Minerd.com Biography of Benjamin Franklin and Sarah A. (Flowers) Younkin of Lafayette, IN

Benjamin Franklin Younkin
(1831-1873)

On July 16, 1853, Frank was joined in wedlock with Sarah A. Flowers (1835-1920).

The children they produced together were Edwin Younkin, Roxylenia "Roccielaney" Cook, Laura Minerva Buckellew Priest, John W. Younkin, Anna Elizabeth Younkin and Joseph L. Younkin.

The family was gripped in mourning when three of their sons died very young -- Edwin at age four years, 11 months and 22 days on May 10, 1862 -- John at the tender age of two days on Aug. 3, 1867 -- and Joseph at age four months on Oct. 10, 1872.

During the Civil War, he joined the Union Army and was placed in the 72nd Indiana Infantry.

Their homeplace at one time was in the country west of Purdue University in Lafayette.

Frank passed away on July 21, 1873 at the age of 42 years, one months and 12 days in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, IN. Burial was in Battle Ground Cemetery.

The widowed Sarah applied for a military pension as compensation for her husband's wartime service [Widow's App. No. 142.005 - Cert. No. 112.568].

In 1893, she resided as an inmate of the Little Sisters Home for the insane in Indianapolis. Then in 1900, she dwelled in the Marion County Poor Farm. She moved to the Julietta Home for the Insane in Marion County in June 1900.

She passed away on Sept. 4, 1920. A news obituary said that "for 40 years [she] had been an invalid" and that she had "been a patient for nearly 20 years... at a sanitarium in Indianapolis."

Daughter Roxylenia "Roccia Laney" Younkin (1860-1936) -- later "Roccie' and "Rosalene" and "Roseline" -- was born on Nov. 19, 1860.

On Christmas Day 1877, when she was 17 years of age, she married Charles "Henry" Cook (July 1856-1918), also known as "Charley," the son of German immigrants Henry and Kate (Smith) Cook. The nuptials took place in Battle Ground, Tippecanoe County, IN. Her husband's name erroneously also has been given as "R.L. Cook."

The brood of children in this family were Lizzie May Mulford, Sarah E. Cook, Ethel V. Culliman Warnke, Blaine D. Cook and Theodore Cook plus two who died before 1900.

The United States Census of 1880 shows the family on a farm in Prairie Township, White County, IN, with her name spelled as "Roccie L." When the federal census enumeration again was made in 1900, they were in Fairfield Township, Tippecanoe County, with Charles' occupation shown as "Painter & Decorator," and the spelling of her name as "Roccilaney."

The Cooks relocated into the town of Lafayette between 1900 and 1910. As of 1905, their residence was on Kossuth Street. Charles continued to ply his trade as a painter and she as a seamstress, now using the shortened name "Laney."

At the breakup of her teenage daughter Ethel's marriage, placement in the Home of the Good Shepherd in Indianapolis, and a subsequent arrest for immorality, Roccie sued Union Mission superintendent Frank Wetzel in May 1907 to regain custody. Judge DeHart of the Circuit Court denied the request, and committed the girls to an industrial school in Indianapolis, saying that the parents "had shown their inability ... to control her," said a newspaper.

A final move was to Indianapolis, with him working as a cabinet maker, and their home address was 103 East Iowa Street.

Sadly, suffering from cirrhosis and chronic heart disease, Charles at age 59 died in Indianapolis on July 20, 1918. His remains were lowered into eternal rest in St. Joseph Cemetery. The widowed Roccie signed her name as "Lena Cook" on the official certificate of death.

She lived in Lafayette, IN in 1920. At some point she simplified her first name as "Roseline." She died at age 64 on March 18, 1936. Burial was in the family plot in Arlington Park Cemetery, Greenfield, WI.

Daughter Lizzie May Cook (1878-1918) was born on July 9, 1878 in White County, IN. Circa 1898, she married Allison Milton Mulford Jr. (Jan. 14, 1874-1953), son of Allison Milton and Sarah (Sherman) Mulford Sr. Together they bore an only known son, Ralph Allison Mulford. Their dwelling-place in the late 1910s was at 2000 Charles Street in Lafayette, IN. Sadly, in her late 30s, Lizzie was diagnosed with cardiac asthma and an exophthalmic goiter -- "Graves' Disease" -- which caused the thyroid gland to become enlarged. Then after contracting bronchial trouble, she surrendered to the angel of death in Lafayette on Feb. 2, 1918. The body was laid to rest in Spring Vale Cemetery, with Rev. J.H. Carstens presiding. An obituary appeared in the Lafayette Journal. Allison as a widower moved to the Pacific West Coast and settled in Los Angeles. He married again on Feb. 3, 1932 to Christine Kleinert (1883-1964). There, at age 79, he died on Nov. 14, 1953. He sleeps for the ages in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.

