He returned home to Clinton County and took up the occupations of farming and house carpentry.

On April 4, 1867, in a ceremony led by justice of the peace Stephan A. Ford at Middlefork, Clinton County, the 27-year-old Christopher married 19-year-old Helen Mary "Adaline" Sims (1848-1924).

Their known children were Alonzo Clinton Younkin, Charles Benton Younkin, Levinia D. Younkin, Dr. Jesse "Noble" Younkin and Rena P. Younkin. Heartache again shook the family in the heat of Aug. 26, 1870 when their 17-month-old son Charles died and was buried in Sims Cemetery in Middlefork, Clinton County.

In 1870 and 1880, federal census records show that they lived in Warren, Clinton County, IN. Christopher filed for and in July 1870 was awarded a military pension as compensation for wartime ailments. [Invalid App. #158.501 - Cert. #122.403]

Trouble brewed in the marriage, and by the mid-1890s, Christopher was suspicious of his wife's loyalty. He filed a complaint against one John Finney in Clinton County Court, alleging that Finney had been guilty of "alienating her affections," and he demanded $1,000 in damages. During the first week of February 1896, a jury found in favor of Finney, as reported in the Columbus (IN) Republic. The couple eventually divorced in April 1896.

By 1900, the 60-year-old Christopher was unable to live by himself and was admitted to the Marion (IN) Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. He apparently remained there for most of or all of the rest of his life. At that time, he drew $30 per month in pensin payments. While in Barrack No. 2 at the Marion Branch, Christopher passed away suddenly of an acute heart attack on July 27, 1918 at the age of 79. Burial was in the Marion National Cemetery in Grant County, IN. [Find-a-Grave]

Former wife Adaline survived until death claimed her in 1924. Her remains were interred in the Bunnell Cemetery in Frankfort, Clinton County. [Find-a-Grave]

Son Alonzo Clinton "Clint" Younkin (1868- ? ) was born on Jan. 20, 1868 in Clinton County, IN. He married Nettie Burkhalter (1885-1951). They produced two known offspring, John Sims Younkin and Edith G. Davis. Clint died in 1945, with burial in Bunnell Cemetery in Frankfort, Clinton County. Nettie joined him in death in 1951. [Find-a-Grave]

Daughter Levinia D. "Dellie" Younkin (1872- ? ) was born on Jan. 2, 1872 in Clinton County, IN.

Son Dr. Jesse "Noble" Younkin (1876- ? ) was born on Jan. 28, 1876 in Clinton County, IN. Growing up in a home with parents careening toward divorce may well have skewed his view of love and marriage. As an adult, he was tall and slender, with brown hair and eyes. Circa 1910, unmarried, he resided in Tocsin, East Jefferson Township in Wells County, IN, where he claimed his occupation as "Doctor" and reported that his father was born in Russia and his mother in Virginia. With an eye toward expanding his knowledge, he advertised in 1913 in the Eclectic Medical Journal that he had a "good location at Tocsin, Indiana. Good country practice. Will rent my office, or sell." He studied surgery in the hospitals of St. Louis, MO, and in 1914 received his master of surgery degree. He apparently then spent a year or two in New York City.

In 1917, Noble was engaged to be married to Marie Gross of 452 43rd Street in Brooklyn, NY. But when she found out that he was "nearly ten years old than he represented himself to be, and because there were other discrepancies between his own accounts of himself and the facts that her investigations revealed," Marie broke off the engagement. A story in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said that they had met at the Long Island College Hospital in 1915 and that the wedding was planned for St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Brooklyn. He claimed to be "wealthy and had a big estate in Decatur," said the Daily Eagle. "Dr. Younkin's stories about his travels, his activities as a collector of Egyptian antiques, his gifts, sounded and looked good -- too good, Miss Gross began to think." The following year, he placed classified advertisements in major metropolitan newspapers such as the Pittsburgh Press, saying he "wishes as wife an American working girl, 18-20, blond, blue eyes, weight not over 135 lbs., Postal photos, front and side views, or no answer. Answer if you love country life."

By 1918, he had moved to Magley near Decatur, Adams County, IN, where he maintained an eye, ear, nose and throat surgery practice. During World War I, Noble registered for the military draft on Sept. 12, 1918 and apparently joined the Army Medical Corps with the rank of major before the armistice was signed two months later.  That year, he disclosed to the census-taker that he was a native of Kentucky and that his father was from Pennsylvania and mother from Indiana. He also was elected in 1920 as secretary of the Medical Society of the United States. In addition to his practice, he fancied himself a specialist in spiritualism as well as foreign languages. He once wrote that "I spent several days -- as is my custom -- in my investigations into psychic matters, such as genuine bodily materialization and direct voice, clairaudience, clairvoyance and other phenomena brought through from the Spirit realms." In other words, he claimed to speak frequently with the dead. He enjoyed writing and was an occasional contributor to the American Medical Journal. In 1922, he made a presentation on "Some Homeopathic Remedies" to the national conference of the National Eclectic Medical Association, held in Indianapolis.

Noble also had an interest in the Younkin research and reunions of the 1930s and wrote, "I really enjoy our reunion, for it is unique in many respects from all others. We have a history I am sure that no others have." He claimed that there were 12 or 15 different ways of spelling the family name, including French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Scotch, English, Irish, Russian, Norwegian, Swedish, American and "blasted ways, possessive ways, in all languages." He drove back to Somerset County in 1935 and 1936 to attend the Younkin National Home-Coming Reunions, and gave presentations there speaking in Dutch and German as well as English. In 1936, he was one of approximately 1,200 attendees at the Younkin gathering, held in Kingwood at the Odd Fellows Grove. After the 1937 event, he wrote to reunion president Otto Roosevelt Younkin, complaining that "I intended to speak in the French and Italian and German and Holland Dutch and Pennsylvania Dutch and English this year but was prevented from doing so by the powers that be. I was to have had two distinguished visitors at the Reunion one from France and the Other from Naples Italia - they did not appear because their languages were not mentioned on program -- I cancelled their visit on that account." [Read the actual letter.] In August 1938, with his ruffled feathers apparently smoothed, he made his home in Crawfordsville, IN, and again returned to be a speaker at the Younkin reunion in Kingwood. That same year, his first cousin Mamie Younkin Prather of Kansas also traveled to attend the event. 

While in St. Louis in December 1942, Noble became engaged to marry Audra Richardson ( ? - ? ) of Terre Haute, IN. News of their marriage license application was printed in the Decatur Daily Review and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. They became wedded but apparently did not reproduce. 

Noble was a collector of coins, and circa 1951 his name was affiliated with the Esoteric School of Cosmic Sciences in Chesterfield, IN and he copyrighted its catalog. Audra was a member of Alpha Delta Omega Sorority, and she hosted meetings at her home. At one such meeting, he showed color films of their visits to Egypt and his archaeological work there. Noble and Audra spent their final years at 207 Delaware Court in Chesterfield, IN. He died on Oct. 26, 1958 at the age of 83. Burial was in Roselawn Memorial Park in Terre Haute. Obituaries were published in the Terre Haute Star and Anderson Daily Bulletin. At his demise, reported the Bulletin, a trove of Egyptian, Tibetan and Chinese artworks was found in their home, including statues, stones and seals dating to 4,000 B.C. As a widow, Audra remained in her home in Delaware Court and retired from her work in the auditing department of Anderson Newspapers Inc.. On Oct. 18, 1962, she married again to Dr. Leonard Martin of Pittsburgh, a retired theologist and philosophy professor. The ceremony took placed at the Edgewood Presbyterian Church. The newlyweds established a new home in Anderson, IN at 208 West 13th Street.

