YORK ORAL HISTORIES!
Mary Elizabeth (YORK) Behrens narrative
On July 4th, 1883, we left our old home in Kansas City, Kansas, in a covered wagon, and following the old, historical Oregon Trail, for the most part of our journey. The family consisted of my Father and Mother, and three brothers and myself. Our destination was Washington Territory to join another brother who had preceeded us four or five years previously, and had already become established on his homestead near Rockford.
All the details and incidents pertinent to this trip cannot be recalled, as we kept no records or diaries, but some are still vivid memories.
We often encountered drunken Indians who came riding into our camp, shooting revolvers and wanting whiskey and tobacco, who, of course, we did not have. Government Inspectors often searched our baggage for contraband whiskey. We traveled the greater part of our journey alone, but in coming through Colorado we were overtaken by another family traveling West, who joined us, and who later settled in Baker City, Oregon.
Often cow-boys would ride along with us for several miles. Sometimes they would kill a beef and would take only the hind quarter, leaving the rest for us. They often sang cowboy songs and other western songs around the campfire in the evening.
We did not travel continuously, as my brothers would stop to work on the railroad being built at that time, before we resumed our journey. At one time we made camp in the Rocky Mountains with beds of fir branches on five feet of snow. Another time we were delayed for several days by a blizzard. Our rude camp shelter was not adequate protection. The hardships of the trip were especially hard on my Mother who was not very strong. But we finally reached our destination, arriving at my brother's homestead on December 15, 1883, with several feet of snow on the ground.
I was married the following summer to Richard Behrens on June 15th, 1884, who had arrived here in April 1879, and have since watched the many changes and developments that have taken place in our Northwest.
Here are a few facts pertaining to Father's life, which might be of interest. He had married and moved to Alabama before the Civil War, being of Union sympathies. When the war broke out, he with his family came North to Indiana, under Federal escort. He served with the Union army with the 6th Indiana Regiment until the close of the war. His homestead in Washington was located six miles N.E. of Rockford in Spokane County.
Mr. Behrens, my husband, was an Indian War veteran. He came to the United States from Germany, at the age of 16, and later enlisted in Company "B" 21st Regiment, of the U.S. Infantry of New York. He was sent to California via the Isthmus of Panama, and served two years in Arizona and other parts of the Southwest, in actual fighting.
Signed:Mary York Behrens
Rockford, Washington, R.1, Box 59 January 16, 1935
Compiled in 1981 by Lydia Jane Brothers and Annabelle Toliver and contributed it to the Genealogy Division.
William YORK was born in Virginia in 1855. At age 22 he enlisted in the
1st Regiment. Col. Thomas Clark's. Capt. Dixon's Company in the
North Carolina
line.
His house was burned by the British in North Carolina when all his household
furniture, which was small was destroyed.
He was in the battle of Brandywine and others. He was captured by the
British and endured hardships and privations. He either escaped or was exchanged
and went back into service again in North Carolina and continued until the
end of the Revolutionary War, when he received a honorable discharge.
YORK was married to Lydia BUSSON in 1781 in North Carolina and had the
following children: Aaron, Joseph, Mary (MOORE), Newberry, William, Jeptha,
Nahala (WILLIAMS), Diamy (WINGARDNER), Clemenla (ELLIOTT), and
Carissa(MADDAUGH).
YORK moved from North Carolina to Wrights borough, Georgia and lived 22 year he then moves to Preble County, Ohio where he lived until 1835 and then removed to Cass County, Indiana where he died Sept. 6, 1835 and buried in Davis County, his wife dies in spring of 1841.
Northern Alabama
U. of AL Special Collections Library
Andrew J. YORK, Sheriff of Cullman County, was born in Macon County, this State in November 1861, His father, William YORK, moved to Alabama in early times. He was a farmer and a member of an old Georgia family. He married Delilah World, also a native of Georgia. They had a family of ten children, three sons and seven daughters.
Mr. YORK's grandfather, Singleton YORK, was a prominent man in Colbert County, Ga., and held a number of public offices there. He owned a large number of slaves before their emancipation.
Andrew J. YORK was reared and educated at Cedar Plains, Morgan County, Ala. He taught school two years, farmed for awhile and went into the livery business in Cullman in 1881. Under his mangement this business has increased, notwithstanding a lively competition, until it is now more than five times as great as it was at first. Mr. YORK has been Marshal of the town for two years, and was appointed Sheriff in 1884. He is master of the Masonic Lodge here, and Past Chancellor of Knights of Pythias.
Andrew J. YORK was married January 15, 1876, to Miss Sallie A. Wallace, whose father was killed by the bushwhackers during the war. Mr. YORK has one son.