Daughter Ethel Leveive Cook (1890-1971) was born on Nov. 18, 1890 in Tippecanoe County, IN. On June 26, 1905, at age 14, she first married William Thomas Culliman (1876- ? ). Known as "Steeple Jack," he came to Lafayette in about 1904, said the Lafayette Journal and Courier, "being introduced to the public here from the lofty heights of church spires and flag poles, and since that time he has made an extensive acquaintance." The newlyweds were 14 years apart in age, and their first home together was in Dayton, OH. But the marriage was troubled, and Ethel claimed her mother had forced her into the union. William "left her soon after the wedding," reported the Journal and Courier. "Since her husband left her, she has been drifting about without parental discipline" in company with 14-year-old Margaret Conners. She also was suffering from appendicitis and underwent surgery of some sort. When in 1907 it was suspected that the two girls "were leading immoral lives," in "roaming the strets and frequenting saloons and low resorts," they were arrested and placed into the Home of the Good Shepherd in Indianapolis. Ethel's mother, highly distressed by what was happening, filed a lawsuit against superintendent Frank Wetzel of the Union Mission to surrender custody to her. Wetzel claimed that he had found Ethel in the back yard of his residence, clutching a bottle of carbolic acid which she was about to ingest in a suicide attempt. Wetzel took away the bottle and she retorted, "You took it just in time. I was going to drink it and end my life." Judge DeHart of the Circuit Court ruled that the young women be committed to the girls industrial school in Indianapolis, and not to Ethel's parents, saying that they "had shown their inability ... to control her." When the federal census enumeration was made in 1910, Ethel remained incarcerated in the Indiana Girls School in Marion County. Then on June 22, 1913, in Chicago, she married Adolph Warnke (July 6, 1890-1944). The United States Census of 1920 shows the pair in the Windy City, with Adolph working as photogravure finisher and Ethel as a telephone operator. The couple produced one daughter, Ruth Edith Cobb Michaelson. They moved during the decade of the 1920s to Toledo, OH, where Adolph continued his trade as a photograph engraver. They also took in a young boy boarder, Wilbur Russ. The couple divorced during the 1930s. Adolph in 1940 lived in the Fort Dearborn Hotel on West Van Buren in Chicago and remained in the engraving business. Ethel relocated to Reno, NV and was wed two more times after that. Spouse number three was Oklahoma native Daniel Rhote Williams (March 31, 1886-1955), son of John Warren and Arabelle (Keane) Williams. They tied the marital cord at the Unity Center of West First Street, by the hand of Rev. William Moll Case of the Federated Church. In announcing the happy event, the Reno Gazette Journal said that both were "well known residents of Reno" and had exchanged their vows "in the presence of a large number of friends... The rooms were decorated in spring flowers carrying out a color scheme of pink and orchid... The bride is leader of Reno Unity and is a member of the Century Club." Daniel was a salesman for Gray, Reid & Co. of Fallon, NV in young manhood and later was a business agent for a labor union. The third marriage also dissolved in divorce, three years later, on July 25, 1939. Ethel did not again enter into marriage for another dozen years. On June 13, 1951, she wed George M. Courtney ( ? - ? ). He was blind from birth but made his way as an accordion player, visiting shut-ins and hospitals to play and sing. They were together for a dozen years until about 1963, when George sued for divorce on grounds of "extreme cruelty," as reported in the Petaluma (CA) Argus-Courier. Ethel remained in Los Angeles for the rest of her life. Death swept her away on June 7, 1971. Three years later, George was pictured and featured in the Petaluma (CA) Argus-Courier on June 14, 1974 about how as a separated and sightless man, he had taught himself how to cook and moved into the Health and Happiness House. Former husband Adolph passed away in Chicago in early October 1944. An obituary in the Chicago Tribune named his siblings as his survivors -- Emma Ruchling, Bertha Andrews and Albert Warnke, and added that he was a member of the Photo Engravers Union No. 5. Burial was in Concordia Cemetery. Former husband Daniel moved to Reno, NV, and died at age 69 on May 18, 1955.

Son Blaine Duwaine Cook (1892-1956) was born on Oct. 5, 1892 in Tippecanoe County. On July 14, 1920, he tied the marital cord with Florence Lorena (Whitcomb) Larsen (April 24, 1890-1966). Their nuptials were held in Lake County, IN, led by Irwin T. Green. She brought a stepson into the union, Harold Larsen. They went on to bear two more sons -- DuWane Leroy Cook and William Cook. They settled in Milwaukee. When the U.S. Census was taken in 1930 and 1940, the Cooks were in Milwaukee with Blaine earning a living as a motorman for a streetcar company. In 1942, when Blaine registered for the World War II military address, they dwelled at 1531 South Fifth Street, and his employeer was the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad. Their final address together was 3750 South Nikkickkinnic Avenue, Milwaukee. Evidence suggests that as of 1950, at age 57, he was a patient in the Milwaukee County Hospital for Mental Diseases and unable to work. Death spirited him away at age 64 in Milwaukee on Oct. 12, 1956. Burial was in the family plot at Arlington Park Cemetery in Greenfield, WI. Florence outlived her husband by a decade. The angel of death cleaved her away on Dec. 6, 1966.

Son Theodore Cook (1900- ? ) was born in about 1900 in Indiana. He was alive when named in the 1956 obituary of his brother Blaine.

