Minerd.com Biography of Aaron Schrock and Sarah (Alton) Younkin of Missouri and Nebraska

Aaron S. Younkin

Aaron Schrock Younkin was born on July 31, 1845 in Milford Township, Somerset County, PA, the son of Dr. Jonas and Martha (Pringey) Younkin. He was named after a beloved uncle by marriage, Aaron Schrock.

He relocated as a boy with his parents and siblings to Iowa, in 1850-1851, with the family "coming down the Ohio river by flatboat," said a newspaper. He grew up in Johnson County, IA. He contracted scarlet fever as a child and lost some of his hearing.

During the Civil War, at age 19, Aaron enlisted in the Union Army on March 26, 1864. He was assigned to the 5th Iowa Cavalry, Company C. A little more than four months later, on Aug. 8, 1864, he was transferred to the 5th Veteran Cavalry Consolidated, Company D. At some point he suffered again with measles. Aaron received his honorable discharge while at Nashville, TN on Aug. 11, 1865, upon the close of the war..

Aaron and Sarah's children, from top: Grace, William, Winona, Martha

Aaron returned home to Iowa City after the war and decided to pursue higher education. Circa 1865-1866, he was enrolled in preparatory courses at the University of Iowa.

On Jan. 12, 1871, in a ceremony held in Galesburg, Knox County, IL, Aaron wedded Sarah Alton (1850-1941). J.W. Butler performed the nuptials. Prior to marriage, Sarah had attended a Methodist seminar in Abingdon, IL and taught school.

The Younkins produced these known offspring -- William Eugene Younkin, Charles Younkin, Grace Boomer, Winona Spencer and Martha Evelyn Smith. Sadly, Charles died in infancy.

Soon after their marriage, Aaron and Sarah relocated to Kansas City, Jackson County, MO, where Aaron became a businessman. They did not stay in Kansas City for long but soonafter migrated again to Beatrice, Gage County, NE. From Beatrice they moved to a farm near Odell, Gage County, but in 1887 came back to Beatrice. There, Aaron had an opportunity to own and operate a furniture business, which he did until retiring in about 1915.

On Aug. 11, 1890, Aaron was awarded a military pension as compensation for his wartime suffering. [Invalid App. #850.998 - Cert. #583.529]

They then moved to Lincoln, NE, remaining for two decades, and he was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and the First Christian Church. The Younkins spent the final year of their lives together in Omaha.

At their 70th wedding anniversary, Aaron and Sarah were pictured in the Younkin Family News Bulletin in 1940.

Aaron died in Omaha, Douglas County, NE on Valentine's Day 1941. A newspaper obituary reported that his funeral was conducted by Rev. Ray E. Hunt, in addition to the Grand Army of the Republic, with burial in Wyuka Cemetery. [Find-a-Grave]

Sarah only survived him by a few months and joined him in eternity on Sept. 23, 1941, also in Omaha. An obituary in the Lincoln Journal Star, which included her photograph, said that "Thruout her 64 years in Nebraska, Mrs. Younkin had been prominent in church, mission and community work.... For 75 years she had been a member of the Christian church, her Lincoln membership being in First church. She was active in the W.C.T.U., in women's club work, and while living in Beatrice was district superintendent of the Christian Women's Board of Missions." In addition to her children, she was survived by her brother Walter E. Alton of Manhattan, KS.

An informational paragraph about Aaron is published in Vol. IV of Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, published by the Iowa Adjutant General's Office.

This family is described in the 1997 book by Wilma S. Davis, entitled Family History: Alton, Allton, Aulton Encyclopedia (Gateway Press). The children are pictured in a 1992 edition of Alton-Allton-Aulton Association Family Newsletter, produced by Cecil C. Alton. They are named in the 1997 book Family History: Alton, Allton, Aulton Encyclopedia, by Wilma S. Davis (Gateway Press).

Aaron and Sarah pictured in the Younkin Family News Bulletin, 1940

~ Daughter Grace E. (Younkin) Boomer ~

Grace Boomer

Daughter Grace E. Younkin (1873-1970) was born on Sept. 26, 1873 in Illinois. She was twice married.

