Young Family Cemetery, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Carol Young Knight
Date: Sep. 1999



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                           THE YOUNG FAMILY CEMETERY

     The Young Family Cemetery is the family burial spot for many Youngs and
related families who lived and died in the early to mid-19th century in the
area of Catahoula Parish, La. where Absalom Young settled on a riquet of land
around 1840 near what is now known as Utility, La.  Many of the graves in this
burial spot do not have markers due largely to the fact that they may have
been washed away during many of the overflows that occurred before levees were
built along Little River.

    The cemetery is in a beautiful setting, surrounded by a chain link fence
and large trees with moss hanging from them.  It is a quiet and peaceful spot,
beautifully cared for by members of the Edward Young family who hold their
annual family reunions nearby.  In 1981, one of Absalom Young's descendants
visited the cemetery and felt it should have  an archway over the gate to so
that the name of the cemetery would be identified for all who visited it.  A
sketch was drawn by the husband of Carol Young Knight (Eugene C. Knight) and
sent to John Wesley Young who proceeded to get estimates to have this work
done.  A collection was taken to cover the cost of the archway with many
descendants of Absalom Young contributing.  James Alton Doughty did the actual
work at a cost of $800.00.  Before the new archway could be installed the old
chain link fence had to be replaced.  Soon this work was completed and the
archway was in place.

    It was about this time that an effort was made to identify all those who
were buried in the cemetery.  Rose Young who was the wife of William Wesley
Young took on the task of talking with relatives in the area and submitted the
following list which she thought was fairly accurate.  Later John Wesley Young
made handmade concrete markers for all those who did not have a marker to
identify their burial place.

     Alfred H. Young (son of John S. Young)
     b. November 1871 - d. March 30, 1934

     Emmaline Stone Young (d/o Mortimer Stone and wife of John S. Young)
     b. February 1843 - d. September 2, 1924

     Charles S. Young (son of John S. Young)
     b. October 1867 - d. August 2, 1918 (age 51)

     Eula Lee Young (d/o John S. Young)
     b. September 1868 - d. 1910 (age 40)

     Edward Young (son of William Young)
     b. October 13, 1866 - d. June 23, 1925

     William Young (s/o Absalom Young)
     b. January 8, 1835 - d. March 29, 1919

     Martha Elizabeth Hughes Young 
     (d/o John C. Hughes and wife of William Young)
     b. December 18, 1840 - d. February 16, 1888

     Jim Young (no dates available)

     Ben Young's wife (no additional information)

     William John Young (s/o William Young)
     b. May 15, 1862 - d. December 15, 1862)

     Lawrence Young 
     (s/o Henry Thomas Young and Jesse Young (d/o William Young)
     b. October 13, 1906 - d.. July 12, 1907

     Nancy Rowena Young (d/o Absalom Young)
     b. February 18, 1846 - d. July 26, 1852

     Sarah Emeline Young Hughes 
     (d/o Absalom Young and wife of John F. Hughes)
     b. October 29, 1839 - d. September 18, 1883
     Wife of James H. Hughes - m. February 14, 1856

     Alfred Young (s/o Absalom Young)
     b. September 5, 1831 - d. May 21, 1833 
      (date of death taken from family bible)

     Jacob Harvey Young (s/o Absalom Young)
     b. January 20, 1844 - d. September 6, 1853

     Claude LaCroix
     b. August 10, 1878 - d. July 22, 1952

     Rosa LaCroix
     b. August 6, 1889/1891 (?) - d. December 2, 1978 (?)

     Claude Maurice LaCroix (Pete)
     b. November 28, 1909 - d. May 23, 1956

     John Louis LaCroix
     b. December 12, 1913 - d. March 31, 1958

     Ray baby 
     (Althea Elizabeth Ray, d/o Annie Laurie Young & Joe Benton Ray, Sr)

     Agnes Rachel Ellard 
     b. December 26, 1921 - d. January 19, 1922

     Deborah LaCroix ( b. 1911/1912)

     Rose Ruth LaCroix (b.1933)

     Iron McClure's baby

     The earliest known burials in the Young Cemetery are those of the
children of Absalom Young and his wife, Eliza Stone Harvey (they are both
buried in the Forsythe Cemetery near Jena, La.): Nancy Rowena Young who died
in 1852 at the age of six, and Jacob Harvey Young who died in 1853 at the age
of 9.  These early burials would make the cemetery over 147 years old.  The
cemetery is still in use today although space if becoming very limited.  The
Young Family Cemetery is located near Jonesville, La. - take Highway 124 north
toward Harrisonburg to Highway 3101 - turn left - go to Highway 923 and make
another left.  When you see a sign on the right that says John Young, turn
right on the dirt road that goes through a field until you see a grove of
trees to the left (the old Edward Young home is to the right).

Submitted by Carol Young Knight (MrsCranie@AOL.com)