This Genealogical History was written about 1902. It
was the result of a number of years of careful research by William
Yost (See page 9, center), who was a well-known and very competent
Attorney-at-Law in Pittsburgh, Pa. He died in 1909 as the result of an
accident.
In December of 1918 my father, Owen Yost (1855-1932),
of Somerset, Ohio, first cousin of William Yost (See page 7, top) and
himself an Attorney-at-Law, had obtained, from some member of the
Family, the Report as written by his cousin William, and with his own
hand typed and gave to me. At that time, a copy of which is now in my
possession.
The reproduction herewith is one I have personally
typed from the copy my father made in 1918, without alteration of word
or figure, and it represents, to my best knowledge and belief, a true
copy of the original Report by William Yost.
Signed at San Gabriel, California, March 26, 1957.
(signed Lloyd Yost)
Lloyd Yost
THE YOST FAMILY
Introduction
It has been recorded by Benjamin Franklin that he “Ever
took pleasure in obtaining any little anecdotes of his ancestors.”
No one need apologize for a similar feeling. It is wholly creditable
to a person that he should desire that his ancestry should not be
overlooked or forgotten. However humble such ancestors may have been,
their descendants follow our common and better instincts in recalling
and cherishing the incidents of their lives. In thus honoring our
progenitors we honor ourselves. By preserving the simple history of
kinship, we foster sentiments of friendship between the different
branches of the same family; and we also cultivate the finer feelings
of our nature, which are too apt to become blunted by the constant
pursuit of the material things of life. And an honorable family name,
however humble its traditions and story, is a strong incentive to
noble efforts and deeds, especially in young men.
CHAPTER I
Michael Jost came to this country from Germany with
eighty-four others of his countrymen, all being males over sixteen, in
the ship "Elliot", Captain James Adams, Master, from
Rotterdam. The original list of passengers on the "Elliot"
seems to be lost. Only the list of the males over sixteen, who took
the oath of allegiance, remains. Hence we can not ascertain whether he
came alone or not; or the names of his family at that time, from it,
but we know he was married and had several children. He was qualified
as a citizen and took the oath of allegiance to the king of England on
August 24, 1749, as prescribed by the Act of the General Assembly of
Pennsylvania of 1727. (Pa. Archives, Second Series, Vol. 17, P.
276-7). This oath was taken upon their arrival, by all males over
sixteen, and no other Jost appears in the list for this ship. (See
editorial note to Vol. 17, Pa. Archives, Second Series.)
It would seem that he settled at once in Bucks County,
Pa. Nearly all of the German settlers of the upper townships of Bucks
County came there by way of Montgomery, starting in at Germantown and
going up the Schuylkill to the Porkiomen and Skippack, and from thence
across into Bucks; most of this migration into Bucks being in the
early years after 1750. On February 10, 1752, Henry Keller and wife,
of Bedminster Township, Bucks County, conveyed to “Michael Jost of
Bucks County, yeoman”, 150 acres of land in the upper part of
Bedminster Township. (See Deed Book of Bucks County, Vol. 24, P. 306).
This farm appears to be near Keller’s Church, and not far from
Tohickon Church; and also near the line of Haycock Township. This farm
was owned by Michael Jost until his death.
On the list of persons taking the oath of allegiance
prescribed by the act of the General Assembly of June 13, 1777 before
Robert Patterson, Esq., one of the Justices of the Peace for Bucks
County, on June 5, 1778, is the name Michael Youst. (See Oath of
Allegiance P. __). The oath is as follows: "I do swear and
renounce and refuse all allegiance to George the Third, King of Great
Britain, his heirs and successors, and that I will be faithful and
bear true allegiance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a free and
independent state", etc., etc.
His children were baptised at the Tohickon Lutheran
Church, whose records are now at Telford, Pa., ten miles distant,
where the pastor resides - and at the Tohickon German Reformed Church,
but only the first baptism, (that of Mary Catherine) is recorded at
the latter church; and it gives not only the mother’s Christian
name, but also her maiden name, viz: “Catherine, born Heller,
daughter of Ulrick Heller".
The tombstones of three of his sons are still standing
in the Tohickon burying ground, and probably their parents were buried
there; for many of the old stones are uninscribed or now illegible and
Michael continued to own the above farm until his death, ___ this was
the nearest burying ground.
On February 2, 1787 his son, Isaac, conveyed his
interest in the above farm to his brother Conrad. (Deed Book Vol. 24,
P. 308). Hence their father died before that. The quit-claim deed for
the home farm furnished the only complete record of his children's
names.
FAMILY OF MICHAEL AND CATHERINE JOST
1. Jacob Joost, born September 3, 1738, died June 5,
1823. [or 7 Jan 1826?]