Circa 1900, she was united in holy matrimony with George Ralph Boomer (1869- ? ), believed to have been the son of Irish immigrants John and Eliza (Brown) Boomer.

They produced six children -- Russell Younkin Boomer, Ralph O. Boomer, Lucille M. Boomer Parshley, Meredith J. Boomer, Lowell Boomer and one who died young.

Circa 1941, her residence was in Lincoln. Later, she was wedded to (?) Corbin.

She died in 1970 at the age of 96.

Son Russell Younkin Boomer (1903- ? ) was born in about 1903 in Nebraska. He and his family lived in Fort Worth, TX in 1937.

Son Ralph O. Boomer (1905-1970) was born on Valentine's Day 1905 in O'Neill, NE. He moved to Lincoln in 1918, when he was 13 years of age. After graduating from Lincoln High School, he received a degree from the University of Nebraska. Ralph was married to Melba ( ? - ? ). They did not produce any children. Ralph served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Reported the Lincoln Journal Star, "He was employed for several years in the publicity department of the Woods Brothers Companies, and later was associated with the Insurance Department of the Nebraska Association. He also had served asw assistant secretary of the Wyuka Cemetery Association in Lincoln." In later years, Ralph operated a printing company in Lincoln. At one time, he served as secretary of the Society of North American Racing Officials, and in 1942, when he was 37 years old, he was named secretary of the Nebraska State Racing Commission. He was a member of the American Legion, Elks Lodge, Masons and the First Christian Church in Lincoln. The Boomers lived at 2920 Cedar Avenue in Lincoln. On the fateful day of Jan. 15, 1970, while at work, the 64-year-old Ralph suffered a massive heart attack and died. An obituary in the Journal Star noted that Rev. William Edds officiated at the funeral, with burial in Wyuka Cemetery.

Daughter Lucille M. Boomer (1908- ? ) was born in about 1908 in Nebraska. In February 1931, she was joined in holy matrimony with Dr. F. Walter Larson ( ? - ? ). Their nuptials were held in the First Christian Church. They were the parents of Karen Larson. They relocated to Hartford, CT circa 1934. Lucille and Karen were pictured in the Jan. 9, 1940 edition of the Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln, seated with her sister in law Naomi Boomer and niece Susanne. By 1965, she had remarried to Phillip Parshley ( ? - ? ) and dwelled in West Hartford, CT. At the age of 80, circa 1988, she made a residence in Pinehurst, CA.

Son Dr. J. Meredith Boomer (1909- ? ) was born in about 1909 in Nebraska. He received his medical degree from the University of Nebraska and in July 1934 began his internship at the Omaha University Hospital. On June 14, 1934, when he was 25 years of age, Meredith was united in wedlock with Naomi Schleiger ( ? - ? ), daughter of Catherine Schleiger. The wedding was held in Lake Mahopac, NY, with Rev. Lloyd Gilmour officiating. They are known to have produced at least one daughter, Susanne Boomer. By August 1936, the couple had relocated to San Francisco and in 1940 made a home in Richmond, CA. Naomi and Susanne were pictured in the Jan. 9, 1940 edition of the Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln, seated with her sister in law Lucille Larson and niece Karen. He dwelled in California in 1988.

Son Lowell Boomer ( ? - ? ) was born in Nebraska. His home was in Roca, NE. He and his wife had one son, John Boomer. They dwelled in Roca near Lincoln, NE, where Lowell was a businessman.

William E. Younkin

~ Son William Eugene Younkin ~

Son William Eugene "Will" Younkin (1880-1947) was born on Feb. 19, 1880 in Beatrice, Gage County, NE.

On Oct. 5, 1905, when he was 25 years of age, he wedded Violet Frances Davis (July 7, 1883-1967), a native of Marceline, Linn County, MO.

They were the parents of Karst Eugene Younkin and William Lodge Younkin.

In about 1910, the family made its home in a sod house in Holt County, NE.

William graduated from a business college in Beatrice and spent two decades of his career as a clerk and private secretary, working in the offices of railroad division superintendents.