Terre Haute, Indiana

Daughter Irene Pearl Younkin (1879-1973) was born on Aug. 19, 1879 in Clinton County, IN. At the age of 18, she was involved in a controversy which generated news headlines far beyond Indiana. A story in the Muskogee (OK) Phoenix reported in December 1897 that she had faced a trial in Crawfordsville for allegedly trying to kill Roy Cox, a presumed paramour whom she apparently accused of cheating. The story called him an "alleged betrayer" and said that "He had just declared his innocence when Miss Younkin arose, and drawing a revolver, daring him to repeat that he was not guilty. At the same instane she pressed the trigger, but the frightened man dodged." She eventually married Warner Van Swearingen (1875-1938). Their only daughter was Martha Jane Van Swearingen, born in 1925. Warner was employed as an abstractor in an abstract office, preparing and certifying the ownership history of real estate tracts. Circa 1930, census records show the Van Swearingens living on South Barr Street in Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, IN. That year, 27-year-old cost accountant Paul Swanson, emnployed by a printing company, boarded in their home. The family traveled back to the ancestral Younkin home area of Somerset County, PA in September 1934 to attend the first Younkin Family Reunion. At that historic event, attended by 400 cousins, little Martha Jane gave an oral recitation to the crowd in German, Italian, Holland Dutch and English. Heartache shook this family when little Martha Jane died just three months later on Dec. 14, 1934. The girl's uncle Dr. Noble Younkin sent the sad news to reunion secretary Charles Arthur "Charleroi Charley" Younkin in Pennsylvania. Adding to the emotional toll, Warren also died three years later, in 1938. By 1940, the widowed Irene had moved to a new dwelling on South Washington Street and earned income by renting rooms to boarders. In 1958, Irene Pearl's home was in Crawfordsville. She died in 1973, at the age of 93 or 94, and is buried with her husband and daughter in Oak Hill Cemetery in Crawfordsville.

~ Son Michael Younkin ~

Son Michael Younkin (1841-1912) was born in April 1841 or 1844 in Somerset County. He was about age 17 when the Younkins migrated to Indiana in about 1858.

As an adult man, he stood five feet, three inches tall, and weighed 137 lbs. He had a dark complexion, grey eyes and dark hair. He never married. When asked later in life if he had taken a wife or produced offspring, he wrote: "I am not a married man. Never was married. I have no children living. Or dead. I am as Pure as Gould."

During the Civil War, Michael traveled to Lafayette, IN to join the Union Army for a term of three years. He was assigned to the 20th Indiana Infantry, Company H. While in battle at Malvern Hill, VA on July 1, 1862, he received a gunshot wound of the left side of the neck. The bullet struck about an inche below the "angle of the jaw in front of the external jugular vein," he later wrote. He received immediate medical care from Dr. Henry C. Grover, one of the regiment's surgeons. He was treated further at an army hospital in Harrison's Landing, VA.

A year later, at the Battle of Gettysburg, he was wounded again by a shell fragment puncture in his right side, just above the hip. Providing care was Dr. John Guffin, also a surgeon of the regiment. Having fulfilled his three-year obligation, Michael re-enlisted in February 1864 as a veteran. He was honorably discharged at Petersburg, VA on Oct. 19, 1864.

After the war's end, he returned to Middlefork, Clinton County. He made a living as a brick mason.

His war wounds caused a lifetime of suffering. In April 1879, he was awarded a soldier's pension for injuries or wounds during the Civil War. [Invalid App. #276.536 - Cert. #217.594] Over time, Michael requested increased in monthly pension payments. Providing testimony in writing, in support of these pension claims, were Harrison Walters and J.R. Whiteman.

Surgeon's sketch of where Michael complained of rib pain

In January 1890, he wrote that "The gun shot wound of neck caused, and still causes, derangement of the lower part of brain (the medula oblougata), which produces a tingling, twitching sensation, and causes partial paralysis of the extremities when he attempts to labor or takes exercise." Of the shell wound, he said that it caused "shrunken muscles and internal injuries, of diaphragm and lower part of right lung and the internal muscles."

Harrison Walters wrote in May 1896: "I am personaly acquainted with Michael Younkin, have known him for thirty years and have seen him nearly every day for the last six or seven years and am well acquainted with his habbits and know that his afflictions, piles and heart trouble are not due to vicious habits."

In 1880, he lived under the roof of his married sister and brother in law, Mary C. and William Henry Harrison Wigle in Warren, Clinton County. He earned a living that year as a laborer (brick mason). Circa 1879, his farm was located about 2½ miles from Middlefork. Michael was a charter member of the General Reynolds Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union veterans' association. He is mentioned in the 1886 book History of Clinton County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities. By 1900, he boarded in the home of William and Eliza Riegle in Warren, with his occupation stated as "soldier" likely meaning he lived off of his monthly pension income. Toward the end of his life, Michael received $12 in monthly pension payments.

Michael underwent a medical examination in Kokomo in October 1901, conducted by military surgeons. One wrote: "Has a very superficial scar an inch long on left side of neck. Involves only skin and causes no disability. Thee are no phyusical signs of the shell wound of right side. Says was only a contusion, says ribs are fractured. Careful examination shows no sign, and the estimate of disability is based wholly upon his tatements of constant pain."

He passed into eternity on Sept. 20, 1908.

~ Daughter Mary Catherine "Cass" (Younkin) Wigle ~

Daughter Mary Catherine "Cass" Younkin (1843-1901) was born in October 1843 or 1846 in Somerset County, PA.As a girl of age 12 or 15, she traveled with her family when migrating to Indiana in 1858.

She began to be courted by carpenter William Henry Harrison Wigle in the spring of 1859 and married him on March 16, 1862. Henry (1839-1917) was the son of George and Catherine (Knable) Wigle, originally from Somerset County and also of German origin, as were the Younkins. He stood five feet, 10 7/8 inches tall and weighed 200 lbs., with a light complexion, hazel eyes and light hair. He had grown up near Russiaville, Howard County, IN.

Their nine known children were Perry M. Wigle, Conrado Q. "Raid" or "Rade" Wigle, Florence L. Wigle, Charles E. Wigle, Rosalie ("Rosella" or "Rose") Whitesell, Edison Wigle, Lulu Blanche Whitesell and Mable E. Wigle and one who died in infancy.

Henry had come to Indiana with his parents and Knable grandparents in 1843, when he was age four. He helped clear and improve the family's farm, and at age 15 began to learn the carpentry trade from Benjamin F. Alton.

After six years of the carpentry apprenticeship, and in the midst of the Civil War, Henry went to New London, IN on Aug. 13, 1862 and joined the 89th Indiana Infantry, Company G. At the time, he was considered a "hearty, stout boy." He took part in the battles of Munfordville, Fort Derusia, Nashville and Fort Blakeley, AL. He was captured after his first engagement but was paroled/released and returned home on leave for 20 days before rejoining his regiment.