2. Michael Jost
3. Savilla, wife of Jacob Bollmer.
4. Joseph Yost.
5. Manus Yost, born January 20, 1743 [1745?], died November 15, 1820.
6. Mary Catherine, wife of Lawrence Kreamer, born June 3, 1754. [bap 3
June 1754]
7. Abraham Yost)
8. Isaac Yost, born August 30, Baptised Sept. 5, 1756.
9. Jacob Yost.
10. Conrad Yost, born Oct. 3, 1761.
Note: Dates for 1, 5 and 10 are from their
tombstones in Tohickon burying ground. Dates for 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are
from baptismal records. Spelling or surnames is from above deed. The
second Jacob probably, died in infancy. The German letter J is
pronounced like the English Y, which explains the change of spelling.
The Tohickon church was a few years older than Keller’s church, and
a little nearer the Yost homestead; and both are in Bedminster
Township. The older children were born in Germany.
The sons, Manus, Michael and Isaac, removed to the
adjoining township of Haycock; and Joseph, to Tinicum Township. Manus
and Michael appear on the Haycock Township tax-list, from 1783 to
1789. Conrad was single until 1789, and removed to Rockhill Township,
Michael was married at the Tohickon German Reformed Church. Isaac’s
name appears on the Haycock tax-list as a cordwainer, that is,
shoemaker, in 1779; but it never appears there after 1781. He was
assessed for 125 acres, but this only indicates that he was tenant of
it, or occupier of it, and not owner. Joseph Yost married Mary,
daughter of Rev. Philip Henry Rapp, who lived in Nockamiron, and who
may have been pastor at Keller’s church. (See Will Book 4, P. 70).
Abraham and Isaac took the oath of allegiance to the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on March 18, 1778. (See Oaths of
Allegiance P. __).
Jacob Yost had a grandson Isaac (the son of Daniel)
who was married and lived in Hilltown Township, where he died about
1859; at that date his only brother was living in Washington Township,
Lycoming County.
Manus Yost, was commissioned Lieutenant of 1st
Company, (Capt. Philip Stever), 2nd Battalion, Pennsylvania Militia,
Bucks County, of the Revolution; John Keller, Lieut. Col. May 10,
1780. (See Pa. Archives, 2nd Series, Vol. 14 P. 200). and he was
promoted to Capt. in the fall of 1781, when the force appears to have
been reorganized in 8 companies, under Col. Keller. (Pa. Archives,
Vol. 14, P. 209). His tombstone is still standing in Tohickon burying
ground.
Abraham Yost become the owner of the home farm, after
his father's death, __d died seized of most of it in 1837, leaving
issue, Jacob, John and Daniel, living out of the State, and Samuel and
Elizabeth, wife of John Harphell, living in Bucks County. Michael Jost
and his family comprised all of the names among the settlers of Bucks
County.
CHAPTER II
Isaac Yost was the son of Michael Jost and Catherine,
daughter of Ulrick Keller. He was born in Bedminster Township, Bucks
County, Pa., August 30, 1756, and was baptised September 5, 1756, in
the Tohickon Lutheran Church. He was one of the triplets. He married
in that county, his wife's name being Elizabeth or Agnes Elizabeth.
The records of that church also show the baptism of two of their
children there, viz: Johannes, born May 28, 1779, baptized August 22,
1779; and Anna Catherine, born Sept 5, 1781, baptized Dec. 2, 1781.
It is uncertain when he left Bucks County, but his
name disappears from the Haycock Township tax-list after 1781, and
there is no baptismal record there of his ______t son, Abraham, who
was born May 18, 1782, according to his tombstone. He conveyed his
interest in his father’s farm to his brother Conrad, by a deed dated
Feb. 2, 1__7. The tradition is that this family left Bucks County when
his son John was 12 years of age, which would be 1791, but they may
have lingered behind, awaiting his final settlement. He was purchasing
land in the vicinity of Thompsontown, now Juni___ County, Pa., on
April 7, 1785. At that date he applied for 130 acres of land there,
bound on the west by other lands of himself. Warrant issued May 27,
1785; surveyed April 26, 1786. The two patents issued to him, for
these two tracts, show that they contain 217 acres, 17 p. (See Patent
Book P. Vol. 28, P. 41). This land ____ on the Juniata River,
in Fermanagh - afterward in Greenwood - Township, Mifflin, now Juniata
County. He held it 11 years, until April 6, 1796, when he and his wife
Elizabeth conveyed it to Jacob and Martin Miller, for 600 pounds,
equal to $1600.00. (See Deed Book at at Lewiston, Pa., Vol. C., P.