In the early 1920s, they were residents of Deadwood, SD when William was employed by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad under the supervision of J.T. Gilmore. Circa 1941, William and the family dwelled in Pawnee City, Pawnee County, NE.

William and Violet's sod house in Holt County, Nebraska, circa 1910

Tragically, they endured the death of their son William in action during World War II, with his remains placed into repose in Arlington National Cemetery.

After retirement in about 1946, William moved into the home of his son Karst in Bethesda, Montgomery County, MD. There, he passed away at the age of 67 on April 9, 1947. Burial was in a cemetery in Georgetown, with an obituary published in the Black Hills (SD) Weekly and the Lead (SD) Daily Call.

Violet survived her husband by two decades and spent her final years in Middleburg, Carroll County, MD. She died there at the age of 84 on July 13, 1967.

Deadwood, SD, where the W.E. Younkins lived, early 1920s

Karst and Catherine Younkin, 1929

Son Karst Eugene Younkin Sr. (1906-1991) was born on July 6, 1906 in Marceline, Linn County, MO. At the age of 22, in a ceremony held in Kansas City, MO on Nov. 30, 1929, Karst married 23-year-old Catherine Brown (Feb. 9, 1906-1991), daughter of Sam Brown of Deadwood, SD and Los Angeles. Rev. O.J. Crawford, of St. Marks Episcopal Church, officiated at the nuptials. At the time, she was a student at the University of Nebraska. News of the wedding was printed in the Lincoln Star Journal. Their marriage endured for 61 years. The couple produced two sons -- Karst Eugene Younkin Jr. and Donald Edgar "Don" Younkin. Circa 1930 they lived in Lincoln, Lancaster County, NE and the following year in Deadwood, Lawrence County, SD. For 30 years, he was a railroader and spent several of those years in Arizona. They eventually relocated east and in 1961 were in Washington, DC. He worked over the years for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Washington's historic Union Station. By 1969, they had relocated to Greencastle, Franklin County, PA and later moved again to Bethesda, Montgomery County, MD. The couple often returned to Deadwood to enjoy the annual "Days of '76" celebration. Catherine passed away in Frederick, Frederick County, MD at the age of 84 on Jan. 11, 1991. Karst survived his wife by seven years and married again to a woman he met as a resident of the Sunrise Retirement Center in Frederick. His second wife, wed on April 9, 1994, was 88-year-old widow Nora Jessica Revoir ( ? - ? ), in a ceremony led by Rev. Mark Foucart at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Walkersville, MD. Their late-life marriage was so unique that they were featured in the Glade Times & Mountain Mirror, which noted that they came into the union with the combined experienced of 111 years of married life. She had been widowed from her husband of nearly 50 years and was the mother of two sons. Their union lasted for four years. Karst succumbed in Frederick Memorial Hospital at the age of 92 on Nov. 25, 1998. His remains were shipped to Deadwood to rest with Catherine at Mount Moriah Cemetery, also known as "Boot Hill Cemetery." An obituary in the Frederick News-Post noted that he was survived by eight grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

Grandson Karst Eugene Younkin Jr. (1930- ? ) was born on June 14, 1930 in Lincoln, Lancaster County, NE. He was thrice married. His first bride was Frances Janette Boone (Oct. 1, 1930- ? ), daughter of Buford Boone of Tuscaloose, AL. They were the parents of William Eugene Younkin and Laura Frances Younkin. After a divorce, Karst wedded a second time to Edith Sexton (March 23, 1936-1983). They produced a daughter, Wanda Marie Younkin. Karst and Edith divorced, and she passed away in 1983 at the age of 46. Karst's third wife was Mary Lynn ( ? - ? ). Their son William married Sharlotte Lee Thomas of Fitzpatrick, AL, and their daughter Laura attended the Younkin Reunion East in Somerset, PA in the early 1990s and met the founder of this website.

