John Yoakum
(patriarch of the Milam County Texas Yoakums et
al)
Resting at Freezeout Cemetery, Milam County, Texas since
1879
John Yoakum was born 4-July-1808 in Wayne County, Kentucky. He went to Franklin County, Alabama where he married Amy Young. They had twelve children. The first nine children were born in Franklin County, Alabama, the last three in Bonneville, Tippah County, Mississippi. He died 18 November 1879 near Rockdale, Milam County, Texas.
Yoakum/Yocum time line and migration
"SPECULATION"
John Yoakum & Amy Young married in1827, Franklin Co. AL where most of their children were born. The1850 census has John Yocom & family (wife listed as Ama) living in Tippah Co. MS with the family still intact with the exception of Mary who had married three years earlier.(2-1270 pgs 484/5). By the 1860 census, Marshall Co. MS has a John Yocum 53 KY, with wife Amy 54 NC, Margaret 24 AL, Daniel C. 19 AL, Thomas W 17 AL, Saul T. 15 AL, Martha A. 12 AL, Frank P. 8 MS, and a G. R. Yocum 27 AL, listed as laborer. ?) So obiously Amy was still living in 1860 (probably died in Marshall County, MS in the year 1863).
The migration West
Mary married Jessie Dees in 1847 in Tippah Co., MS and was enumerated there. They apparenty migrated to Milam Co., TX between the births of sons Bill, 1854 in Tippah Co., MS and Frank,1856 in Milam Co., TX.
Nancy Catherine married James Castleman in1852 in Tippah Co., MS and moved first to Arkansas, back to Mississippi for the birth of twins Tomas & Belle. During the war she must have gone to her mother-in-laws to have James, however, he was not born in Hardin County which makes me wonder if maybe Sarah didn't want a half breed Indian in her home. (I am still not aware why James left the home place and was living with another family in Mississippi). At the end of or shortly before the end of the war, about1865, they moved to Missouri where James attended the St. Louis Medical College and obtained a medical degree before migrating to Wise Co. TX in 1873/4. As far as can be determined, she never visited her family in Milam County, in fact, after her marriage there seems to have been little or no further contact, ???? If so, she was the exception!
Keziah married George Hanks in 1858 in Marshall Co., AL and was probably enumerated as a household ?? They migrated to Milam Co., TX about 1865/70 between the births of John 1865 in Marshall Co., MS and Frances 1870 in DaVilla, Milam Co., TX.
George Russell (G. R. on the census) was enumerated as a laborer, that is a puzzle as he was not married and probably still stayed with the family. He was probably still there when the war began as he joined the MS Regiment, was captured and sent to a prison camp in Indianna where he must have had some freedom as he married Nancy Hanks there before the end of the war and lived there until they migrated (between 1879 and 1888) to Texas. First to Hunt Co., TX where Nancy died in 1888, then on to Milam Co., TX where he married Lucinda Ellinder Bryant in 1890.
Daughter J. Margaret is a mystery! Not just because I can't learn what the J. stood for but also because she was still at home for the 1860 census and didn't marry until after her mother's death and the move to Milam County; so I assume she stayed home to care for her father and came to Milam Co. with him in 1873. The spinster married Jacob Bacher in Milam County in 1878 shortly before her father's death in 1879. On her headstone it shows her as J. Margaret so Margaret was probably her middle name and she always used her middle name. Wonder what her first name was?
John Marion married Mary Howard that year in June (the census was most likely taken in September or October) and was not living with the family. John Marion and family moved to Milam Co., between the births of Alice 1872, Tate Co., MS and Emma 1874, Milam Co., TX.
Sons Benjamin, Daniel and Thomas, the later two were enumerated with the family in 1860, all three died during the Civil War. Even though Benjamin was not enumerated with the family, being 21 years of age he was probably out of the household but I do not think he was married and I cannot find any evidence of him going to Milam County prior to the war and his death.
Foster Sam, an enigma! According to the census, and because of the dates and ages etc. it must be assummed that Foster Sam and Saul T. are one and the same. Did he change his name?? Whatever the answer is, he married one of the Jumper Girls and lived in Prentiss Co., MS until after 1878 when son Thomas Zackariah was born. Their next child, Frank was born in 1880 in Milam Co., as were all the rest of the children with the exception of Ollie Leona who must have been born during a visit with her Jumper grandparents still living in MS.
Martha 1st married Bill Jumper and had a son; divorcing Jumper she married a second time to John Ellis Jr. and stayed in MS until after son Andrew was born in 1885. Her next four children were born in Milam Co., TX.
Franklin Pierce married in 1873 in MS and stayed there until after 1879 when Mary was born, then migrated to Milam Co., in time for Charlie to be born in 1880. One more child, Lula was born there in 1881 and they moved back to MS for a time (5 more children born there) then on to Arkansas before ending up in Allen, OK
SO: It would seem that:
Mary Yocum-Dees (about 1853) and Keziah Yocum-Hanks (about 1866/69) were the first of the John & Amy Yocum/Yoakum family to come to Milam County Texas.
On the face of it, it would appear that John, daughter Martha and son John Marion with his family, all came at the same time, probably on the first train to the railhead at Rockdale, in 1873. All the rest arrived at different times although it is most likely that at least the men had visited there prior to that time to "Check out the prospects".
Open to all ideas and or facts.
©2002 by Asa Castleman, Webmaster