325). Three days later he purchased another tract of 187 acres, called
‘Whitcoak Bottom’, in Fermanagh - afterward in Walker - Township,
for 740 pounds, (equivalent to $1975.00), from Lewis Valley. (See Deed
Book C., P. 271). This land is located on the turn-pike at a place
called ‘Locust Run’, near Thompsontown, on the Penn. R. R., and 8
miles south__st of Mifflintown. Evidently the former tract was sold to
purchase this one. Here he lived until his death in Feb. or March,
1825. His will is dated Feb. 11, and probated March 14, 1825, and
recorded at Lewistown, Pa., in Will Book No. 3, P. 196. He indicates
that his wife, Elizabeth, was dead; names all his children and is very
interesting. His executors sold the farm in 1829, after settling off
27 acres to his daughter, Catherine Allen, for $1450.00.
FAMILY OF ISAAC AND ELIZABETH YOST
1. Johannes, born May 28, 1779, baptised Aug. 22,
1779, died Nov. 27, 1854.
2. Anna Catherine, wife of James Allen, born Sept. 5, 1781, baptised
Dec. 2, 1781, died 18_2.
3. Abraham, born May 18, 1782 (?), died July 24,
1866.
4. Mary, wife of Joseph Cookson, born 1784, died June 1, 1856.
5. Elizabeth Beghley.
Note: Dates of birth for 1 and 2 from baptismal
record; for 3 and 4 calculated from their tombstones. Elizabeth was
the oldest, according to tradition.
Catherine Allen died in 1842, leaving 3 daughters and
one son, viz: Elizabeth, wife of Swartzlander; Mary, wife fo Samuel
Swartzlander; Martha I., wife of James Alexander; and Isaac N. Allen.
(They are all dead now,- in 1900). Isaac McO. Allen, a son of Isaac N.
Allen, lived at Honey Grove, Juniata Co., Pa. Abraham Swartzlander, a
son of Mary, lived at McAllistersville, Juniata Co.
Abraham Yost was married in Juniata County, and
preceded the others to Perry County, Ohio, prior to l808, and settled
near Somerset, Ohio, where he remained the rest of his life. His
family consists of 7 sons and 2 daughters, viz; John, Isaac, William,
David, Joseph, Robert, Abraham, Elizabeth Ewing and Sarah Huston. He
died on July 24, 1866, aged - according to his tombstone - 84 years,
2 months and 6 days, and is buried at Unity Presbyterian church, near
Somerset, 0hio.
Abraham and John Yost first acquired, by patent of the
United States, dated Oct. 10, 1809, a tract of land in the territory
north-west of the the Ohio, being the S. W. ¼ of lot or section 1, T.
_6 and R. 16. The original patent is now (1901, in possession of Mr.
Robert Yost, of Thornville, Ohio. Abraham Yost entered a large
quantity of land, and at his death owned 280 acres near Somerset,
Ohio. He hauled his grain to Zanesville, and in his absence, his wife
(nee Sarah brown) and small children feared the many indians who still
prowled about. She was, like her sister, a faithful member of the
Associate Reformed Church.
One of Abraham Yost's sons was William Yost, who
married Amy Skinner, and resided at Thornville, Ohio, and died there
on ____________. He left one child, ____(?) Yost, who married his
second cousin, Mary Cooper; one child of this marriage is living,
named Osma; and she is the wife of Rev. William Fulton, pastor of a
Presbyterian church at Philadelphia, Pa. They have 2 children in 1900,
viz: Irvin Fulton, aged 14, and Francis Fulton, aged 3 years.
Mary Cookson, wife of Joseph Cookson, also removed to
Perry County, Ohio, at an early date. Their farm was 2
miles east of Unity Presbyterian church, and 3 miles east of _____set,
Ohio. An original patent of U.S. dated Oct. 20, 1815, to Joseph
Cookson, for S. E. ¼ of Sec. 16, T. 16, in R. __, of the lands in the
territory north west of the Ohio, now Perry County, - is in the hands
of Robert Yost, Thornville, Ohio. She removed with her husband Joseph,
and family, from Somerset, Ohio, to Sandusky Co., Ohio, in 1830. She
was a member of the first Presbyterian church of Fremont, Ohio; she
died June 1, 1856, aged 72 years, and was buried in Muskal_onge
Cemetery, 3 miles west of Fremont Ohio, located on a beautiful high
ridge of land. Her husband died Sept. 12, 1840, aged 55 years, 6
months and 7 days. Their children were Isaac, Elizabeth, (married
Samuel More), William, Mary (married Nelson Smith), Isreal, of
Fremont, Ohio, and Joseph, of Green Springs, Ohio. (The last two are -
in 1900 - still living). They and a large number of their descendants
are located in the vicinity of Fremont, Ohio, Green Springs, Ohio, and
Kansas, Ohio. Her grandson, David Wilson Cookson (son of William), was
born Oct. 12, 1849, and still lives (1901) on the place owned by his
grandmother, 3-1/2 miles west of Fremont, Ohio, and his house stands
on the ground where she died.