Grandson Donald Edgar Younkin (1931-living) was born in 1931 in Deadwood, Lawrence County, SD. At the age of 17, on April 14, 1949, he was joined in wedlock with his first bride, Virginia Lee Schafer (March 27, 1930- ? ), a native of Portsmouth, Scioto County, OH, and the daughter of Howard Raymond and Virginia Elizabeth (Puckett) Schafer. Their nuptials were held in Arlington, VA. The couple's first home was at 10914 Drum Avenue in Kensington, MD. Their four daughters were Donna Christine Logan, Marilyn Ann Wojcik, Jean Michelle Younkin and Virginia Lee "Ginny Lee" Younkin. This family is listed in the book Neals of Bedford Co., Va., and Family of Walter Neal, Sr. of Lawrence and Gallia Counties, Ohio, by Chester I. Miller. Donald and Virginia divorced. Donald married and was divorced two more times -- to Maricel Teresa Quintana ( ? - ? ) in 1972, in Bethesda, MD; and to Donna Lee Higdon Duffy. His fourth wife was Charlotte Teal ( ? - ? ), and they had a son, Cary Younkin. Circa 1998, his home was ni Daytona Beach. Donald's daughter Donna was the driving force behind re-establishing the Younkin Reunion East in the early 1990s and publishing the Younkin Family News Bulletin between 1990 and 1996

William Lodge Younkin as a World War II airman and
his grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery

Son William Lodge Younkin (1915-1943) was born on Jan. 29, 1915 in Nebraska. On Nov. 5, 1937, in a ceremony held in Tulsa, OK, the 22-year-old William was joined in wedlock with 21-year-old Margaret Eleanor Trotter (Aug. 31, 1916- ? ). They were the parents of William Michael "Mike" Younkin and Derek Lodge Younkin. In the late 1930s, William joined the U.S. Armed Forces and trained in the Air Reserve in Randolph Field, TX. In late October 1937, holding the rank of second lieutenant, he was ordered to report to Honolulu. He was promoted to the rank of major with the Army Air Force Bomb Squadron. In May 1939, at the birth of their son William, they were stationed at Schofield Barracks at Hickam Field in Hawaii. He returned stateside in the early 1940s and trained in how to operate Flying Fortress aircraft at Hendricks Field, FL. In reporting on his graduation from Hendricks, the Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger said that he was a resident of Pascagoula, MS. His life came to a close while in action in India on Nov. 25, 1943, when his aircraft was shot down and crashed. His remains were returned home for burial in Arlington National Cemetery. His marker was photographed by the founder of this website in July 2016. Their son William Michael Younkin (1939-1995) was born in 1939 in Honolulu. After his father's death, he grew to manhood in Tulsa, OK where he graduated from Central High School. He then attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1961, and served with the 25th Infantry Division at his birthplace of Schofield Barracks. He then went on to a creeer as a project leader and site analyst for Control Data at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffit Field, Sunnyvale, CA and was a site manager for Robbins-Gioia at Pearl Harbor. He passed away in Hancock, MD at the age of 56 on Sept. 19, 1995, with an obituary published in the San Francisco Examiner.

~ Daughter Winona (Younkin) Spencer ~

Winona Spencer

Daughter Winona Younkin (1883-1964) was born on Sept. 26, 1873 in Odell, NE. She grew up in Beatrice and graduated from the local high school.

As a young adult in Beatrice, she taught piano and voice and led her church choir.

In May 1909, when she would have been 25 years of age, Winona was joined in wedlock with Dr. William T. Spencer (1881-1965). The ceremony was held at the home of her parents. News of the wedding was published in the Beatrice Daily Sun.

They bore two offspring -- Harold Spencer and Jean Armstrong.

In about 1919, the Spencers relocated to Lincoln, where they spent the balance of their lives. William was a veterinarian and in the early 1920s served as Nebraska's state veterinarian. He took a new position in 1922 with the Tuberculosis Eradication Committee during which time he "traveled a great deal through Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado and Wyoming," said the Lincoln Star. In 1940 he served as regional manager of the National Livestock Loss Prevention Board. That year, in August, he was a speaker at a conference for large and small animal clinics, held at the Mayflower Hotel in Lincoln. Their home in 1952 was at 1250 37th Street in Lincoln.

