Biographical Sketch of George Youngs, Johnson County, Missouri, Hazel Hill Township >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** George Youngs, a prominent and successful farmer and stockman of Hazel Hill township, was born in Lafayette county, Missouri, September 28, 1852. He is the son of Edgar and Mary (Mock) Youngs and of English and German (Pennsylvania Dutch), respectively, descent. Edgar Youngs was born December 29, 1828, in New York, the son of Joseph L. Youngs, who was born March 4, 1804, a carriagemaker by trade. In 1839, the elder Mr. Youngs came to Missouri from New York with his family and followed his trade in St. Louis for several years. Joseph L. Youngs and his son, Edgar, crossed the plains with an ox team in 1849 enroute to the gold fields of California. For some time, father and son remained in that state and conducted a small general store, while they were engaged in mining for gold. Edgar Youngs also was employed in freighting from Auburn to Sacramento. In 1851, they started on their way homeward, coming back by way of the Isthmus of Panama. They traveled part of the way in a canoe. While on the vessel sailing from Panama to New Orleans, both the captain and the mate of the ship died. The men on board were called upon to assist in sailing the vessel and both Edgar Youngs and his father responded to the call. Ignorant of ship management, the un- qualified crew almost succeeded in wrecking themselves. They arrived home safely, however, and Edgar purchased his first tract of land in Lafayette county immediately afterward, a farm comprising 260 acres for which he paid Mr. Lemmon nine hundred dollars. Joseph L. Youngs died at Topeka, Kansas, on November 18, 1877. Edgar Youngs was married to Mary Mock, the daughter of David Mock, of Freedom township, Lafayette county. She was born June 19, 1829. To Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Youngs were born ten children: George, the subject of this review; William E., born April 2, 1854 and died January 26, 1875, while a student at the State University at Columbia; Marcus, the well known banker of Warrensburg, of whom a biography appears elsewhere in this volume; Emma, the wife of J. W. Foster, who died March 18, 1898; Theodore, born June 29, 1860, Nye county, Nevada; Mollie, the wife of John P. Greer, Freedom township, Lafayette county; Lydia, who was born February 9, 1864 and died Septem- ber 30, 1867; Annie E., born in 1867, was united in marriage with William H. Parker on October 24, 1888 and now resides in Simpson town- ship, Johnson county; Mattie C., born March 8, 1870 and married Edgar Houston, both of whom are now deceased; and Frances B., born January 29, 1872 now the wife of Charles M. Purnell, Lafayette county, Missouri. The mother's death occurred in 1907 and the father died December 20, 1910. George Youngs attended school in log houses in Lafayette and Johnson counties. He also was a student at the Franklin School in St. Louis and at McGee College in Macon county for three months. At the age of twenty one years, Mr. Youngs started in life for himself, engaged in farming. For nearly 12 years, he resided on his father's place. He then was em- ployed as clerk in one of the mercantile establishments in Higginsville for two years. In 1890, he came to his present farm home, where he has since resided, with the exception of the three years he spent on the home place caring for his father, after his mother's death. The resi- dence was on the farm at the time Mr. Youngs purchased it. Twice this farm has been visited by cyclones. Once several of the farm buildings were destroyed and the orchard ruined. The beautiful elms and maples now growing on the place were planted by Mr. Youngs in 1892. The Youngs farm was formerly owned by Alexander Greer, a pioneer of Simpson town- ship, and comprises 180 acres of land, six of which are the site of the new Consolidated District School Number 3, a building now in the process of erection. The greater part of the farm is devoted to pasture and grass. Mr. Youngs keeps 25 head of cattle and raises mules. September 28, 1877, George Youngs and Lillie L. Greer, the daughter of Alexander and Louisa Greer, were united in marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Greer were the parents of fourteen children, all of whom were reared to maturity and with the exception of one, Mrs. Grover Youngs, all are now living. The father and mother are now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Youngs have been born three children: Walter, who married Carrie Barkhurst, of Hazel Hill township, and resides in Lafayette county; Minnie, the wife of Oscar Cobb, of Fayetteville, Missouri; and Eugenia, the wife of Samuel C. Brown, who is a skilled mechanic and well to do blacksmith of Robbins, where they own a pretty home. Mr. and Mrs. Youngs are again alone, as they were 40 years ago. They are numbered among Johnson county's best families and are highly valued in their community. Mr. Youngs is an intelligent, keen thinker and one of the most progressive citizens of Hazel Hill township, a "booster" for good schools and roads. He has from the beginning of the project been deeply interested in the new Consolidated school building, which is being erected near his home. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: <> Penny Harrell ====================================================================