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George Yonkin Sr. |
George Yonkin Sr. ( ? - ? ) was born in (?) likely in Tinicum Township, Bucks County, PA, the son of German immigrants Johann "Herman" and Magdalena Youngken.
During the American Revolutionary War, in the 1775-1881 timeframe, he served in the Bucks County Militia. This service is referenced in the Pennsylvania Archives, Series 5, Volume 5.
He was joined in wedlock with Elizabeth Bollinger (1769-1852).
Four known offspring of this union were Mary Ann Holden, Christiana Clayton, William Henry Younkin Sr. and George Yonkin Jr.
The couple moved to Northumberland County, PA, where in 1811 they dwelled near Pottsgrove in Chillisquaque Township. Their name generally was spelled "Younken" and "Younkin" in public documents.
Their house and barn and their contents were consumed in a fire in September 1833 and reported on the pages of the United States Gazette and the Lewisburg Journal. George's name appeared in a list of people having unclaimed mail at the Northumberland Post Office during the first week of the new year in 1835, published in the Sunbury Gazette.
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George's estate ad, 1853, naming children and grandchildren - Library of Congress |
When the federal census enumeration was made in 1850, the widowed Elizabeth dwelled by herself in Chillisquaque. Census records for that year show no one else by that surname in the county.
She is believed to have passed away on Dec. 20, 1852. The Sunbury American reported in its "DIED" column Jan. 8, 1853 edition that "In Chillisquaque, on the 20th ult., Mrs. YOUNKEN, wife of George Younken, deceased, aged 76 years."
George's estate remained unsettled as of 1853. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against estate administrator George E. Gehrig in March 1853 over an unpaid debt that the deceased owned to his son-in-law David Holden. In the case, published in the Sunbury American, George's heirs were named -- "Mary Ann intermarried with David Holden, of Chillisquaque township, Pennsylvania; Christian intermarried with Cook Clayton, of Jerseyville county, Illinois; William Yonkin, of Michigan; George Yonkin, (who is now deceased leaving three children, Elizabeth, Peter and George.)..."
~ Daughter Christiana "Christiann" (Yonkin) Clayton ~
Daughter Christiana "Christiann" Yonkin (1810-1906) was born on Sept. 20, 1810.
She wed New Jersey native Benjamin Cook Clayton (July 17, 1814-1898).
Together they became the parents of Mary H. Senior, Anne Eliza Bohannon, Oskar Clayton and Minie/Winie Clayton.
The pair initially made their residence in Chillisquaque, Northumberland County. Sometime in 1850 or 1851, they migrated to Illinois and in 1853-1880 dwelled on a farm near the county seat of Jerseyville, Jersey County, IL. In 1870, they provided a home for their married daughter Mary and granddaughter Hattie.
By 1880, grandsons George Senior and Howard Green were under their roof.
Sadly, Benjamin died on July 16, 1898, a day before his 84th birthday.
Christiana outlived him by eight years. The spectre of death carried her away at the age of 95 on July 16, 1906. Her remains were lowered under the sod of Oak Grove Cemetery in Jerseyville.
Daughter Mary H. Clayton (1844-1877) was born in about 1844 in Northumberland County, PA. She entered into marriage with New Orleans native Henry George Senior (1845-1870), also known as "Henry B." and "H.S." Senior. Henry stood 5 feet, 6 inches tall and had brown hair, blue eyes and a light complexion. Two known offspring were Hattie G. Senior, born in May 1869, and George Henry Senior, born in 1871. During the Civil War, Henry had served in the Union Army as a member of the 144th Illinois Infantry, Company I. He mustered into the regiment at Alton, IL on Oct. 3, 1864 and served as a blacksmith. He was honorably discharged in Springfield on July 14, 1865. Sadly, after just a few years of marriage, and with Mary expecting their second child, he died on May 10, 1870. The federal census enumeration of 1870 shows Mary and daughter residing under her parents' roof in Jerseyville, with the husband's whereabouts unknown. The family was plunged into grief when Mary died in 1877 at the age of about 33. Burial was in Oak Grove Cemetery. As of 1880, her son George lived with her parents in Jerseyville. A standard-issue military marker was erected at his gravesite by contract dated Nov. 21, 1883.