CHAPTER III
John Yost was born May 28, 1779, in Bedminster
Township, Bucks County, Pa., and was baptised in Tohickon Lutheran
Church on Aug. 22, 1779. His own recollection was that he remained
there until twelve years of age; when the family followed his father
to vicinity of Mifflintown, Pa. He said he was a 'Bucks County
Dutchman", and well remembered when he could not speak a word of'
English. The north-western part of that county is German. During his
early manhood, in Mifflin County, he spent some 12 years in sawing
lumber and rafting it down the Juniata River, and selling it at “Wright’s
Ferry” and other places; a distance of ____ miles from Mifflintown;
by the Juniata River and Susquehanna River.
An account of Wright’s Ferry is given in Day’s “Historical
Collections of Penna” and in Hazard __ Register, Vol. 9. John
Wright, in 1728, took 250 acres on the eastern bank of the Susquehanna
River, which is now embraced in the Borough of Columbia, Lancaster
County, 28 miles below Harrisburg. His son built the ferry-house on
the west bank, and kept the ferry there. The ferry course was a little
below the bridge of later times. The place must have been one of great
importance in early times. There was an enormous travel there, even in
1843, the emigrant travel still going that way. Saw-mills and fulling-mills
are mentioned in the earliest accounts of the place. The bridge was
over a mile long.
The section about Mifflintown was settled by Irish and
Scotch-Irish. On Aug. 16, 1803, John married Elizabeth Brown, (born
June 17, 1782), an Irish girl. whose father and perhaps mother came
from Ireland. His brother, Abraham, married her sister, Sarah. There
was a house with barn and spring, on the north-east corner of his
father's farm, which he occupied. Three children were born to them in
Pennsylvania, viz: Sarah, born July 25, 1804, Elizabeth, born Sept.
26, 1805, and Isaac, born Sept. 23, 1807. Many were the stories he
used to tell in Ohio, of fishing, in the Juniata River with a seine,
and of the difficulty of handling an eel, when caught. (Eels were not
then probably believed to be found in that part of Ohio). He said the
eel's akin was valued as the strongest leather, and was cut in strips
about as wide as the finger, and much used to plait with their hair,
and to tie it in queues; the hair was brought together behind, and
then wrapped with these strips of leather. He said it was also thought
to be good and healthy for the hair, in which they took great pride.
In the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving says “The sons….
their hair generally queued in the fashion of the times, especially
with an eel skin for the purpose, it being esteemed throughout the
country as a potent nourisher and strengthener of the hair”.
John Yost’s hair was so long that he could sit on
it, but it was inconvenient in fight. And in a certain fight (for they
were not infrequent or discreditable among the men, in that day and
locality), it was the means, as he claimed, of his getting his neck
badly hurt. In his old age he complained of a broken collarbone, which
had never united. Probably it was the same injury. However, the injury
to his neck determined him to have his hair cut. For that purpose he
went to a neighbor woman, named Doll Gross, who was skilled in
hair-cutting, an art almost unknown. She objected to cutting it, as it
was “so nice”, but she finally consented. However, her husband
objected and refused to allow it to be done, saying “Yost is now out
of humor, and will soon regret having it cut”, and further
supplemented his remonstrance by threatening to kick his wife if she
did it! Grandfather insisted and Gross persisted, until grandfather
told Doll to cut it off, and if Gross ever abused her for it, he would
kick him. Gross then yielded, but left the house, unwilling to witness
such sacrilege, and thus our ancestor forever lost his queue!
In the year 1808, he removed to the neighborhood of
Somerset, Perry County, Ohio, where his brother, Abraham, had preceded
him, having then three children above named. The journey was made in
the Fall of the year, “at a time when the sun crosses the line”,
Sept. 20th. The baby, Isaac, could not walk yet. It rained
constantly for three weeks. The Muskingum River was at flood, but
Abraham, his brother, met him there, and helped him over. His wife in
her latter days was accustomed to tell us that when they came they
used the old German chest, (now in possession of John Yost, of
Thornville, Ohio), for a table. They cleared a little piece of land at
once, and sowed some wheat. There was plenty of grass for their stock,
which all ran at large. The wheat produced abundantly the next year,
1809, but when they made bread of it, it made them all sick and could
not be used, as they called it “sick wheat”, and used corn-bread
only, until they longed for wheat bread again. But after the first
year’s crop, the wheat was perfectly good.
There he bought land and lived the life of a
frontiersman, and farmer, all his days. No doubt the land bought by
him was uncleared, and he redeemed it from the natural forest, and
thus made himself a home. His farm was two miles east of Somerset,
Ohio, near the National Pike. There he died. The heirs sold it to John
Huston, who lived and died there or near there; and his son still owns
and occupies it. His name is Alfred Huston, and he is a grandson of
Abraham Yost, brother of John and the original settler. When he came
to Ohio there were still many Indians in the country.