William retired on June 30, 1952, and was pictured in the Star. The story said that he during his three decades of effort to "protect and improve cattle..." he had "seen tuberculosis in cattle virtually stamped out.... With tuberculosis under control, Dr. Spencer in recent years has been working mostly on improvement of livestock handling in shipment and demonstrating the value of newer insectices to combat external parasites." He performed research in the field of hoof and mouth disease and scabies.

At the age of 80, on March 22, 1964, Winona succumbed in a hospital in Lincoln. Funeral services were held in the First Christian Church of Lincoln, with her remains placed into eternal repose in Wyuka Cemetery. An obituary was published in the Beatrice Daily Sun, which noted that she was "formerly of Beatrice."

William survived his wife by 11 years and passed away in Lincoln on March 3, 1975, at the age of 93. An obituary in the Journal Star called him "a pioneer in the cattle industry." After William's death, memorial funds were set up in his and Winona's names in the Lincoln Foundation, which provide grants for charitable initiatives in Lincoln and Lancaster County.

Son Harold E. Spencer (1912- ? ) was born on Oct. 16, 1912 in Alliance, NE. He received a law degree and prior to World War II was employed as an attorney with the Illinois Central Railroad in Chicago. During the war, he served for three years and nine months in the U.S. Navy, spending two years in Panama. He received his discharge and returned home in December 1945 and rejoined the Illinois Central. In the autumn of 1947, as a delegate of the Chicago Bar Association, he traveled to Lima, Peru to attend the fifth conference of the Inter-American Bar Association. One of the IABA's objectives was "uniformity of commercial legislation," reported the Lincoln Journal Star. He left the Illinois Central and by 1961 had formed his own firm, Belnap, Spencer & McFarland. Circa 1961, he became engaged to Phyllis Vavrinek, secretary to the railroad's general commerce attorney W.J. O'Brien. He is believed to have authored an article circa 1983, entitled "Problems with Negotiating Contracts Under the Staggers Act." His law firm,known in 1993 as Belnap, Spencer, McFarland, Genrich & Herman was located at 20 North Wacker Drive.

Daughter Jean Spencer ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). She was a graduate of the University of Nebraska, where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Upon her graduation, she became employed as the personal secretary of Nebraska Governor Dwight Griswold. On Dec. 18, 1944, she became the bride of Lt. Paul V. Armstrong ( ? - ? ) of the U.S. Naval Reserve. The nuptials were held in the chapel of the First Christian Church in Lincoln, with only immediate families present, with Rev. B.C. Bobbitt officiating. In reporting on the wedding, the Lincoln Journal Star said that "The seven branch candelabra, bankied with palms and ferns, were lighted by Dorothy Ann Armstrong. A prenuptial prelude played by Miss Betth Miller, organist, included 'Liebestraum,' by Listz and the love music from Wagner's 'Tristan and Isolde.' The Adagietto by Bach was used as a processional, with the Mendelssohn recessional." Paul was the son of Lester Armstrong of Auburn, NE and was a graduate of the Kemper Military Academy and Peru College. During the early years of World War II, Paul was involved with "the invasions of the Aleutians, Tarawa, the Marshall islands and the Philippines," said the Journal Star. "He was also with the first striking force against Truk." Their home in 1964 was in Lincoln.

Martha Smith

~ Daughter Martha Evelyn (Younkin) Smith ~

Daughter Martha Evelyn Younkin (1886-1965) was born on June 19, 1886 in Beatrice, Gage County, NE.

Sometime after 1941, she married Louis R. Smith ( ? - ? ). The couple did not reproduce.

Over the years, Martha earned income as a cashier at Burwell, with a life insurance company in Burwell and between 1950 and 1965 with the YWCA and Armstrong Furniture. She was a member of the First Christian Church and the Golden Circle. She spent her final years as a widow living at 3000 North in or near Lincoln.

She died at the age of 79 on Dec. 14, 1965. Burial was in Wyuka, with Rev. William O. Haney officiating. An obituary in the Lincoln Journal Star named her surviving nieces, Mrs. Paul Jean Armstrong of Lincoln, and Mrs. Lucille Parshley of West Hartford, CT and surviving nephews Ralph E. Boomer, Lowell Boomer, Dr. Meredith Boomer and Harold Spencer.