Samuel Young
submitted by Joy Gough
Sam Young was born August 14, 1814, in Virginia, and died March 28, 1891. His
joint stone with his second wife, Charity Stowe Young, is of dark gray granite
about 3-feet high and 4-feet wide and says "Young" across the top. It is close
to the middle of the cemetery. The stone matches the one of his granddaughter,
Dolly Young. His first wife, Patience Cornell Young, is buried south of him.
Sam Young married Patience Ann Cornell on June 11, 1841, in Cabell County,
Virginia, and moved to the area around Greene County, Illinois. In November of
1842 they came to Texas. He said that when he crossed the Red River, he had a
wife, a child, and 5 cents in his pocket. The amount of money in his pocket
changes with the telling. He originally settled on Honey Creek, about 3 miles
north of present-day McKinney. In 1844 he established his headright about 5
miles west of present-day Allen, near Rowlett Creek, on a creek that became
known as Young Branch. He received 640 acres of land because he was a family man
and sold 320 acres to Eli Witt for $70. At first he built a stockade as
protection from the Indians. Later he built a grist mill just northeast of the
house. It was used as a lookout for Indians. He gave the Indians sugar and
tobacco whenever he saw them and they never caused him any trouble. His second
home was a large, sprawling house built near the north end of his headright. The
kitchen was outside. Dances were held at his house because of its large rooms.
The Rowlett Creek Baptist Church was started on February 12, 1848, in the
home of Elder Jonathan Phillips on Wilson Creek. Around 1850, when the
congregation was looking for a place to construct its first building, it chose a
site near Sam Young's because he had a spring on his property that would provide
water for the animals of the people attending services. The spring is still in
existence and is used by the people who built their house where Sam Young's
house once stood. Sam Young went with others to buy pews and materials for the
church. Even though he was not a charter member of the church, his family was
always active in it. The Rowlett Creek Baptist Church was one of the first
churches in the Elm Fork Baptist Association. It was also one of the earliest
churches in Collin County. Out of the Rowlett Creek Church came First Baptist
Church of Dallas, First Baptist Church of Fort Worth, First Baptist Church of
McKinney, and most of the Baptist churches in Collin County. The church was
active until about 1935.
After the death of his first wife, Patience Cornell Young, in 1847, Sam Young
married Charity Ann Stowe. They had 11 children, 9 of whom lived to maturity.
Around 1848 Sam Young started a school on his property. Even though he was
illiterate himself, it is recorded that he could do arithmetic faster and more
accurately than a person who could write. He loaned people money with just their
word that they would pay it back. In 1871 Sam Young had several land holdings
and was able to give all nine of his children land in Collin County. John T.
Young and George M. Young received land in the Jacob Baccus survey. Hogan Young
received land in the Hogan Witt survey. Sam Young, Jr. and Florence Young
Garrison received land in the Sam Young survey. James L. Young and Lucy Young
Wilkerson received land in the Enoch Baccus survey. Nancy Young Melton and
Louisia Young Camp received land in the T. G. Kennedy survey. None of them kept
the land, except John T. Young. John Young later bought land from his siblings
who did not remain in this area.
Hogan Young settled in Stoneburg, Texas, and was said to be the richest man in
Montague County at one time. He owned 1400 acres of land and had around 200 head
of cattle. He was the sheriff of Montague County for many years. Sam Young, Jr.
lived in Bowie, Texas. He was in the cattle business with his brother, Hogan,
and was on the Bowie City Council. He was married to Evaline Teel, who was a
daughter of the Teels buried in this cemetery. Nancy Young Melton also settled
in Montague County. She would ride the range with the men because she was afraid
of Indian attacks at the house. Lucy Young Wilkerson, Florence Young Garrison,
and Louisia Young Camp all moved to Justin, Texas. George M. Young moved to
Oklahoma after his wife died.
Sam Young raised cattle in Collin County and drove them to Shreveport or East
Texas locations for market. When the cattle industry was expanding in West Texas
in the mid 1870's, he bought land in Cooke and Montague Counties and transferred
his cattle business there.
In 1872, at the age of 58, Sam Young cut railroad ties for the Houston and
Texas Central Railroad that was going north through Collin County. The "going
rate" was 10¢ per 100. When he died, he was worth more than $24,000. That
included over 2000 acres of land, 875 head of cattle, and 86 horses, all in
Montague County. In Collin County, he had 107 acres of land, plus 4 lots in
Allen, and a few cows, horses and hogs. He was able to leave each child
additional land in Collin County in his will.
CHARITY ANN YOUNG - Charity Ann Stowe Young was born March 9, 1834, in
Madison County, Illinois, and died February 19, 1906, in Stoneburg, Montague
County, Texas, at the home of her son. She was a niece of Shadrick Jackson and
Charlotta Jackson Finley, who are buried in this cemetery. Her father was
William Stowe, Jr., and her mother was Nancy Jackson. She was 15 when she
married Sam Young on May 27, 1849, in Collin County. Four of her children are
buried here, plus numerous grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.
PATIENCE YOUNG - Patience Ann Cornell Young was the first wife of Sam Young.
She was from Virginia and was the daughter of Benjamin and Priscilla Cornell.
She and Sam Young came to Texas in November of 1842. On Christmas Day of that
year, while Sam Young was in Bonham getting supplies, Patience Young and Mrs.
Clements fought off an Indian attack at Honey Creek where Mr. Clements and Mr.
Whistler were clearing land. Mr. Clements and Mr. Whistler were killed. The
women and children managed to get to the Throckmorton settlement, which was
between present-day Anna and Melissa in Collin County.
Patience Cornell Young's marker is an obelisk about 4-feet high that reads:
"daughter of B. & S. Cornell, born February 17, 1814, died February 17, 1847."
Her inscription reads: "We must die on earth to live in heaven." The north side
of her marker has inscriptions for George L. Young and an infant daughter. Sam
Young's stone is to the north of hers. There are several children's graves on
the south side of hers. Her stone was made by the Walcott Marble Yard in
McKinney. The shape and style of the stone, an obelisk, indicate that it was
erected perhaps as much as 40 years after her death. The fact that she is buried
with an infant with no name and dates, and that she died about 18 months after
George L. Young was born, leads me to believe that she died in child birth.
Surname Index
Recommended Citation:
"Sam Young,
EARLY SETTLERS OF COLLIN COUNTY." Collin County, Texas History
and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13, 2004 ].
|