It was considered a great joke, often told by the
widow of John Yost, that once when she came home from attending, on
horseback, the distant Seceder Church at Rush Creek, she found the
doors barred by her husband, against Indians, reported to be on the
warpath in the vicinity. He died on November 27, 1854, in his 76th
year, and is buried in the same grave-yard with his brother Abraham,
at Unity Presbyterian Church, south-east of Somerset, Ohio.
His widow, Elizabeth Yost,, survived him many years,,
and made her home sometimes with her son John Yost and sometimes with
her son William. The writer remembers her very well, and especially
her cane, with a hooked handle, with which she used to trip him up as
he played about her. She died on May 22, 1863, at the house of her son
William, near Thornville, Ohio, being nearly 81 years of age, and is
buried in the old country graveyard of the United Presbyterian Church,
of which she was a member, about three miles east of Thornville, Ohio.
The old church is gone but the grave-yard is still fenced.
John Yost was accustomed to tell, in his later years,
of a journey he made, on horseback, from his home in Ohio, to
Pennsylvania, to visit his oldest sister Betsy. She had married a man
named Baghley, and separated from the family, and was keeping an inn
for travelers. He rode up and, recognizing her, secured lodging for
the night. She did not know him, but when he made himself known, she
was wild with delight. They had not met for many years. The location
of her family is not known.
FAMILY OF JOHN AND ELIZABETH YOST
1. Sarah, born July 25, 1804, died Dec. 19, 1852.
2. Elizabeth, born Sept. 26, 1905, died Oct. 4, 1839.
3. Isaac, born Sept. 23, 1807, died May 9, 1881.
4. William, born Aug. 26, 1810, died Nov. 22, 1885.
5. Abraham, born July 25, 1812, died April 10, 1843.
6. Mary, born Jan. 24, 1816.
7. Martha, born July 4, 1818, died Aug. 11, 1893.
8. John, born Jan 16, 1821, died July 14, 1881.
CHAPTER IV
Children of John Yost I.
Sarah Yost married Joseph Wilson, of Somerset, Ohio,
and died Dec. 19, 1852.
Elizabeth Yost married Ebenezer Reynolds, of Somerset,
Ohio. Her children are:
1. Minerva Reynolds, born Jan. 17, 1832, married Feb.
24, 1853, to Israel Cooper, and lived one mile south of Thornville,
Ohio, (now T. J. Yost residence, 1901,) where she died Oct. 19, 1870,
and was buried in the “Township Cemetery” of Thornville. Her
husband died April 3, 1873. She left two daughters, namely: (a) Maria
Elizabeth Cooper, born June 10, 1854, married June 12, 1873 to Silas
B. Yost; and they have a son, Guy C. Yost, born July 22, 1875. (b)
Mary Ellen Cooper, born Jan. 16, 1857, married Sept. 23, 1879, to Levi
Reynolds of Indiana., where she died leaving two children.
2. Isaac Reynolds, born Oct. _____ , 1829. Farmer near
Monticello, Ind.
3. Alfred W. Reynolds, Monticello, Ind. He left Perry
Co., Ohio in 1856, and settled there: attended Monmouth College, Ill.,
during the years 1861-2; he studied law, commenced practice in 1864
and has practiced law ever since (1889) except six years, during which
he was judge of the Circuit Court. He has one child, George Reynolds,
Esq., born Oct. __, 1875, an attorney at law with his father.
Isaac Yost married Elizabeth Pherson and lived all his
life a farmer, near Somerset, Ohio, and is buried at “Unity”. He
left five children (still living, 1901,) namely:
Children of Isaac and Elizabeth Pherson Yost
1. Oliver Yost, farmer, two miles from Massillon,
Ohio. His children are Mary r., Harriet E., (married dec. 14, 1899,
Hon. Clark Metzger), Clara B., and Thomas Owen Yost of New Berlin,
Ohio.
2. Amer Yost.
3. Albert J. Yost, born Aug. 13, 1841, New Lexington,
Ohio, who has two daughters, Mrs. Rilla Hempy and Mrs. Bertha Amrine.
4. Owen Yost, attorney at law, Somerset, Ohio,
educated at Heidelberg College, Tiffin, Ohio; he has six children.
5. Mrs. Clara Hull, New Lexington, Ohio. Her children
are, - Anna Grace Hull and Owen Yost Hull. She died Nov. __, 1901.
William Yost moved to a farm 3 miles east of
Thornville, O., about 1835. He married (a) Ellanor Skinner and (b)
Nancy Voorhes. His children are:
1. John Yost, Jr., born June 3., 1836, Licking
County, Ohio.