On Nov. 13, 1862, while at Camp Morton in Indiana, a prison for Confederates, ane exposed to inclement weather, he contracted typhoid fever. He was sent to the U.S. Jackson Hospital at Indianapolis. He was returned to his regiment in Memphis at the start of January 1863. While at Fort Pickering, TN in February 1863, he was treated by the regimental surgeon. Said friend John Morrison, "He would attend sick call in thre morning and some times the Hospital Steward would call and see him. He would be sick one day and then perhaps the next day go on gard duty."

Then, in July or August 1863, he became sick with chills and fever. He would not go to a hospital, but received a 30-day furlough at home. By October or November of that year, he could not perform duty "on the account of loss of speach," he wrote. In November or December 1863, he was sent away to the U.S. Washington Hospital in Memphis.

Continuing to suffer, he was placed on a hospital boat at Fort DeRussy on Red River, Louisiana. The boat sunk in the Red River after it passed Alexandria, LA and although he survived, he was sent back to Alexandria and thence to the U.S. Jackson Barracks Hospital in New Orleans. He recovered by July 1864 and was sent back to his regiment. He is known to have taken part in the Battle of Nashville on Dec. 15-16, 1864, and to have fun into an old friend from home, Aram C. Merrick.

While at the siege of Fort Blakely, in the spring of 1865, he met up with his brother in law John F. Younkin of the 13th Indiana Cavalry. He received an honorable discharge in Mobile, AL on July 19, 1865.

Henry was discharged in the fall of 1865 and returned home to Middlefork, about four miles west of Russiaville. Sometime after Henry's arrival, his brother in law John Younkin also came home and worked for the Wigles nearly every year as a mechanic. Another brother in law, Michael Younkin, wrote: "I was living with his family when he came home from the Army in 1865. He came home in verry poor health. He had a verry bad cough and complained of his lungs and was son taken down with the Lung Fever. He was verry low but recovered but was not able to work for several months."

He became ill again in 1878 and 1879, said brother in law Michael Younkin in 1885. "He was taken down with Throat and Lung disease and he is still troubled with his lungs and bad cough." But examining physicians doubted that his on-again, off-again illnesses were caused in the Army. Dr. W.P. Dunn, who examined Henry in 1881, said that "His color is good. Muscles well developed. There is no waisting of flesh and says he is not troubled with cough only when he has a bad cold. He may be troubled with some Bronchial trouble but I have my doubts whether it can be laid to the service."

In May 1880, Henry was awarded a military pension as compensation for wartime injuries. [Invalid App. #359.614 - Cert. #290.704] He claimed he was partially unable to earn a living as a result of bronchitis, stomach trouble, indigestion and "nervousness." A number of his friends provided support for increases in his pension by giving testimony. Harrison Walters, who had known Henry since boyhood, commented that the "nervous spells were not brought on by any vicious habits." Brother in law Michael Younkin, also a Civil War veteran, said in 1902 that he had known Henry for 35 years and had lived as a close neighbor. Lewis Sims, Isaac Daugherty, cousin by marriage James Daugherty, uncle by marriage Thomas Chandler, Colvin McCoy, Aram C. Herrick and John Morrison also signed written affidavits.

In 1880-1900, they made their home in Warren, Clinton County, IN. Henry began suffering from kidney disease in about 1887.

The Wigles were members of the Oakland Christian Church, founded by a group of "Newlight Christians." Circa 1888, after their church building at Sugar Grove was destroyed by fire during a revival, Harry provided carpentry for the erection of a new building, and his brother in law John Younkin hewed the Bible stand by hand. Henry was a member of the Masons and the Grand Army of the Republic, and in politics was a Republican. When the book History of Clinton County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities was published in 1886, Henry received a full length profile. Later in the 1880s, they relocated to Russiaville, Howard County.

In 1900, they lived next door to Cass's married brother and sister in law, farmers John and Cordelia J. Younkin.

Mary died the following year, on April 13 or 19, 1901, at the age of 54 years, six months and three days. Her remains were placed into rest in Stringer Cemetery in Forest, Clinton County.

Henry survived his wife by 16 years and relocated in 1904 to Southern California. On June 25, 1904, in Chicago, he married his sister in law, Eliza Jane (Demoss) Younkin, widow of Singleton "Sink" Younkin. The ceremony was held in the Chicago Deacon's Home, performed by Rev. Olin S. Baker. The newlyweds made their home at 1055 East 41st Street in Los Angeles and then at 2020 Bay Street in 1905.

He was admitted the Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Veteran Soldiers in Sawtelle near Los Angeles, with his son Charles living in nearby West Alhambra, and his daughte Lulu in Los Angeles. He received $30 in monthly pension payments circa 1914. Among the old soldiers also living at the Home was Henry C. Ludington, son of Hiram and Catherine (Younkin) Ludington, formerly of New Virginia, Warren County, Iowa.

Sadly, Eliza Jane passed away in Los Angeles on June 9, 1915.

Suffering from chronic kidney failure and "pseudo" leukemia, Henry was nursed by his daughter Lulu but succumbed in the Home on April 19, 1917. Burial was in Inglewood Cemetery.

As he slipped toward death, he accrued medical bills in the amount of $177.50. The family asked that the federal government provide reimbursement, but the request was denied "on the ground that the pensioner left assets sufficient to meet the expenses of his last sickness and burial," wrote L.J. Speer, a government examiner. At the end of his life, his real estate was valued at $1,200.

Son Conrado Quintillion "Raid" or "Rade" Wigle (1867-1960) was born on Nov. 16, 1867 in Indiana. When he was age 25 or 26, in 1893, Raid was united in matrimony with Lizzie Belle Linson (1872-1942), daughter of Martin Van Buren and Emaline Jane (Crawford) Linson. The Wigles produced three known children -- Mrs. Arthur Minick, Mary Agnes Hedges and Orville Wigle. They may also have had a daughter Edna May Wigle who died in August 1902 at the age of three. In 1935, they lived in Russiaville. They were members of the Presbyterian Church at Geetingsville, Clinton County. The family endured humiliation and heartache when their married son Orville was arrested in February 1936, accused with Harold Robertson of running an automobile and hog-stealing partnership. Reported the Kokomo Tribune, "Weigle [sic] is said to have admitted stealing three automobiles and more than eighty hogs over a period of several months." They were found guilty and sentenced to prison terms of three to 10 years, with Orville admitted to the state reformatory at Pendleton, IN. Sadly, Lizzie Belle suffered a stroke and died a week later at home in Russiaville at the age of 70 on Nov. 8, 1942. Rev. Clayton officiated at the funeral service followed by burial in Russiaville Cemetery. The Kokomo Tribune printed an obituary. Conrado survived his wife by 18 years. He joined her in eternity in 1960, at the age of 91, and rests beside her in the Russiaville Cemetery. [Find-a-Grave]

Daughter Florence Louette Wigle (1869-1871) was born two days before Christmas 1869. She did not survive childhood. She died on Aug. 22, 1871, of causes not yet known. Her tender remains were interred in Stringer Cemetery.

Son Charles Elmer Wigle (1871- ? ) was born on Nov. 22, 1871 in Indiana. At the age of 29, in 1900, he was single and lived at home and labored as a carpenter, following in his father's footsteps. He migrated to California where he lived in 1935.