- Grandson George Henry Senior (1870-1956) was born on March 30, 1870 in Jerseyville Jersey County, IL. He was twice-wed. The day after Christmas 1900, when he was 30 years of age, George married his first bride, was Addie Louisa Slaten (1875-1939). They were the parents of an only daughter, Mary Louise Penwell. George was a longtime merchant of Jerseyville. The pair moved to the town of Pana in 1937. Sadly, Addie Louisa passed away two years later in 1939. After four years as a widower, George married Emma H. (Pirner) Kirkpatrick (1877-1951). Rev. Dr. E.L. Tobie officiated the nuptials which were held in the parsonage of the First Methodist Church. Their home in the mid-1950s was 208 Kitchell Avenue. He held a membership in the Pana Methodist Church and the local lodge of the Masons. With his health in decline, George was admitted to Hubeer Memorial Hospital and there he died at the age of 86 on Dec. 3, 1956. Burial was in Jerseyville's Oak Grove Cemetery, with Rev. L.R. Tagg leading the rites. Daughter Mary Louise wed Bruce V. Penwell. They were the parents of Allen Penwell and lived at Pana, IL.
Daughter Anne Eliza Clayton (1848-1934) was born in about 1848 in Northumberland County, PA and migrated in young girlhood with her parents to Illinois. On Feb. 8, 1870, in Jerseyville, when she was about 21 years of age, she wed 45-year-old carpenter Edward Bohannon (1827-1911), a Vermont native. Together they bore a trio of children -- Gertrude A. Elliott, Mary Esther "Ettie" Bohannon and Benjamin Edward Bohannon. The Bohannons lived in Jerseyville in the decades of 1870-1900 and by 1910 had relocated into the city of Chicago. Sadly, Edward died in the Windy City on May 6, 1911. The widowed Anne Eliza and her unmarried daughter Esther and son moved by 1920 to Pasadena, CA, with her dwelling on South Pasadena Avenue. There, she took on roomers to generate income. The trio made a move to Grove Street in the 1920s and made a home there in 1930 at census-time. She died in Los Angeles County at the age of 85 on March 11, 1934.
- Granddaughter Gertrude A. Bohannon (1870-1958) was born on Nov. 15, 1870 in Jerseyville. On June 16, 1894, in Jersey County, the 24-year-old Gertrude tied the marital knot with 36-year-old Henry Elliott (1858-1939). The Elliotts dwelled in Chicago in 1910, where he earned a living as a publisher. The pair eventually followed Gertrude's mother and siblings in a relocation to Southern California, settling in Los Angeles. Census records for 1930 list him as an assessor for the County of Los Angeles and her as a proofreader at a newspaper. Their residence in 1930-1939 was at 618 Stevens Place. Sadly, Henry died on March 13, 1939. A brief death notice was published in the Los Angeles Times. The widowed Gertrude then moved in with her adult siblings in Pasadena and was there in 1940. She passed into the arms of the heavenly host in Orange County on March 6, 1948.
- Granddaughter Mary Esther "Ettie" Bohannon (1873-1940) was born on Jan. 17, 1873 in Jerseyville. She resided in Chicago in 1910, at the age of 38, and earned a living as deputy postmistress. After a move to Southern California with her mother and brother, she dwelled with them on Grove Street in Pasadena in 1930 and was not employed. The federal census-taker in 1930 marked her as widowed and using her maiden surname. Still in Pasadena in 1940, she continued to not have a job. She died on Sept. 1, 1940.
- Grandson Benjamin Edward Bohannon (1879-1951) was born on July 26, 1878 in Jerseyville. At the age of 25, on Dec. 14, 1904, he was joined in wedlock with 21-year-old Jessie B. Walters ( ? - ? ). The marriage dissolved in divorce within a few years, and by 1910, he was living in Chicago, working as a pressman in a printing shop. That year, his aged parents and single sister Esther lived in his home. After a move with his mother and sister Esther to Pasadena, CA, he was self-employed in 1918-1920 as an "express man" with an address of 125 South Pasadena Avenue. In 1930, he and his mother and sister continued to share a residence in Pasadena, with him having no occupation. He remained unemployed in 1940 even as his widowed sister Gertrude moved into the household and having engaged a servant. He registered for the military draft in 1941, and at the time dwelled with Gertrude at 221 Grove Street.
Son Oskar/Oscar Clayton (1851- ? ) was born in about 1851 in Illinois. His fate seems to be lost to history.
Daughter Minie/Winie Clayton (1863- ? ) was born in about 1863. At the age of 17, in 1880, she made a home with her parents in Jerseyville. Her research trail has gone cold.