2. Robert Yost, born Dec. 30, 1838, Thornville,Ohio.
3. Mary Yost (Smith), born Jan. 8, 1846, died Aug. 20, 1883.
4. Martha Yost, born Aug. 20, 1850, died Oct. 13, 1853.
5. Ella Yost, born Dec. 15, 1861, died Sept. 13, 1863.
6. Obed Yost, M.D., born April 3, 1868, St. Paul, Minn.
Mrs. Mary Smith left one child, Ella Smith, Pleasonton,
Mo., born about 1868.
Robert Yost has one child, Olive, married to H.
Foster, in 1889, Thornville, Ohio.
Dr. Obed Yost attended medical college at Cleveland,
Ohio, and practices at St. Paul, Minn. He married Gertrude Benton of
Cleveland, Ohio, 1895. They have one son, Kenneth B. Yost, born Nov.
4, 1897.
John Yost, Jr. has children, viz: (a) Albert, born
Dec. 4, l86l, (b) Evaline, born Dec. 13, 1863, (c) Comin, born Nov.
18, 1865, (d) Rev. Robert Yost, Courtland, N.Y., born Aug. 1, 1868,
(e) Nellie, born Nov. 27, 1873. (now deceased).
William Yost, (above named) was a man of good
judgment, wide information for his walk in life, full of anecdotes and
good humor and a great deal of sociability. He was what we called an
old “wagoner”, i.e., he had engaged for many years in early
manhood in hauling heavy merchandise across the Allgheny Mountains
from Baltimore Md., and other points. Heavy wagons and strong teams
were used for this purpose. We can scarcely conceive of the magnitude
of this traffic when there was no other means of transportation, and
of the countless inns in which crowds of drinking, fighting, singing
and joking wagoners nightly congregated. Scores of stories of these
scenes were poured by my uncle into my boyish ears, which yearned for
them as eagerly as others have for stories of savage life, of chivalry
and other adventures. And I well remember the old blue wagon-bed, of
peculiar form, and enormous capacity last used by him in this work and
long preserved as a relic. He only made these journeyings in winter,
when there was not sufficient work for men or horses on the farm. He
had also in later years visited some of the new states in the West, on
this side of the Mississippi. He had been a justice of the peace at
one time, which also gave him some more experience, from all of which
he had a fund of stories which was inexhaustible.
He was equally ready in discourse upon serious
subjects, and read enough of some old writers upon philosophy,
theology and science to be able to enjoy the talk of some of the most
learned, and from them to add to his store of knowledge. So long as I
can remember, he was terribly afflicted with rheumatism, which
prevented him from work and any activity, and thus he was always ready
to talk. He took a great interest in the course of politics, and was
well read on the subjects of the day. He was also a great sufferer
from dyspepsia, but it never seemed to unfit him for social
intercourse. He lived on the greatest intimacy with his brother John,
who was the writer’s father, and each had the highest opinion of the
judgment and character of the other. There was only about one-half
mile between their farms, and their intercourse was constant through
life. He died Nov. 22, 1885, and was buried Nov. 24, 1885, beside his
mother, in the U.P. Cemetery, 3 miles east of Thornville. His last
illness continued two weeks, when a paralytic stroke ended his severe
suffering. The funeral sermon was preached from II Kings, ch.2, v. 11
and 12. One of his striking traits was his fondness for orphan
children, and his readiness to adopt or “raise” them, as we called
it. No less than four or five such were taken by him, and were often
so petted and spoiled by his indulgence as to be the subject of
general comment.
Abraham Yost was born July 25, 1812, and married
Rebecca Trovinger. He died April 10, 1843. His early death was often
the subject of sorrowful comment by my father, in my boyhood days. He
left two daughters, one of whom is the wife of George Clum, a farmer
and large land-owner near Thornville, Ohio; and they have a number of
sons. He is buried at Unity Presbyterian Church, south of Somerset,
Ohio. His other daughter married David Grove.
Mary Yost was born Jan. 24, 1816, and married (a)
William Wilson and (b) John Reynolds. She lived at Bradford, about 14
miles north of Monticello, Ind., and died there about _________.
Martha Yost was born July 4, 1818, married Joel Cooper
(whose brother Isreal married her niece, Minerva J. Reynolds), lived a
few miles south of Thornville, Ohio, but finally removed to that
village and died there from cancer, on Aug. 11, 1893, and is buried in
the German Reformed Cemetery. She had two sons and four daughters,
namely. (a) Owen Cooper; (b) Elmer Cooper; (c) Harriet Cooper, married
John Groves; (d) Lucretia Cooper, married Jacob Groves; (e) Mary
Cooper, married Irvin Yost; (f) Jane Cooper, married Noah Bowers.
These, and their families all live in and about Thornville, Ohio, or
rest in its cemeteries.
CHAPTER V
John Yost, II, was born near Somerset, Ohio, Jan. 16,
1821. He was the youngest of the family of eight children. From his
earliest years he was accustomed to severe labor. The winters were
spent in clearing acres of the natural forests and the summers in
putting the same ground under cultivation. Few in these days can
appreciate the nature of such toil, or the difficulty of cultivating
new land. A short period in the severest winter months was given to
school. But this was deemed recreation, rather than serious
preparation for life; and the character of the teachers and teaching
added to its unimportance.