Daughter Arminta Bell Wigle (1875-1876) was born on Feb. 18 or Oct. 19, 1875. She expired at just several months of age, on Valentine's Day, 1876. She was buried in Stringer Cemetery.

Daughter Rosalie ("Rosella" or "Rose") Wigle (1876- ? ) was born on Nov. 21, in 1876 in Indiana. On Jan. 18, 1903, at the home of her father, the 26-year-old Rose was united in wedlock with 25-year-old Jacob S. Whitesell  (1877-1964). In 1935 they made their home in California. Their dwelling in 1964 was in Tujunga, CA. Jacob succumbed on Aug. 11, 1964. Burial was in Valhalla Memorial Park, with a short obituary appearing in their old  hometown newspaper, the Kokomo Tribune.

Son Edison Wigle (1879-1935) was born on Dec. 11, 1879 in Warren Township, Clinton County, IN. He learned the farming trade and at age 20 worked on his parents' farm. He apparently never married and spent most of his adult life in Russiaville, Howard County, IN. At the age of 55, Edison was stricken with appendicitis and underwent surgery in Good Samaritan Hospital. He only lived for a few more days after the operation and died on Nov. 28, 1935. Rev. C.E. Dunlap preached the funeral sermon at Russiaville Methodist Church, followed by interment in Union Cemetery. An obituary in the Kokomo Tribune gave his mother's maiden name of "Younkin" and listed his surviving five sisters and brothers.

Daughter Mabel Ellen Wigle (1883-1902) was born on April 27 or 28, 1883 in Warren Township, Clinton County. She passed away on March 14, 1902. at the age of 19. Interment was in Stringer Cemetery in Forest, Clinton County.

Daughter Lulu Blanche Wigle (1886- ? ) was born on Jan. 17, 1886. In about 1906, when she was age 20, she was wedded to Jesse G. Whitsell (1883- ? ). The couple produced two sons -- Russell Whitesell and Ralph Whitesell. They initially resided in Forest, Clinton County, IN, where Jesse operated his own barber shop. Eventually they migrated to Southern California. They made their residence in at 1055 East 41st Street in Los Angeles in 1917. That same year, Lulu nursed her dying father who was living in Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Veteran Soldiers in Sawtelle near Los Angeles. those familiar with the matter called her "indigent." After he died, she petitioned the federal government for reimbursement of $132.50 in nursing bills. When the federal census was taken in 1930, Lulu was widowed and resided with her husband's brother and family in Tujunga, Los Angeles County, on North Wilson Avenue. To make ends meet, she was employed as an elevator operator in a department store.

• Grandson Russell Whitesell (1907- ? ) was born in about 1907 in Clinton County. At the age of 22, in 1930, he was a violinist and earned a living as a musician.

• Grandson Ralph H. Whitesell (1910- ? ) was born in about 1910 in Clinton County. In 1930, at age 20, he earned a living as a stock keeper at an automotive supply store.

~ Son Ross F. Younkin ~

Son Ross F. Younkin (1844-1910) was born on Jan. 16, 1844 (or 1847 of 1855) in Somerset County, PA. Records as to his birth year vary widely.

At age 14, in 1848, he and his family migrated to Indiana. He was five feet, 10 inches tall, had a fair complexion, blue eyes and weighed 145 lbs.

After the Civil War erupted, Ross joined the Union Army on Oct. 26, 1864 and was placed in the 30th Indiana Infantry, Company G. While exposed to bad weather at Nashville, TN on Dec. 1, 1864, he contracted a severe cold, leading to bronchitis and lung disease. Friend William Cockayne noted that "he had a hacking coiugh and seemed to be suffering from stoppage of the air passages of the lungs."

Then after the war's end, and stationed in New Orleans, he came down with "spinal fever" on July 20, 1865, and was treated while on a boat from New Orleans to Texas.

At Green Lake, TX, he was further stricken with diarrhea and hemorrhoids caused by "camp exposure, and bad diet and drinking water," recalled one of his fellow soldiers. Unable to return home due to his illness, he was admitted to a hospital at Indianola on Matagorda Bay, TX during the last week of July 1865 and remained there for seven weeks. One of his friends during that time was John W. Haggard of Frankfort, IN. In September 1865, he was stationed with Haggard at Goliad, TX.

Indianola, TX, where Ross was treated in 1865. Courtesy Library of Congress.

 

He received his honorable discharge at Victoria, TX on Oct. 25, 1865 and returned home. Friend Anthony Pyle, who recalled that Ross was "a stout, harty young man" before the war came home "emaciated and looked bad and weakly." Friend William Shaw said he had seen Ross "a few days after he came home from the army, [he] then looked bad, had a cough and complained of his lungs and breast hurting him, caused as he said from lung disease... He was also complaining of trouble with his back, and could scarcely walk or get about."

Within a few months of returning home, Ross obtained farm work and helped A.C. Merrick gather corn to feed hogs. He also worked with William Shaw.

In about 1868, he moved from Clinton County to Madison County, IN. Longtime friend Joseph R. Leakey of Greenfield, IN, said in an affidavit that he had known Ross "since August 1868 that from that time on for 2 or 3 years wwe worked together at carpentering, and lived near neighbors together being less than one fourth of a mile apart and feqeutnly saw and conversed together from 1868 to 1874 during which time I saw him almost daily, since 1878 I have seen and conversed with him some three or four times per year."

On Nov. 4, 1869, at the age of 22 or 23, Ross was joined in marital union with 15- or 16-year-old Cyrene Collier (1854-1929), a native of Indiana. The ceremony was held in Madison County by Rev. James F. Collier, and Melissa A. McKee attended as a witness. Groom and bride were a decade apart in age. An official record of the marriage was placed on file in the Madison County Courthouse, but was destroyed in a courthouse fire in 1880. A handwritten notation of the marriage was inscribed in the family Bible -- examined many years later by a notary public in support of Ross's application for a military pension. At the time (1910), the Bible was "old and worn in appearance, the lids having been worn off and sewn together," wrote I.N. Addison. "I cannot tell how old this bible is for the reason the leaf bearing the date of the publication is torn out and gone."

The 1870 federal census shows them residing near Markleville in Adams Township, Madison County. They remained in Markleville during the 1870s, where Ross earned a living as a carpenter, and are enumerated there in the 1880 census.

 

Letter in Ross's hand, 1889

They produced two known children -- John H. Younkin and Myrtle J. Younkin.

In 1882, claiming diseases of the chest, bowels and rectum, Ross applied for and began receiving monthly pension payments as compensation for wartime ailments. [Invalid App. #464.364 - Cert. 457.681] A number of former Army mess-mates and friends came forward to provide support for his claim, including Benjamin Childress, William Cockayne, James Mink, William Choat, Solomon Hardy, John D. Judd, Joseph R. Leakey, Anthony Pyle, William Shaw and William H. Hall.

Over the years, Ross received medical treatment from Dr. Fuller of New London, IN and circa 1910 by Dr. Charles M. Smethers of Markleville. Circa 1882, Ross earned a living as a day laborer. He also was elected or appointed as a superintendent of an Indiana turnpike, possibly the National Highway (Route 40) passing through the area. He resigned in May 1896, with the Hancock Democrat in Greenfield reporting: "No matter who Ross Younkin's successor may be he made a first-class pike superintendent. The harassing feature was not to his liking. Who came blame him for his resignation?"