On Oct. 11, 1879, at the age of just 14, she tied the marital cord with John Charles Fremont DeFord Buckellew (1855-1917), also spelled "Buckalaw." He was the son of James and Harriet M. (Purple) DeFord of Attica, Fountain County, IN. Their nuptials were held in Tippecanoe County, IN.

Sadly, John's mother had died in childbirth, and the newborn was given to Samuel and Eliza Jane Buckellew who raised him as their own.

Four known children of this coupling were Maggie Delphine Evans, Clarence V. Buckellew, Dollie Lorene Manning and Franklin Buckellew.

The family was in Council Bluffs, IA in 1888 at the birth of their son Clarence.

John died in Catlin on July 19, 1917. Burial was in the local Oakridge Cemetery.

As of 1920, the widowed Laura was in Westville, IL. Later, she married (?) Priest. She died in Joliet, IL at age 93 on March 29, 1958.

John's grave, Lynn Grove Cemetery
Courtesy Kristie Stasi

Daughter Maggie Delphine Buckellew (1885-1926) was born on June 27, 1885 in Vermilion County, IL. She was married twice, to brothers. Her first husband, whom she wed on Oct. 24, 1900, at Danville, IL, was John Chester Evans (Nov. 26, 1880-1902), the son of a Civil War veteran. He was a native of Sidney, Champaign County, IL and had been born on a farm. Their only child was Anna Gladys Dorsey. The young couple resided for a time near Fairmount and moved to the Broadlands in March 1902. There, John joined the HMBA [?]. But they were not destined for a long life together. Sadly, John contracted a deadly case of typhoid fever and died on Nov. 8, 1902. His obituary was printed in the Champaign (IL) Daily News. The body was laid to rest in Lynn Grove Cemetery in Sidney. A marker was erected at the grave which was upright and mostly legible when photographed in more recent years by Kristie Stasi, although the epitaph has badly faded beyond recognition. Then circa 1908, she tied the knot with Michael A. Evans (1873-1933). They bore a son of their own, Harlan Wendell Evans. Maggie passed away in Westville, IL at age 40 on March 29, 1926. Michael endured for another seven years. He died on Oct. 12, 1933.

Son Clarence V. Buckellew (1888-1928) was born on Oct. 23, 1888 in Council Bluffs, IA. In 1910, he wed Ada Mae Dickinson (1889-1973). Their five offspring were Jennie M. Anderson, Herman Clarence Buckellew, Vernest Stella "Vernie" Sands, Ernest Lavern Buckellew and Marie Elizabeth Earley. At one time they lived in Novinger, MO. Tragically, on the fateful day of March 2, 1928, Clarence was "killed in a cave-in of a shaft of the McComb Coal mine near Tilton, Ill.," reported the Kirksville (MO) Daily Expressand other newsapers. Two co-workers, Tony Nogode and Ben Barnhill, were caught in the fall but rescued. Word was sent to family or friends in Kirksville. Burial was in Oakridge Cemetery in Catlin, IL.

Daughter Dollie Lorene Buckellew (1902-1982) was born on July 28, 1902 in Catlin, Vermilion County, IL. On July 18, 1917, she married Anderson Manning ( ? -1982). Together they produced a large brood of eight -- Frederick Anderson Manning, Margaret Ivela Holdomb, Edward "Franklin" Manning, Mary Cherven, Dortha Mae Rollins, Marian E. Cooprider, Willa Rose "Snookie" Larimer and Inez Madden. Sadness cascaded over the family at the death of one-year-old son Edwin Franklin in 1925. The Mannings were members of the Rock Church in Danville, IL. Dollie earned a living for a decade as a housemother for the Danville Children's Home. Prior to retirement in 1977, she was a sponsor of a Veterans Administration foster home for five years. Sadly, the cople died within six months of each other in 1982. He passed first, on Feb. 24, 1982. In the months that followed, Dollie resided in the home of her daughter Marian Cooprider in Westville, IL. There, she surrendered to the spirit of death on Aug. 1, 1982. Their remains sleep for the ages in Silver Island Cemetery in Fountain County, IN.

Son Franklin John Buckellew (1905-1945) was born on March 20, 1905 in Catlin, Vermilion County, IL. On June 16, 1925, he entered into the rite of marriage with Velva Laverla Haworth (1907-1982). The two sons they bore together were Roy Dean Buckellew and Dr. William F. Buckellew. When the federal census enumeration was made in 1940, they dwelled in Danville, but Franklin had no occupation. But he also appears to have been self-employed about that time as a trucker. Sadly, at age 40, Franklin died in Danville on April 6, 1945. The cause of his early death is not yet known. Burial was in Georgetown Cemetery. Velva lived for another 37 years and wed again to Charles Shank. They put down roots in Charleston, IL. She died at age 75 on July 16, 1982. An obituary appeared in the Decatur Herald and Review.

Research for this page graciously shared by the late Merrill Vernon Younkin, the late Olive (Rowan) Duff and the late Donna (Younkin) Logan. Map of Fountain and Warren Counties, Indiana, 1865 courtesy Library of Congress