The highest attainment he accomplished (and that
during the last winter he attended and under the warning that it was
his last chance for “an education”) was the ‘Single Rule of
Three’, or simple proportion. But this he learned thoroughly and
used all his life, applying it with masterly skill in the solution of
almost every mathematical problem. He was never a “wagoner” as was
his older brother William, and hence often retailed his brother’s
anecdotes of those experiences. It was his lot to remain at home,
while his brother made these trips in the seasons when the horses were
not needed on the farm. A book has been written to commemorate these
days of glory on the “National Pike”, running from Baltimore to
Wheeling, by way of Cumberland and westward. It is called “The Old
Pike: a History of the National Road”, by T.E. Searight (1894).
John Yost was married on March 22, 1848, to Jane
McKeever. She was born in Washington County, Pa., of Irish parentage,
but at an early age came to the farm near McCluney Station, where she
was raised. His age was then 27, and her age 24. At that time his
father and mother lived on the farm 2 miles east of Somerset, Ohio,
just off the National Pike. The old farm is in sight of the homestead
of John and Rachel Skinner (where I have often visited them, and where
they still live, - 1897). Now, when John married in 1848, his father
built him a small house on one of the two farms, which lay together,
and gave him that farm to work. Here John Yost and his wife Jane lived
until January 1852. In the latter part of January and the first part
of February, 1852, they removed to Thorn Township, having then two
sons, Thomas J., born Dec. 16, 1848, and Silas B., born Jan. 23, 1851.
While they lived near Somerset, Ohio, as above stated,
Jane Yost sometimes accompanied her mother-in-law on horseback to
Jonathon Creek Seceder Church, to which she belonged and which she
regularly attended. The distance was about eight miles. The
daughter-in-law was not then a member, but her mother was a member of
the same denomination, at Goshen church and attended it on horse-back,
riding six miles to do so. This Jonathon Creek Church was attended by
the writer when a student at Madison Academy, Mt. Perry, Ohio, (C.S.
& H.R.R.), in 1871-3: and Grandmother Pollock, who still attended
there, first gave me much information as to my father’s ancestry,
when I was visiting at her son’s house. Her means of information are
thus obvious. John and Jane Yost did not join church until they
removed from Somerset and were thus only members of the Seceder Church
at Thornville. (Neither of their respective fathers ever belonged to
church).
John Yost was no doubt influenced to remove to Thorn
township (about 10 miles) by his brother William who had been there
since 1835. He had bought 160 acres of land, about ½ mile from his
brother, and cleared, built on and improved it for nearly twenty
years. It is now, (1897) owned and occupied by his son, Silas B. Yost,
and is about 3 miles east of Thornville, Ohio. There were born Frank
Yost, on Oct. 22, 1854, and William Yost, on Nov. 13, 1857. He
purchased other lands in the vicinity, until 1872 or 3, when he
acquired the Lewis farm of 220 acres, a mile further east, and moved
to it. This was the finest farm in that part of the State, and it had
long been his ambition to own such a farm. He improved it, and lived
there until his death, July 14, 1881. He was a man of sandy
complexion, 5ft. 8in. in height, weighing 180 pounds, of powerful
strength and endurance. He had greater energy and force of character
than any of his brothers; he had an “eye to threaten and command”,
a strong temper, but usually under complete control; his industry and
perseverance never flagged, and he was moved to the utmost activity by
an ambition to acquire a competence for his children and fit them for
the highest position in life that they might be qualified to fill. He
frequently lamented his want of education, and gave all his sons an
opportunity to pursue their education away from home, and he followed
them with earnest inquiries as to the standing of the schools and the
course of training and their progress, applying all his natural gifts
(which were excellent) to understand the nature of their study and the
method of teaching, and to select the best school and teaching. Thomas
was sent to Fairfield Academy, near Lancaster, Ohio, Silas was sent to
Muskingun College, new Concord, Ohio; and William was sent two years
to Madison Academy, Mt. Perry, Ohio (as a convenience), and then to
Monmouth College, Monmouth, Illinois. The latter place was chosen
against considerable influence, because John Yost had heard that his
nephew, Alfred W. Reynolds, then an able lawyer at Monticello, Ind.,
had gone there and had at once made such progress as he had never made
before, and so he urged William to leave the Academy (where he was
willing to remain another year) and go to Monmouth at once.
His want of education has been mentioned. He rarely
read newspapers, except his church paper, the “United Presbyterian”.