Toward the end of his life, Ross received $72 per month in pension payments. At the age of 66, suffering from heart and kidney failure, Ross died on Sept. 18, 1910.

Cyrene lived for another 16 years in Markleville, and began receiving her husband's pension. [Widow Appl. #949.678 - Cert. #711.064] Among those old friends stepping up to sign affidavits supporting her claim were William Seward of Markleville and John W. Haggard of Frankfort, IN. A published account in a congressional record stated that "she is practically helpless and requires the constant aid and attendance of another person because of articular rheumatism. She is unable to dress or undress hereself without assistance. She has no property and her pension is her only income. No one is legally bound to her support."

She died at home at the age of 75 on Oct. 10, 1929. Said the Greenfield (IN) Daily Reporter, funeral services were held at her home, officiated by Rev. Atwater, followed by burial in the Collier Cemetery.

Son John H. Younkin (1870- ? ) was born in about 1870 in Indiana. He never married. Following his father's interest in public service, John was employed as federal postmaster at Markleville from about 1896 to August 1910, when he resigned and was succeeded by Ross B. Ham. John apparently raised horses which he enjoyed racing. The Hancock Democrat in Greenfield, IN reported in May 1896 that "Uncle Jim, owned by Dr. Fussell, and Tasket, the property of John Younkin, and a Wilkes speeder that Mr. Y. has been handling, will be taken to the Warrington track by Messrs. John Younkin and John Huston about June 1... The gentlemen will train these horses over the Warrington course throughout the spring training season, and will start them as soon as racing fairly begins. They do not believe in taking chances, however, and will not start them too early." Seemingly a betting man, Ross won $25 in August 1904 when he took part in a Cincinnati Enquirer contest to estimate the total recorded admissions to the St. Louis World's Fair. The actual number was 68,429, and John's guess was 68,432. He also submitted an entry in the Booklover's Contest of the Indianapolis Star in 1913. At the age of 40, in 1910, John provided care for his ailing father. He wrote: "I am the constant nurse of soldier Ross Younkin - for the past 6 months. He is critically ill from disease of chest and back and suffering attacks of diarrhioea at times during all these months - and requires constant care and attendance night and day."

Daughter Myrtle Younkin (1879- ? ) was born in December 1879 in Adams Township. She grew up in Markleville and counted Gusta Rosenfeld and Daisy Craig as friends. 

 

~ Son John F. Younkin ~

Son John F. Younkin (1846-1918) was born in January 1846 in Somerset County. As a boy of about 12, in 1858, he migrated to Indiana with his family and grew to manhood in Middlefork, Clinton County.

He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a fair complexion, light hair and grey eyes, and weighed 170 lbs. A month after turning age 18, on Feb. 2, 1864, John enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was placed in the 13th Indiana Cavalry, Company G. Luke Thomas was one of his bunk mates. His cavalry regiment was sent to Alabama and saw battle action in Decatur. There, on Oct. 22, 1864, John contracted "neuralgia" of the head and face and rheumatism of the lower extremities due to exposure to bad weather. Thomas, his bunk mate, said that "While supporting artilery [sic] we were compelled to protect ourselves from the enemy's fire by keeping in the ditches that was full of water and mud for half day and then went on picket at night with our clothing all wet and muddy."

The regiment then rode to Nashville, TN, and while in nearby Edgefield on Dec. 15-17, 1864, the men were engaged in fighting and were exposed to more severe weather, including rain, sleet and cold, without adequate protection. "That renewed the attacks of neuralgia and rheumatism," he wrote, which kept him on his back for a time. He was treated by the regiment's surgeon Dr. R.H. Buck and later by the same physician at Huntsville, AL.

John received an honorable discharge at Vicksburg, MS on Nov. 18, 1865 and returned to his home in Clinton County, where he was engaged in carpentry and farming.

His first wife was Deliana M. Shultz (1853-1875?), and they were joined in the bonds of marriage on Nov. 10, 1871 in Clinton County.

They produced three children -- Lorabell Younkin, Adda M. "Addie" Catron, Laura Younkin and Norman Schultz Younkin. Sadness swept over the Younkins when little Laura died at the age of three in 1878.

The Clinton County 1878 atlas, published by the Kingman Brothers, shows farms of "J. Yonkin" and "H. Waggle" [Wigle?] in Section 24 at the northernost border of Warren Township, to the north and east of Middlefork, near the Middlefork Joint Stock raceway and fairgrouinds. Each of their farms comprised 40 acres. Nearly every year, John was hired as a mechanic by his brother in law William "Henry" Harrison Wigle.

Wigle once wrote: John "has been troubled ever since the war more or less and often would have to quit work on acount of neuralogy of stomach and at other times would have it in face and head and then at other times he would be afflicted with rheumatism." 

Tragedy shook the family when Delina passed away at the untimely age of 21 on Jan. 25, 1875, just 13 days after the birth of their son Norman, leaving behind a husband to care for the three children. Her remains were lowered into rest in the Stringer Cemetery in Forest, Clinton County. The heartache compounded the following year when their daughter Lorabell died at the age of four on Jan. 10, 1876. At the age of 34 in 1880, and still widowed, John earned a living as a stone mason and boarded in a private home in Warren, Clinton County, IN, next door to his married sister and brother in law, Mary C. and Henry Wigle. John is believed to have been a member of the Oakland Christian Church, founded by a group of "Newlight Christians."

Circa 1888, after the church building at Sugar Grove was destroyed by fire during a revival, John hewed the new Bible stand by hand, while his brother in law William Henry Harrison Wigle provided carpentry for the erection of a new building. (A history of the congregation was published in the Kokomo Tribune on Nov. 9, 1974.)

On Aug. 31, 1889, at the age of 43, he married for a second time to 33-year-old Cordelia J. (Hendricks) Miller  (1857- ? ), widow of William Miller. Cordelia was a decade younger than John. The ceremony was performed by Samuel Laty (spelling?). They went on to produce at least six children -- among them Myrtle Younkin, Sylvia Younkin and Jay Younkin, with another dying young prior to 1900. 

Over the years, John comlained of neuralgia, rheumatism and heart disease which rendered him unable to work. He received medical attention from Dr. O.A.J. Morrison of Middlefork, Clinton County, sometimes as frequently as four times a year, and was prescribed does of quinine. He applied for and in January 1890 was awarded a military pension as compensation for his wartime sicknesses. [Invalid App. #752.375 - Cert. #560.535] Later in 1890, during a mandatory medical examination by a government physician, the doctor wrote" Skin moist + clear. Body well nourished. The only objective symptoms of rheumatism are extreme tenderness over the left Temporal region extending downard affecting the left facial nerve."

His monthly payments were $17 in 1912 and by 1918 were $30. When the federal censuses were taken in 1900-1910, the family dwelled in Middlefork, with John continuing his lifelong labors as a farmer.

Cordelia passed away on Jan. 9, 1914. Her passing left John a widower for the second time.

