), daughter Evelyn, and six siblings.

TRANSCRIPTION of Correspondence

029 August 29, 1950. To Mr. John Wilder, Pine Mountain, KY, from Henry C. Creech, Chairman.

Dear Mr. Wilder:
Some of the people of our community met last night to make plans for our annual Community Fair Day at Pine Mountain to be held September 30th. We should like to have you serve as a member of the planning committee. Our first meeting is set for Friday, September 1st, at 7:30 p.m. at Laurel House.

We hope very much that you will find it convenient to serve on this committee.

Sincerely yours,

H.C. Creech
Chairman

GALLERY

Title  John Wilder
Alt. Title  Mr. and Mrs. John Wilder ;  John and Mildred Wilder ;
Identifier https://pinemountainsettlement.net/?page_id=57146
Creator Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY.
Alt. Creator Ann Angel Eberhardt ; Helen Hayes Wykle ;
Subject Keyword John Wilder, Mildred Baker Wilder, Wilder family, Wilder history,  Pine Mountain Settlement School, Harlan County KY, genealogy, community residents, grandson of William and Sally Dixon Creech, PMSS kitchen workers
Subject LCSH Wilder, John,  –1920-2001.
Pine Mountain Settlement School (Pine Mountain, Ky.) — History.
Harlan County (Ky.) — History.
Education — Kentucky — Harlan County.
Rural schools — Kentucky — History.
Schools — Appalachian Region, Southern.
Date 2025-12-31 aae 
Publisher Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY.
Contributor n/a
Type Collections ; text ; image ;
Format Original and copies of documents and correspondence in file folders in filing cabinet.
Source Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Students
Language English
Relation Is related to: Pine Mountain Settlement School Collections, Series 09: BIOGRAPHY 
Coverage Temporal 1920 – 2021
Coverage Spatial Pine Mountain, KY ; Harlan County, KY ; Big Laurel, KY ; Harlan, KY ;
Rights Any display, publication, or public use must credit the Pine Mountain Settlement School. Copyright retained by the creators of certain items in the collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Donor n/a
Description Core documents, correspondence, writings, and administrative papers of John and Mildred Wilder ; clippings, photographs, books by or about John and Mildred Wilder ;
Acquisition n/d
Citation “[Identification of Item],” [Collection Name] [Series Number, if applicable]. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY.
Processed By Helen Hayes Wykle ; Ann Angel Eberhardt ;
Last Updated  
Sources Familysearch.com Family Tree for John Wilder. https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/pedigree/landscape/L4X6-2KD ; accessed 2025-12-31. Internet resource.

“Mildred Baker Wilder.” Find-A-Grave.com ; accessed 01-01-2026.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/221776218/mildred-wilder Internet resource.

“WILDER Family,” Series 09; BIOGRAPHY. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY. Internet resource.

See Also:
MILDRED BAKER WILDER Staff

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BIOGRAPHY – A-Z
WILDER Family