~ Son William Henry Younkin Sr. ~
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Younkin family grave marker, Jackson, MI Courtesy Deb Hayes Wolfe |
Son William Henry Younkin Sr. (1814-1861) was born in 1814 in Pennsylvania.
He is known to have relocated to Michigan by the mid-1840s and to have settled in Jackson, Jackson County.
Two days before Christmas 1846, William was united in the bonds of holy matrimony with Malinda Slayton (1925-1903), an Ohio native who was 11 years younger.
They became the parents of seven known offspring -- George Younkin, William Henry Younkin Jr., Andrew J. Younkin, Orrin J. "Ornie" Younkin, twins Alfred Younkin and Albert Younkin, and Mary Alice Younkin.
William purchased a tract of 40 acres on Feb. 1, 1849 from the General Land Office of the United States in Detroit, with the certificate no. 29.492 signed by President James Polk. The land comprised the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 14, Township 3 South, Range 2 West.
The federal census enumeration of 1850 places this family in Jackson, Jackson County, MI, with William engaged in shoemaking. Living under their roof that year were 18-year-old Lucy Slayton and eight-year-old Elvira Slayton.
Sadly, George died in Jackson County on Aug. 5, 1861. Burial was in Mount Evergreen Cemetery. A legal advertisement of the administration of his estate was printed in the American Citizen of Jackson.
His untimely death left Malinda with six mouths to feed even as she was pregnant with a seventh. She outlived her husband by decades.
In 1870 and 1880, she headed a household in Jackson with all seven of her children and her single sister Lucy in the household. She moved to the city of Flint and in 1903 was listed in the city director as boarding at 1317 Stockton.
She succumbed to the spectre of death in Flint, at the age of 79, from the effects of organic heart disease, just four days before Christmas 1903. Her remains were returned to Jackson for burial.
Son George Younkin (1847-1933) was born on Sept. 13, 1847 in Jackson, Jackson County, MI. In 1870, a bachelor at age 22, he lived at home and worked as a stationery engineer, operating some sort of equipment. George went on to earn income over the years as a railroad engineer in Jackson. He did not choose to marry until middle age. At the age of 55, on June 12, 1904, he wed 50-year-old Harriett (Rogers) Chambers (April 30, 1852-1930), also of Jackson. Rev. Charles Rogers officiated. She had been married before to Charles R. Chambers (1843-1906) and was the mother of five, of whom four were deceased by 1910, with son Thomas B. Chambers the only one alive. The federal census enumeration of 1910 shows George and Harriett together in Jackson, providing a home for 82-year-old uncle John Rogers, and living next-door to his brother Andrew and family. As of 1910, he was an equipment operator. Their longtime place of residence in Jackson was 1019 Chittock Avenue. Sadly, Harriet died on Dec. 10, 1930. George outlived her by three years. Burdened with chronic heart disease, hardening of the arteries and senility over the span of several years, he died at the age of 86 on Oct. 1, 1933. Burial was in Mount Evergreen Cemetery. Mrs. Mary Edwards of Jackson signed the official Michigan certificate of death.
- Step-grandson Thomas B. Chambers (1870-1932) was born in 1870.
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| Michigan Central Railroad shops in Jackson, MI |
Son William Henry Younkin Jr. (1849-1939) was born on Aug. 18, 1849 in Jackson, Jackson County, MI. Single in 1870, at age 21, he worked as a railroad fireman and then engineer for the Michigan Central Railroad, which ran passenger trains between Chicago and Detroit. On Dec. 6, 1877, at the age of 28, he first married 19-year-old Canada native Caroline A. Defrenn (1858-1878). The nuptials were held in Jackson, presided by the hand of Rev. Moses Smith of the First Congregational Church, with William's mother and brother Orrin serving as witnesses. Their union was very brief, and she died in 1878 at the age of 19 or 20. His second spouse was Esther Louise "Etta" Goff (1861-1948). The pair did not reproduce but adopted two sons -- Harold Younkin and Charles Raymond Younkin. As with his brothers George and Andrew, William's occupation over the years was as a railroad engineer in Jackson. In December 1885, he broke his knee after a fall "into a clinker pit ... while walking home on the railroad, after turning in his engine," said the Jackson Citizen. "Mr. Younkin's innumerable friends will be pleased to learn as much, and we all hope he may soon be ready for duty again." They moved by 1900 to Summit, Jackson County and made a dwelling together at 3005 East South Street. William eventually retired from the Michigan Central in the summer of 1919, and about 50 engineers and their wives came to a party at the Younkin home to celebrate. Said the Jackson Evening News, "A bountiful chicken dinner, provided by the company, was served at 5 o'clock, from tables decked with pretty season's flowers. At its conclusion, George B. Weed, acting as toastmasteer, presented the speakers, who offered their congratulations to Mr. Younkin and said many complimentary things of him. One, Frank McDevitt, was an exception, according to his own statement, and being 'determined to tell the truth' succeeded in creating much merriment by his facetious remarks... Mr. Younkin responded most feelingly [and] spoke of his appreciation of their gift and of their friendship and referred to the loss he felt would be his in the absence of his daily associations which had been his for the past fifth-three years." He received a watch chain and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers charm. At age 90, suffering from chronic kidney and heart disease, and then having fractured his left femur, he died on Nov. 8, 1939. Etta lived for another nine years and passed away in Jackson on July 31, 1948. Their remains were placed into the sleep of the ages in the mausoleum of Woodland Abbey.