John survived for another four years. In April 1918, friend A.C. Merrick wrote to the federal pension commissioner, stating that John was "in Serious condition, wholy unable to care for himself, is up and about yet in care of some on account of heart trouble." He died a month later in Russiaville, Howard County, on May 21, 1918, just a distance of six miles from Middlefork. Burial was in Russiaville Cemetery. [Find-a-Grave]

 

Public school and unpaved street in nearby Russiaville, IN

 

Daughter Adda M. "Addie" Younkin (1873- ? ) was born on Jan. 29, 1873. At the age of 25, on Nov. 2, 1888, in Clinton County, married Henry V. Catron (1870- ? ). They made their home in Sedalia, IN for decades. The couple's two known children were Harold "Whitey" Catron and Lucille Miller. In September 1939, they were heartbroken at the death of their 30-year-old son Harold, a young engineer with a manufacturing company in Logansport, IN.

 

• Grandson Harold "Whitey" Catron (1908-1939) was born on June 10, 1908 in Sedalia, Clinton County. After high school graduation, he pursued teaching as a career and attended Terre haute Normal School as well as Purdue University. He taught school in Flora, IN and then relocated to Logansport, Cass County, IN. In 1930, at the age of 22, he joined the staff of R-B-M Manufacturing Company in Logansport and rose to become chief engineer in the drafting department. Well known and popular, he was said to be "a man of radiant disposition, amiable, considerate and pleasant with all with whom he came in contact," said the Logansport Pharos-Tribune. "Since his association with the R-B-M company he has displayed unusual brilliance in his line of endeavor and his advancement with the company has been both swift and deserving." On July 6, 1936, he was wedded to Lottie Backus ( ? - ? ), daughter of George T. and Myrtle (Batty) Backus of nearby Harrison Township. They had one son, Robert Alan Catron, born in 1938. Harold was a member of the local lodges of the Elks and Masons. They attended the Indian Creek Christian Church. Harold is said to have died in an automobile accident, but what is known for certain is that he was stricken with a staph infection in March 1939, and his life was thought to be in jeopardy. But he seemed to recover over the summer only to be admitted back into Cass County Hospital in early September. He died there at age 30 on Sept. 23, 1939, the day before his son's first birthday. Funeral services wee conducted by Rev. James Saylor of the family church and by members of the Flora Masonic Lodge. Burial was in Indian Creek Cemetery, with a prominent obituary published in the Pharos-Tribune. Lottie never remarried and resided in Lucerene near Logansport through the early 1970s. She was active with the Delta Chi Sigma honorary sorority and as secretary of the Christian Women's Fellowship of the Indian Creek Christian Church. Her name frequently was in the Logansport newspaper for her volunteer activities. Her son Robert married Nancy Schreiner and received a degree in industrial economics at Purdue University. Circa 1965, Robert was named chief work standards engineer at Packard Electric Company in Warren, OH.

 

• Granddaughter Lucille Catron was born in (?). Circa 1923, she was a teacher in the schools of Camden, IN. She was united in matrimony with Charles Miller ( ? - ? ). In 1939, they lived on a farm in Edinburgh, Johnson County, IN. Their only known son was James Miller, born on Aug. 10. 1924.

Son Norman Schultz Younkin (1875-1940) was born on Jan. 12, 1875 in Indiana. His mother died when Norman was just 13 days old. He was age 14 when his father married Cordelia Miller. He married Edith May Seaman (1878- ? ). Their three known children were Gertrude Alice Nelson, Norma Ellen Shuey and John Orrin Younkin. They resided with his uncle Singleton Younkin at Garfield, KS and then relocated to California, settling in Hamet. Norman died in Riverside, CA on May 19, 1940. Now widowed, Edith moved to Inglewood, CA.

• Granddaughter Gertrude Alice Younkin (1901- ? ) was born onMay 11, 1901. She married Franklin D. Nelson (1898- ? ). The Nelsons made their home in Los Angeles.

• Granddaughter Norma Ellen Younkin (1904- ? ) was born on July 10, 1904. She was wedded to James F. Shuey (1903- ? ). They resided in Los Angeles and produced one known daughter, Alice May Shuey, born in 1932.

• Grandson John Orrin Younkin (1912- ? ) was born on Feb. 25, 1912. He was united in matrimony with Winnie Hughes (1917- ? ). Their home was in Huntington Park, CA. Their one known son was John Norman Younkin, born in 1938.

Daughter Myrtle Younkin (1890- ? ) was born on Oct. 18, 1890. She is believed to have married John Runk (1888-1939), son of Lincoln and Leara (Heaton) Runk of Prairie Township near Tipton, IN. They produced four children -- Harry Runk, Charles Runk, Jack Runk and Martha Helen Runk. John died in Robert Long Hospital in Indianapolis, on Nov. 1, 1939, following dental surgery to extract several teeth. Said the Tipton Daily Bulletin, "The community in which he grew to manhood is shocked and grieved at his passing. He was a boyhood chum of several well known Prairie residents, including Sam Meyers, Oscar Brockus and Paul West, who had retained his friendship since his removal from the county to Winamac, where he had engaged in farming for several years." Following a funeral service at the Russiaville Friends Church, he was interred in the Russiaville Cemetery.

Daughter Sylvia Younkin (1893- ? ) was born on the Fourth of July 1893.

Son Jay Younkin (1896-1963) was born on Leap Day 1896. He spent his early life as a farmer in and around Russiaville, Howard County. He was of medium height and build, with blue eyes and black hair. He was required to register for the military draft during World War I and may have served in the U.S. Army. On Sept. 29, 1919, at the age of 23, Jay married 20-year-old Gertrude Lewis (1899-1997), daughter of Russiaville postmaster Charles K. and Iva Pearl (Power) Lewis. The couple did not reproduce. Circa 1930, Jay and Gertrude made their home in Decatur, IL. Later, by 1934, they returned to Russiaville. Gertrude was employed at the Russiaville Post Office and the First National Bank of Russiaville. In addition, she worked as a bookkeeper at Lewis Implement Store and at Howard Community Hospital as a volunteer. They were members of the Main Street Christian Church of Russiaville. Jay belonged to the local American Legion while Gertrude was a member of the Order of Eastern Star. Heartache rocked the family in the depths of winter 1963. After shoveling snow at their home on Jan. 23, 1963, Jay stepped inside their house and dropped dead of a heart attack, at the age of 66. Gertrude survived her spouse by 34 years and maintained her home at 240 East North Street in Russiaville. She passed away at the age of 98, in Manor Health Care Center, on Nov. 4, 1997. An obituary was printed in the Kokomo Tribune. [Find-a-Grave]

 

Typical Honey Creek Township farm on which the family of Thomas William Younkin, a.k.a. "Wilkin," would have lived and worked as tenant farmers.

 

~ Son Thomas Wilson ("Wilkin") Younkin ~

Son Thomas "Wilson" Younkin (1849- ? ) was born in 1849. At the age of nine, in 1858, he and his family traveled to a new home and life in Indiana, putting down roots in or near Middlefork, Warren Township, Clinton County. One source, a grand-niece, states that he was single during his adult years.

But he apparently also went by the name "Wilkin" and had a most unusual life as chronicled in the Indianapolis Star newspaper.

