|
In my Mother's branch are Allisons and Youngs that moved to Texas (Williamson & Milam County)in 1840's & 1850's respectively. My maternal great great grandfather was Elihu Cresswell Allison founder of Allison, TX in 1847. Allison was sited at the confluence of Willis Creek and the San Gabriel River. Allison became known as "Friendship" then "Old Friendship". The post office was called "Conel Post Office". The site is now submerged under Lake Granger but there is a Corps of Engineers Park called "Friendship Park" to commemorate the lost community. There was a cemetery in Friendship where most of my family was buried, but the bodies (those they could find) were reinterred to the new "Allison Old Frienship" Cemetery in Granger Texas which is about 5 miles west just off FM 971.
It was in this farming community that James J. Young met and married Sarah J. Allison around 1858. They had 8 children including the youngest who was born in 1876. This child was my grandfather, Raymond A Young, who was affectionately known as "Papa". Around 1895 when Papa was about 19 he married Beulah Mae Moseley aka "Mama". Mama was a native of Minerva which is very near "Old Frienship".
In the 1900 census, Mama, Papa, three children and Papa's parents were all living together in the Davilla Census Tract of Milam County. Even though Old Friendship is in Williamson County, it is less than 2 miles from the Milam and Bell County lines. The Davilla Census Tract goes right up to this line which means that despite being in a different county, the family farm was probably within a few miles of Old Friendship.
The three Young children listed in the 1900 census were Leon, Alfred (Bud) and Grace. It is interesting to note that Leon was maybe named after the birthplace of her grandfather James Young. This locale is Leon County Florida (Tallahassee) from which James and his father, siblings and uncles moved to Williamson County in the 1850's. The 1850 Florida Census shows that David D Young, his wife Charity and 7 children (included James) were living in Leon County. In 1860 they were in Williamson County but without David Young's wife Charity who apparantly died in Florida around 1950.
David D. Young was born in Georgia in 1808 and received land in Gadsen County Florida in 1826. This land was 5 miles north of Quincy. In 1830 he married Charity Young. Their first born child Mary Jane shows on the 1840 census with a DOB of 1830 in Florida. The 1850 Census also shows Davids sister in law, Unity living nearby. David's brother & Unity's husband was George Young who died in 1848/1849. David D Young of Williamson County, TX was the executor of the will. Probate records show that he bought two caskets - one for George and one for his own wife Charity. Oddly, Charity was listed on the 1850 Florida census so she was alive but possibly terminally ill when David D. bought the casket. We don't know much about David D.'s father but it is believed that his name was George also. David D's brother George was born in South Carolina in 1795 so it is likely that the Youngs came from South Carolina.
Gadsen County Florida where David D first acquired his land was the site of the Gadsen County Indian Massacre of 1840. There were several families massacred and one of them, The McLane family were David D's neighbors near Quincy.
Florida became a Territory of the US in 1822 and Tallahassee was created in 1824 with the construction of a single cabin. Tallahassee acquired a reputation as being a freewheeling outlaw town where the men carried knives and guns openly and duels were held for recreation. Ralph Waldo Emerson passsed through about this time and described it as "a grotesque place quickly settled by land speculators and desparados".
In 1845 a vote was called for Florida Statehood. The 1845 Voter Registration Roll shows about 250 registered voters in Leon County in a total of 6 precincts. David D. Young's home was listed as the polling place for pre
|
