The Elijah Ford Young Family traces its American descent from 1756 with the birth of Joseph Young (1756-1837) in Southold, Long Island, New York. He was a descendant of the Reverend John Youngs, an English immigrant who settled in Southold in 1640. Joseph Young eventually moved to Fairfield, Herkimer County, New York, where he died. His descendants scattered to points further west. In 1887, Joseph Young's descendants began holding annual family reunions in Chautauqua County, New York, where a significant number of them lived. In 1889, the family elected Elijah Ford Young (1827- ? ), a native of Geauga County, Ohio and a grandson of Joseph Young, as family historian. His job was to research the history of the Young family, keep a record of current family events, and report on his findings at the reunions. He began this task in 1890.
The Elijah Ford Young Family Papers, 1890-1903 consist of photocopies of the speeches Elijah Ford Young delivered at the reunions from 1890 until 1893 and his notes on the family history and genealogy which he kept up until 1903.
This collection pertains mainly to the history and genealogy of Joseph Young and his descendants. It is also valuable to social and family historians as an example of the family reunions that became commonplace in the United States in the 1880s and 1890s.
The collection, in its original order, is maintained in one folder.
Processed by Richard Hite in 1989.
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4378 Elijah Ford Young Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
John Rietz, 1987.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.