She was the daughter of Gordon Baker and the granddaughter of Fred and Mary Baker, who died in 2009. At some point following the death of her grandmother, Julia was exploring her attic when she saw a package labelled "Grandma". It held photographs and newspaper clippings from more than a century earlier. Among the pictures were images of a woman who looked exactly like Julia and a message warning her of the Weeping Angels which read "Julia. Beware the Angels. They will drag you into the past." One of the paper clippings, dated 28 June 1887, mentioned a woman named Julia Hardwick who claimed to be from the future.