In the early 1870s, Wilkin married Elvina Webb ( ? - ? ) and produced a son, Tilghman L. ("Tillman" or "Tim") Younkin. They resided in Russiaville, Honey Creek Township, Howard County, southwest of Kokomo, IN. The couple divorced in about 1883, and Wilkin married again to another Russiaville resident. One morning in June 1884, Wilkin left home, telling his wife he would be gone for a few days. He was not heard from again for more than two decades.

The Star article suggests that he went west to "work on a ranch." During the time away, his first wife remarried to (?) Wilts and moved to Illinois, and his second wife left town, presumed to be dead. Their son Tim, age six at the disappearance, grew into manhood and at age 26 operated a pool hall in Russiaville.

Then in late June 1904, a stranger walked into Tim's pool hall. The man asked for directions to the Henry Oiler farm, where a sister was presumed to be living. He then disclosed his identity, and the son realized this was his long-lost father. The reunited pair spent the evening together going over events of the past. The story made news in the Star, Elwood (IN) Daily Record and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but when asked, he refused to publicly disclose details of his absence. When the federal census was taken in 1910, Wilkin (spelled "Wilson") lived under his son's roof in Forest Township, Clinton County, IN and was a hired man for farm work.

Circa 1918, Wilkin was in Russiaville and named as next of kin at the time of death of his elder brother Christopher.

Son Tilghman L. "Tim" Younkin (1872-1936) was born in about 1872 and was six years of age when he last saw his father in childhood. On Nov. 16, 1902, at age 30, he married 20-year-old Luella A. Rogers (1882- ? ). They produced one daughter, Lucille Riley. In addition to the pool hall he ran in 1904, he was a farmer in Forest, Clinton County, IN circa 1910. In 1923, he purchased a restaurant in Russiaville which previously had been owned by Heber Park. He was still proprietor of the restaurant as shown in the 1930 census, and they made their residence on Carter Street. Tim passed away on Sept. 3, 1936. Interment was in Russiaville Cemetery. A short obituary of two paragraphs was printed in the Kokomo (IN) Tribune. A short time later, his first cousin Dr. Jesse "Noble" Younkin of Decatur, IN learned of the death and sent word east to Charles Arthur "Charleroi Charley" Younkin, organizer of the Younkin National Home-coming Reunion of Kingwood, Somerset County, PA. Luella lived for another 23 years. She succumbed in 1959.

 

• Granddaughter Lucille Younkin (1905- ? ) was born in about 1905. In about 1928, at age 23, she was wedded to railroad welder Raymond P. Riley (1902- ? ). In 1930, they lived in Russiaville under the roof of her parents

 

~ Daughter Harriet "Hattie" (Younkin) Whiteman ~

Daughter Harriet "Hattie" Younkin (1851- ? ) was born in 1851 in Somerset County, PA. She was age seven in 1858 when she migrated with her family to Clinton County, IN.

She wed James R. Whiteman (1847- ? ), a native of Indiana. They had four known children, among them Lenna M. Whiteman, Edward Whiteman and two who died in the 1880s or '90s.

In 1880, they resided on a farm in Warren Township, Clinton County, IN. The remained there for several decades, and in 1900 James earned a living as a thresher.

In May 1896, James wrote and signed a general affidavit in support of claims by his brother in law Michael Younkin to receive an increase in his Civil War pension. James wrote: "I have known Michael Younkin for 25 [years], have seen him almost every day for six or seven years, am acquainted with his habits of life and know his affliction was piles + heart trouble were not caused by any vicious habits."

Daughter Lenna M. Whiteman (1880- ? ) was born in August 1880 in Warren Township, Clinton County.

Son Edward Whiteman (1881- ? ) was born in March 1881 in Warren Township, Clinton County.

 

~ Son William H. Younkin ~

Son William H. Younkin (1853-1933) was born in 1853 in Pennsylvania.

In 1858, at age five, he and his parents were pioneer settlers of Indiana.

Census records show that in 1880, single, he was a farmer and boarded in the household of Mary A. Morrison in Monroe Township, Howard County, and lived next door to his married sister Emma Jane Morrison.

He eventually was wedded to Jennie Brumfield ( ? - ? ) but did not reproduce.

 

~ Daughter Anna E. Younkin ~

Daughter Anna E. Younkin (1857-1862) was born in February 1857. At about the age of one, she was taken to Indiana with her parents who put down roots in or near Middlefork, Clinton County. Sadly, she did not survive childhood.

She succumbed to an unknown cause on May 26, 1862 at the age of five. Her tender remains were placed into repose in the Stringer Cemetery in Forest, Clinton County. [Find-a-Grave]

 

~ Daughter Emma Jane (Younkin) Morrison ~

Daughter Emma Jane Younkin (1858-1897) was born in 1858 in Pennsylvania. She was but an infant when being brought to Indiana with her parents and older siblings.

At the age of 18, on Oct. 9, 1876, she married William A. Morrison (1853-1912). The nuptials took place in Clinton County, IN. 

Evidence from the 1880 federal census suggests that the Morrisons lived in Monroe Township, Howard County, IN; that William was a brick mason; and that they had produced 11 children. The known children were Vera McClain, Otis Morrison, Ross Morrison, Eva Kingery, Harry Morrison, Homer C. Morrison and Elizabeth Yeager.

Sadly, she died in 1897 at the age of 39, presumably shortly after the birth of their youngest daughter.

Now widowed, William left nine of the children behind with family and friends, and took two of the sons and went to California. He died in Whittier, CA on Jan. 23, 1912.

Daughter Vera Morrison ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). She married (?) McClain and established a home in Oregon, where they lived in 1930.

Son Otis Morrison (1872- ? ) was born in about 1872 in Indiana.

Son Ross Morrison (1878- ? ) was born in November 1878 in Monroe Township, Howard County, IN. Single at the age of 21 in 1900, he boarded with farmers John and Oma Rodkey in Monroe Township. He was married to (?) Beck ( ? - ? ), daughter of J.M. Beck. They enjoyed socializing with Ross's Wigle cousins in Bluffton, IN. He had an interest in local politics and in 1933, living in Clay Township near Kokomo, aspired to run for the position of superintendent of the county infirmary. In 1930 and the early 1940s, he lived in Kokomo.

 

Walnut Street in Kokomo, IN, early 1900s

 

Daughter Eva Morrison ( ? -1961) was born in (?). She was a girl when her mother died, and evidence suggests that she was taken in as a foster daughter by Ross and Lou McCain of Burlington, IN. Eva was wedded to Clarence Kingery ( ? - ? ). They had one known daughter, Betty Clingenpeel. In 1929-1930, they dwelled in Huntington, IN and in 1942 in Burlington, IN. Eva passed away in St. Joseph Hospital in May 24, 1961. In their grief, Homer and daughter Betty published a card of thanks in the Kokomo Tribune, thanking the hospital staff, ambulance driver, funeral home team and clergy for their assistance in her final illness.

 

• Granddaughter Betty Kingery was married to Gus Clingenpeel.