CAPT. JOHN YORK OF TEXAS
Also see
YORKTOWN, TX
Capt. John York was, physically, a man of portly and commanding presence, a pure, blue-eyed blonde, with a native suavity and dignity deemed by book worms and cloistered scholars unattainable attributes to men of cabin and forest life--a complacent assumption disproven by many of the early and buckskin-attired defenders of infant Texas.
Capt. York was one of two brothers (Allison York being the other), besides several sisters, who first settled on the Lavaca and afterwards west of the Brazos in Austin County. He commanded a company in the citizen army in the storming of Bexar in 1835.
In Oct 1835 Clement Allen was a pvt in Fannin and John York's Brazos Guard of F. Johnson's regiment of volunteers at the capture of San Antonio. Allen received a discharge from John York, Capt. of the Brazos Guard where he served from 1835 to 1 Jan 1837 in Capt. York's Co. in General Houston's Army.
In 1846 Capt. John York removed to the Colleto creek, in DeWitt Co., where the pretty village of Yorktown perpetuates his name. He died in command of a company west of the San Antonio river, in 1848, in contest with ambushed Indians. At this same time, his son James "Jim" was wounded through the cheeks and survived and his son-in-law James M. Bell was killed.
John and a son-in-law James M. Bell were killed in a fight with Indians in 1848. In this same fight his son James A. was wounded by being shot through the cheeks; James "Jim" survived.
John York age 40 from KY had been in TX about 15 years when he bought, 2 Dec 1840, from Wm. S. Townsend from SC property where La Bahia Road crossed Gotier (Gocher trace) at Round Top and sold it to Samuel K. Lewis b.ca 1807 SC. York moved to DeWitt Co. 13 July 1846
John York served in the army of the Republic of Texas; commanded company at Bexar 1835; volunteered to accompany Milam in storming San Antonio; Captain in defense against Indians and Mexicans. b. 4 July 1800 KY(?TENN) {son of James York and Nina Allison-from Virginia Provost, 1997, Orange, TX} d. 11 Oct 1848 Yorktown TX. m. 1821 Letitia (Lutitia) Cain b. 1 Oct 1804 KY(?ALA) d. 12 April 1851 Yorktown, TX
[1850 TX DeWitt Co. census:Lucretia 1804 KY--children: James A. b. 1830 TX, William b. 1833 TX, John b. 1836 TX, Elvira b. 1839 TX, Adaline "Addie" b. 1842 Austin Co.,TX (Daughter of the Republic of Texas (DRT) member #515 m. David Brown her records state that her father was born in TENN], Robert b. 1845 TX].
John was a lawyer and graduated from college in Kentucky, established Yorktown, DeWitt Co. TX. d.1848 fighting Indians west of San Antonio,TX. Sarah Jane York b. 1829 TX d. 1850 DeWitt Co. TX m. (second) 21 March 1849 Josiah Taylor b. 1822 TENN d. 29 March 1864 DeWitt CO.TX. (Probably daughter of John.) Mariam G. York b 22 Aug 1822 Industry, Austin, Co. TX d. 1 Aug 1989 Cuero, TX. dau. of John above m. 29 Nov 1839 Madison Co. James M.{Madison} Bell b.7-18-1817 Hardeman Co.TENN. d. 10 Nov 1848 Yorktown, TX, Daughter Jane Bell DRT member #508 and also DRT 1987 member #14218.
Phoebe York m. Noah Scott "Old Thee Hundred" b. VA ancestor of DRT 1906 member #623 42.v3 Noah Scott was a legal representative along with James A. York.
James Allison York b.ca 1810 Tenn m. Margaret Elizabeth 1822 Tenn dau. Ida ancestor of DRT 1906 member #689 [1850 LaVaca Co. TX census: children Mary J. b. 1843 TX, Sarah M. b. 1846 TX, Emma b. 1849 TX] This is probably son of John who was wounded in the cheek.
James A. York was a legal representative.
James A.YORK poll, land, & other property AustinCo., TX 20 July 1840
Martha Ann York d. 12 Dec. 1862, Austin, TX m. 1830 Samuel 0. Pettus, b. Madison Co. VA d. 27 March 1836 Goliad, TX, Came to Texas in Austin's colony 1825, ancestor of DRT 1926 member #1405 SON of John Freeman Pettus b. 4 Oct.1808 Mecklenburg CO.,VA d. 23 Jan 1879 Charco,Goliad Co. TX m.1 Dec 1836 Sarah York b. 26 Jan 1817 Tuscaloosa, ALA d. 20 Jan 1894 Charco, TX. "Old Three Hundred" ancestor of DRT 1936 members #2019 and # 2101 and 1940 member #2617 and #9239.