- Grandson Harold Younkin (1886- ? ) was born in Sept.. 1886 and adopted by the Younkins. He grew up in Summit, Jackson County, MI.
- Grandson Charles Raymond Younkin (1892-1975) was born on the Fourth of July 1892 and adopted by the Younkins. His youth was spent in Summit, Jackson County, MI, and he worked as an automobile repair manager in young manhood. On March 11, 1919, when he was 26 years of age, he tied the marital cord with 25-year-old Cecile Henrietta Wood (1894-1933), daughter of Lewis F. and Ida (Cronkhite) Wood. Rev. C.H. Berry officiated. News of their engagement was published in the Jackson Evening News. On the marriage license, Charles' surname was spelled "Youngkin." Together, they became the parents of Robert "Raymond" Younkin (1921-2002), William Henry Younkin Sr. (1922-2016) and Alberta Jean Younkin (1925-2008) plus an unnamed infant son who died on Jan. 17, 1920. Tragically, Cecile was diagnosed in her 30s with a brain tumor known as "astrocytoma." She underwent surgery in University Hospital in Ann Arbor, but two days later died at the age of 39 on March 17, 1933. Her remains were laid to rest in Woodland Cemetery. The widowed Charles wed again -- six months later -- to Frances L. Miles (1895-1986). Their wedding was conducted in Indiana. Charles died on March 23, 1975.
Son Andrew J. Younkin (1851-1942) was born in 1851. He and his brother William both worked as railroad firemen in 1870 in Jackson. In about 1880, at the age of 29, he tied the knot with Frances Fenton (1848-1924), who was three years older than he, and the daughter of Mary E. Fenton. She had been married before and may have brought four stepchildren into the second union. The couple produced at least two daughters of their own -- Melinda M. Younkin and Frances F. Younkin. Andrew made a living as a railroad engineer in 1880, and at that time he and Frances shared a home with his widowed mother and siblings. In 1910, he was an equipment operator, with Frances' widowed mother in the 1013 Chittock Avenue household. For decades, his brother George and wife Harriet were next-door neighbors in town. Sadly, Frances died in Jackson at the age of 76 on Sept. 13, 1924. Burial was in her in-laws' plot in Jackson, where her mother Mary Fenton also is believed to sleep. He was afflicted with heart disease and senility and passed away at the age of 91 on Oct. 16, 1942. Interment was in Mount Evergreen Cemetery.
- Granddaughter Melinda M. Younkin (1880-1961) was born on June 2, 1880 in Jackson. She was single as of 1910 and dwelled at home. She died at the age of 80, in Leoni, MI, on March 14, 1961. Her remains lie in eternal repose in Mount Evergreen Cemetery in Jackson.
- Granddaughter Frances F. Younkin (1885- ? ) was born in about 1885 in Jackson. As of 1910-1920, she was unmarried and resided in Jackson with her parents.
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Ornie's obituary in German Nebraska Staats-Anzeiger/Library of Congress |
Son Alfred "Fred" Younkin (1859-1947) was born on May 5, 1859 in Jackson, Jackson County, MI, a twin with his brother Albert. In young manhood he went to work as a railroad fireman. Alfred was united in holy matrimony with Estella J. "Stella" Teachout (June 1862-1943), daughter of Ed and Mary Jane Teachout. They settled in Jackson. While they did not reproduce, the pair adopted a son, Ralph Edward Younkin. When the federal census enumeration was made in 1900, Alfred earned a living as a locomotive engineer and continued this work for decades with the Michigan Central Railroad. Their home in 1930 was on Oak Street, Jackson. Stricken with cancer of the bowels, Estella died in Jackson on July 14, 1943. Alfred outlived her by four years and passed away in Jackson on Sept. 9, 1947.