But he was a constant student of the Bible and of the Matthew Henry
Commentary thereon and of a few old religious works. These he read so
constantly, that he unconsciously acquired their pure diction and his
command of good English, especially at the family altar, was quite
remarkable. [In?] conversation his language was noticeably excellent,
and expressive, and made him generally recognized as a man of superior
education and intelligence. As a ruling elder of the church, he
usually entertained visiting clergymen (who were numerous, as we
rarely had a settled pastor, on account of the smallness of the
congregation). He was much in demand as a nurse, and in many cases of
severe illness he was called in to attend the patient and superintend
the giving of the medicine. I think his strength of body and also of
character gave him a great advantage in controlling and aiding the
sick. He was commonly chosen as arbitrator, from among his neighbors,
to settle disputes often of considerable importance, and his decisions
were so uniformly fair and his reputation such that his award was
accepted without question. His temperament was such that he could not
brook opposition; but he had such admirable self-control,
straightforwardness, and such powers of persuasion and reasoning that
opposition to his views usually disappeared before his temper rose.
Thus he rarely quarreled, but once in quarrel, he never yielded, and
was severe and unforgiving. Afflicted with severe dyspepsia in early
manhood, he learned to control it by a careful diet and great
self-control. He never drank, except in the most limited way and on
special occasions. He was far ahead of his day on the subject of
temperance, and banished the whisky jug from his harvest field at a
day when it was urged that the men would not work without it. He was a
strong “Union man” in a rabid “Copper-head” section, and slept
on guard many a night to save his barn from “barn-burners”. He was
disqualified from service in the army (being ruptured), but was
outspoken in support of the Union. He made money rapidly during the
Civil War, and counting only the principal of advancements made to his
sons long previously, he was worth at the time of his death about
$50,000.00.
On July 2, 1881, while driving a new reaping machine,
he received a sunstroke. (This was the day President Garfield was
shot). He had often been slightly affected in this way. On July 11,
1881, I started home, and got to Glenford, Ohio, at 3:30 A M July
12th. He knew me, but asked only a few questions, and among others as
to the _______ of the recovery of Garfield. In the evening I went to
Thornville to consult his physician, but while I was gone he became
unconscious. I was sent for and rode home - 6 miles - in 43 minutes.
It was very muddy. He continued unconscious all the night and until 6
A M, July 13th. All day (July 13th) he was fully conscious, and at 6 P
M he talked to all of us. I said to him “You must rejoice that you
will see your Savior soon”, to which he replied “I rejoice with
joy unspeakable - unspeakable and full of glory”. Then he soon
became unconscious again, and so continued until the next morning,
July 14, 1881, at 7 A M, when he died. We buried him the afternoon of
the next day, in Fairmont Cemetery, 3 miles north of his residence.
Rev. R. H. Boyd preached his funeral sermon, his theme being “The
One Thing Needful”.
The families of his children are as follows, namely:
1. Thomas J. Yost, farmer, Thornville, Ohio, born Dec.
16, 1848., married Dec. 31, 1874 to Tilla J. Pollock. Issue:
a. Fred P. Yost, born Feb 22, 1877.
b. Herman F. Yost, born April 15, 1879.
c. John _____ Yost, born Oct. 4, 1892.
2. Silas B. Yost, farmer, Thornville, Ohio, born Jan.
23, 1851, married June 12, 1873, to Maria E. Cooper. Issue:
a. Guy C. Yost, born July 22, 1875, married Sept. 10,
1901 to Nellie M. Reynolds.
3. Frank Yost, farmer, Thornville, Ohio, born Oct. 22,
1854, married 1883 to Emma Brisbin. Issue:
a. Ralph Yost, born Oct. ____, 1893.
4. William Yost, Attorney-at-Law, Pittsburgh, Pa.,
born Nov. 13, 1857, married ___ 13, 1888, to Mary E. Corey. Issue:
a. John J. Yost, born Jan. 28, 1891.
b. Margaret Jane Yost, born March 22, 1893.
c. Rachel E. Yost, born July 29, 1897.
(End of Genealogy, “THE YOST FAMILY”, as written
by William Yost)
**************************************************
AFFIRMATION
This Genealogical History was written about 1902. It
was the result of a number of years of careful research by William
Yost (See page 9, center), who was a well-known and very competent
Attorney-at-Law in Pittsburgh, Pa. He died in 1909 as the result of an
accident.
In December of 1918 my father, Owen Yost (1855-1932),
of Somerset, Ohio, first cousin of William Yost (See page 7, top) and
himself an Attorney-at-Law, had obtained, from some member of the
Family, the Report as written by his cousin William, and with his own
hand typed and gave to me. At that time, a copy of which is now in my
possession.
The reproduction herewith is one I have personally
typed from the copy my father made in 1918, without alteration of word
or figure, and it represents, to my best knowledge and belief, a true
copy of the original Report by William Yost.
Signed at San Gabriel, California, March 26, 1957.
(signed Lloyd Yost)
Lloyd Yost
