William Henry Younts autobiography

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MSS-405

Staff Only

Content Description

This collection includes a typewritten copy of William Henry Yount's autobiography, which details history of his family lineage, childhood, education, service in the American Civil War, politics, and travels. The book was written sometime between 1898 and 1904.

Dates

c.1989-1904

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Biographical / Historical

William Henry Younts was born March 21st, 1835 to George and Mahala Younce, in Miami County, Ohio, and was the eldest of twelve children. He was born to a family known at the time as "Dunkards", which were a sect of German Baptists in the United States. Growing up near Nashville, Ohio, he spent his childhood swimming in the Brush Creek near his home or playing in the 'woodspasture". At the age of nine, he began working in his father's "cooper" shop where he became skilled in constructing flour barrels and other wooden goods. In fall of 1850--when he was 15 years old--he sufferend a serious leg injury when cutting trees for timber. He was confined to his room for the winter, where he began ardently studying grammar, history, arithmatic, and geography.

On September 21st, 1854, William married Ann Mariah Lowery in Troy, Ohio. Two years later, they relocated to Eaton, Indiana, where William worked jobs as a farm assistant, teacher, and carpenter. The couple had one son who lived to adulthood--George W. Younts--before Ann passed away on February 8th, 1864. They also had a daughter who passed away before she turned a year old, only six weeks after her mother's death.

A year after his wife's death, William enlisted in the Company G, Ohio 193rd Infantry regiment for the Union army. While enlisting, the secretary failed to ask for the apporpriate spelling of his name, which at the time he spelled as 'Younce'. The secretary instead spelled it as 'Younts', which William henceforth used as the main spelling for his name. His service during the Civil War took him through Virginia where he fought in the Third Battle of Winchester. He mustered out on August 4th, 1865.

After his discharge, he returned to his family in Eaton where he taught at a local school house. It was there he met his second wife, Lydia Jane McClain, and the couple married on May 22nd, 1866. Around that time, he began to study law and was admitted to the bar in 1869. He practiced law in the Muncie and Eaton areas through most of his life, and also was active in local politics. He passed away in 1904.