- Grandson Ralph Edward Younkin (1888- ? ) was born in March 1888 in Minnesota, to Canadian parents, and was adopted by the Younkins. Ralph spent his childhood in Jackson, MI and joined the Congregational Church. On March 10, 1909, he entered into marriage with 17-year-old Elizabeth Vassel (July 4, 1892- ? ), the daughter of German immigrants Louis and Margaret (Hill) Vassel. She was Roman Catholic, and the pair eloped to Sandwich, Essex County, Ontario, Canada, with D.H. Hind officiating. The newlyweds first dwelled with his parents in 1910, and at that time he was an apprentice machinist in Jackson. The arrangement must have been satisfactory, as Ralph and Elizabeth remained in the parents' household as of 1920, at which time Ralph was employed as a machinist in a factory. He continued his laborts as a machinist for many years. Then at the age of 49, living at 426 Oak Street, Jackson, he tied the knot a second time on June 6, 2936 with 55-year-old Myrtie (Bullard) Narrow ( ? - ? ), daughter of Alman and Margaret (Walls) Bullard and originally from Indiana.
Son Albert "Bert" Younkin (1859-1949) was born on May 5, 1859 in Jackson, Jackson County, MI, a twin with his brother Alfred. When he was 21 years of age, he was employed in Jackson as a "confectioner," selling candy and sweet treats. He went on to make a living as a baker an migrated to the West Coast, where in 1900 he lived in El Monte, Los Angeles County. As of 1900, he shared a home with his aunt Lucy Slayton and an adopted son, Charles Hudson. He moved to Arizona and in 1910 earned a living as a cook in a boarding house in Yavapai County, AZ. During the 1910s, he was on the move again and migrated back to California, putting down stakes in Ontario, San Bernardino County. Bert had no occupation in 1920 but lived with his 64-year-old "partner" Ida V. Ross -- a private duty nurse -- and two roomers. His next move during the 1920s was to Pasadena, Los Angeles County. There, in 1930, he was a cook for Dr. George Dock and his wife Miriam. He appears to have made his way back to Michigan by the 1940s. At the age of 89, he died in Flint, MI on St. Patrick's Day 1949.
- Grandson Charles Hudson (1886- ? ) was born in June 1886 in Mississippi and adopted by Bert Younkin sometime before 1900. Charles and Bert shared a home in El Monte, Los Angeles County, CA as of 1900. Nothing more about Charles is known.
Daughter Mary Alice Younkin (1861-1951) was born on Oct. 23, 1861, a little under three months after her father had died. She grew to womanhood in Jackson, MI. On Aug. 9, 1884, in the town of her birth, the 22-year-old Mary Alice was joined in wedlock with 25-year-old William E. Edwards (1860-1926), a resident of Battle Creek and a native of Brookville, Canada, Rev. George R. Holt presided. At the time, William earned a living as a railroader. A trio of daughters of this union were Malinda Annabelle Edwards, Fern Elizabeth Edwards and Ruth L. Edwards.
- Granddaughter Malinda Annabelle Edwards (1886-1976)
- Granddaughter Fern Elizabeth Edwards (1889-1971)
- Granddaughter Ruth L. Edwards (1893-1980) was born in 1892. On June 15, 1912, at age 19, she married 34-year-old Thomas Carl Millard ( ? - ? ) of Flint, the son of Orson and Sarah (Gardner) Millard. Rev. W. Dudley Powers, rector of St. Paul's Church, officiated. Thomas was employed as manager and proprietor of a medicinal business at the time of marriage.
~ Son George Yonkin ~
Son George Yonkin ( ? - ? ) was married
He was the father of three -- Elizabeth Yonkin, Peter Yonkin and George Yonkin.
They resided in Lycoming County, PA.
Sadly, George was deceased by 1853 when he and the children were named in a legal advertisement.in the Sunbury (PA) American.
Whatever became of this branch has faded into the misty shroud of the past.
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Copyright © 2023-2024 Mark A. Miner |
Research for this page conducted by Della Shafer and the late Donna (Younkin) Logan |