John Freeman Pettus is son of Freeman Pettus b. 1781 Mecklenburg Co. VA d. Austin, TX m. Elizabeth Craddock b. 3 Feb 1790 VA d. 22 Jan 1872, a colonist and ancestor of 1969 members #6606 and #6607 #6641.
John Pettus, the Bells, and the Yorks erected a log cabin on Colita creek near the Old York & Bell farm which was probably first school house, 1847 DeWitt CO.TX (Sarah York who m. John Pettus above is probably Capt. John's daughter, note that his wife is from Ala.)
Bibliography
The Indian Wars and the Pioneers of Texas, John Henry Brown, State House
Press, Austin, TX1988.
1840 Citizens, Vol I, Land Grants (TX) by Gifford White, Austin1993
Some Early Alabama Churches, The Ala. Soc. DAR Mabel Ponder Wilson e.at.
1973.
Character Certificates in the General Land Office of TX Edited by Gifford
White, 1985.70. Muster Rolls of the TX Revolution. Pub. by DRT.
71.1830 Citizens of TX by Gifford White.
Republic of TX Pension Application Abstracts. John C. Barron and others.
A Sesquincecentenniel Project of the Austin Genealogical Society, Austin,
TX. 1987.15.Stagecoach Inns of Texas by Kathryn Turner Carter, Texian Press,
TX 1972.RECORDS OF: Dr. Katherine Louise Willingham Woerner
<[email protected] >P.O. Box 43 Pontotoc, TX 76869-0043(915)
251-6509(1997)
York's in Dekalb Co., Al who were descendants of Seamore York of Randolph Co., NC.
FRANCIS MARION YORK born March 24, 1847, died September 27,1905. He married
REBECCA ANN KOGER November 14, 1867. She was born September 19, 1844 and
died January 12, 1940.
The YORK family moved to Dekalb Co., Al around 1840. A son of Enoch York,
JOHN YORK, passed thru and lived briefly(@ 1 year) in Dekalb Co. in 1842
before moving on out to Missouri where he married. He and his new wife moved
on to California and became one of the earliest settlers in the Napa Valley
and came to own much of the land that became the well known wine producing
area of the United States. There is still a historical marker there which
marks the spot where John built his log cabin in 1845.
"History of Angelina County Texas" page F1265.
Story by Mrs. Bobbye Bartlett.
Robert (Bob) H. York was born in Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas, September 1, 1890. His parents were J. Riley York and Louisa Massingill York. He was one of seven children, two of whom were half-brothers. He worked in sawmills as a sawyer all of his adult life, except for a few years during the Depression when he was employed at the State Highway Dept.. His first job was with Long Bell Lumber Company where he worked until it closed. He then worked at a mill in Doucette, Texas before returning to Diboll, Texas to work for Southern Pine Lumber Co., where he retired and lived until his death.
Bob York, at age 16, married Ollie McKinney and from that marriage had a son, Homer. After Ollie's death, at a very young age, he married Sally Coward, daughter of Joel M. and Lillie Agee Coward of Angelina Co.. They had four children, a boy who died at birth; Sarah Dell, 1919; Bobbye Lou, 1927; and Laura Jane, 1930. Sarah Dell married Jim Roper who is associated with Brookshire Brothers Grocery Stores. Sarah Dell died September 19, 1975. There are three children Steve, an Attorney; Gay, a school teacher; and Danny, a financial consultant. Bobbye Lou married Ernest Bartlett, Jr. who is a partner in Bartlett, Baggett & Shands Insurance Agency. They have three children; Bill and Ben a partners in BB&S; and Sally Jo teaches school. Laura Jane was married to Joe Sosnowy, an optometrist in Texas City. They have two daughters, Susan and Sara Lou.
Sally York died July 9, 1940 and Bob married Effie Martin of Diboll, Texas, January, 1948. He was a loyal member of the First Methodist Church, Diboll, Texas and also of Lufkin's Masonic Lodge. He died January 13, 1974 and is buried, along side Sally, in Glendale Cemetery, Lufkin, Texas.
Harlton Franklin York b. 1912 Terral, OK.
Photo taken in Healdton, Carter Co., OK about 1918.
"Jerry" he preferred, died in Newport, OR 1973.
His father, General Jackson YORK, grandfather, Joseph YORK,
& family
came by wagon train from AL to OK in abt. 1886 but before 1894.
Click here for photo of the mule drawn wagon
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Uploaded/updated:
Tuesday, August 06, 2002
Copyright � 1999/2000, 2001, 2002 - Rebecca York