Son Homer C. Morrison (1881-1930) was born in May 1881. Circa 1900, at the age of 19, he is shown in census records as boarding with the family of farmers John B. and Catherine Miller in Ervin Township, Howard County near Kokomo, presumably there to learn a trade. The Millers were Dunkards (or "Quakers") so he absorbed some of their customs. On April 6, 1912, he was united in wedlock with Mabel C. Harmon (1891-1981), daughter of Samuel and Alice (Russell) Harmon of Burlington Township, Carroll County. The couple produced eight children, among them Lora "Loree" Cross, Alice Rodkey, Ruth Keller, Nina Ehrman, Harold Morrison, Gerald Morrison and one other son. They remained in Ervin for the balance of their lives together, where they were members of the Burlington Christian Church. Homer was a farmer and in winter months drove a school bus (or "hack") for Ervin Township. To his wife, he expressed shame that one of his uncles had begotten a child without benefit of marriage, but the identity of the uncle and child are not known and may be lost to history. When he would talk with his family about his relatives, he would mention the names Alters, Knable, Merritt, Merrick and others. Sadly, having come down with acute indigestion, Homer died of a stroke at the age of 48 on Jan. 20, 1930. His sister and brother in law Elizabeth and Robert Earl Yeager traveled from Akron, Ohio to attend the funeral. Interment was in the Burlington Cemetery, following funeral services at the Burlington Christian Church led by Rev. Hill. A short funeral notice was printed in the Kokomo Tribune. Mabel survived her husband by many decades. As recalled by a daughter, Mabel washed and ironed and put us all through High School." She worked as the day-shift manager for the B&K Root Beer Drive-In in Kokomo for a decade from 1953 to 1963 and belonged to the Faith Church of Christ and the Burlington American Legion Auxiliary. She succumbed in St. Joseph Memorial Hospital on Nov. 10, 1981. An obituary appeared in the Tribune, noting that her survivors included 13 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. Here remains were interred in the Burlington Cemetery with Steve Cole leading the funeral service.

• Granddaughter Lora "Loree" Morrison (1913-1996) was born on April 26, 1913 in Howard County. She was only age 16 when her father died. During the Great Depression, she once said, she made do "picking pickles, tomatoes, washing and ironing." On Oct. 1, 1950, at the age of 37, she married 48-year-old Clyde Cross ( ? -1983). Neither had been married before, and they did not reproduce. Wrote Loree: "We both had goodjobs in 1950 (our marriage date). In 1956 I suffered a disability and had to quit work. I suffered so much pain that finally my nerves crashed. I cried around for ten years for I wanted to go back to work. In 1964 they finally removed my gall bladder after some other experimental surgery. I got my first relief of any nature. I made up mty mind to be as useful as possible with my limitations. I took up genealogy. This was my redemption. I sleep, eat and live Genealogy. I will confess that I do local Genealogical work for people out of town." She even purchased a microfilm reader for her home. Loree re-entered the employment world and worked for many years for Delco Remy in Anderson and retired from the company. She was a member of the Meadow Brook Baptist Church and later joined the Burlington Faith Church of Christ. Loree also was a member of the Cemetery Commission of Madison County, the Historical Society of Madison County, the Genealogy Friends and the United Auto Workers local union 662. She was interested in her Younkin roots. Residing in Anderson, IN, she sent a query to the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County, and it was published in the February 1974 issue of its newsletter, the Laurel Messenger. Immediately, one of the readers, Joseph Warren Thomas III of Birmingham, MI, whose wife Gladys was of the family of Michael A. Firestone, and they began a voluminous correspondence that continued through the mid-1980s. Both were from very different branches of the same Somerset County pioneer family, and were trying to connect facts and conduct research. The two rented microfilms and library books and mapped out family trees in the effort. Loree once wrote this to Joseph Thomas about old-time family members: "They would be surprised how many denominations are in the family now. My grandmother Younkin was a very devout Quaker. My family were all raised in the Christian church. Some are now Quakers and some many other denominations. One of my cousinsw married a Catholic lady and we are very fond of her." In another letter, Loree wrote: "My grandmother was a devout Quaker. She used the terms 'Thee' and 'Thou'." In August 1975, following a visit to her invalid brother in Baltimore, Loree spent three days in Somerset, PA, visiting the county courthouse and Historical and Genealogical Society, copying records and making extensive notes. She died at the age of 83 in Wesley Manor Retirement Community in Frankfort, IN on July 29, 1996. An obiuary was published in the Kokomo Tribune which noted that she was "formerly of Ervin Township, Anderson, Burlingtno, and Kokomo." Burial was in South Mound Cemetery in New Castle, IN, with Steve Cole officiating. Today, a copy of their exchanges of letters is preserved in the Minerd.com Archives.

 

~ Loree (Morrison) Cross's Younkin Research Correspondents ~

Joseph Warren Thomas III, Birmingham, MI, 1971 - family of Michael A. Firestone Jolyne Sample, River Forest, IL, 1975 - family of Rachel (Younkin) Husband

Kenneth W. Sanner, Rockwood, PA, 1975 Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society, Lancaster, PA, 1979 Homer Robertson, Provo, UT, 1980 - family of Catherine (Younkin) May

 

• Granddaughter Alice C. Morrison (1915- ? ) was born in about 1915 in Ervin Township, Howard County. She married (?) Rodkey and lived in Burlington in 1996.

• Granddaughter Ruth Morrison (1918- ? ) was born in about 1918. She wedded (?) Keller and resided in Kokomo.

• Granddaughter Nina Morrison was united in wedlock with (?) Ehrman and dwelled in 1996 in Indianapolis.

• Grandson Harold Morrison lived in Burlington, IN in 1981.

• Grandson Gerald Morrison made his home in Bradenton, FL in 1981.

 

Son Harry Morrison (1891-1961) was born on Nov. 6, 1891 in Monroe Township, Howard County. He was a boy of six when he was rendered motherless, and he was taken into the Russiaville home of Sarah Jordan where he was reared. As a 17-year-old in about 1908, he relocated to California. He and his widowed father dwelled together in 1910 and worked as laborers in a nursery in Los Nietos, Los Angeles County. He was married and had four children. Circa 1930, his address was Whittier, CA. In 1947-1961, their home was in LaPuente, CA. Harry returned to the Kokomo area in October 1947 and visited with his sister Eva Kingery, "whom he had not seen for 38 years," said the Kokomo Tribune. He also used that visit to see his sisters in law Mabel Morrison and Stella Morrison and their families. Harry died in LaPuente at the age of 69 on Jan. 19, 1961. His remains were placed into repose in Rosehill Cemetery near his home. Word of his death was sent to his niece, Mrs. Gus Clingenpeel, of Russiaville, IN, and an obituary appeared in his hometown newspaper, the Kokomo Tribune.

Daughter Elizabeth Morrison (1897-1942) was born on Dec. 9, 1897 in Howard County. She married Robert Earl Yeager ( ? - ? ). The Yeagers relocated to Ohio, where they lived in Akron (1930) and later in Chillicothe, Ross County, OH. They had three daughters and a son. During World War II, their son served in the U.S. Army. Sadly, suffering from circulatory problems, Elizabeth suffered a heart attack at the age of 44 and died at home in Chillicothe on Oct. 19, 1942. Interment was in Greenlawn Cemetery in Chillicothe. Robert's fate is not known.

 

Copyright © 2016 Mark A. Miner

Research for this page graciously shared by the late Olive (Rowan) Duff, the late Donna (Younkin) Logan, the late Joseph Warren Thomas III, the late Loree (Morrison) Cross and Linda Marker. See Thomas/Cross Papers, pp. 598-600.