REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
MARION COUNTY, OHIO
1907 HISTORY
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DAVID WILLIAM YAGER (JAEGER), proprietor of a fine farm of 118 acres situated in section 8, Richland township, was born on the home place in Pleasant township, Marion County, Ohio, November 1, 1865, and is a son of David and Maggie (Rapp) Yager. David Yager was born May 8, 1818 in Rittershoffen, Alsace-Lorraine, France and came to America with his parents when a boy of 12 years, settling on a farm in Pleasant township. He was one of a family of seven children, all of whom are living except one. He was married (first) to Maggie Irestone, who died, and he married (second) Margaret "Maggie" Rapp. Margaret was born Feb 12, 1832 in Rosswag, Wuerttemberg. To the second marriage were born seven children: George; Mary, who married Jacob Fetter; David William; Caroline, who married Samuel Fetter; Emma, who married Jacob Wiffler; Sophia, who married George Martin; and John, who died at the age of 23 years. David Yager died on the home farm in 1898, aged 82 years. His widow is still living and is in her 68th year.
David William Yager was reared on the home farm in Pleasant township, where he remained until about 24 years old. He was married March 18, 1880, to Christiana Firstenberger, and they have two children: Inez and Edward.
Mr. Yager continued to farm the home place for two years after his marriage, when he bought his present farm of 118 acres from John Beringer. The large eight-room house, which the family occupy, was erected by him, and many of the other improvements on the place were also made by him. He has always been engaged in general farming, and makes a specialty of raising sheep, usually feeding between 300 and 400 during the winter. Mr. Yager is a Democrat in politics and takes a general interest in the public affairs of the township and county. He has served Pleasant township as supervisor for two terms. He is an attendant and liberal supporter of the German Reformed Church.
GEORGE F. YAGER (JAEGER), one of the leading agriculturists of Pleasant township, where he has a fine farm of 110 acres situated in section 2, was born on this farm, February 9, 1862, and is a son of David and Margaret (Rapp) Yager (Jaeger). David Yager was born May 8, 1818 in Rittershoffen, Alsace-Lorraine, France, from which country he came to America in young manhood with his parents, who located in Pleasant township, Marion County, where his father entered land. David was the oldest child of a family of five children, the others being: Lena, who married John Eberhart; Caroline; Sallie and George. After locating in Marion County, David went to Marion where he worked by the day for his board, but after a time returned to his father's farm to assist in its clearing and cultivation. After his father's death he purchased the land from the estate. He was married (first) to a sister of Christopher Martin, of Marion, Ohio. He was married (second) to Margaret Rapp, who was also a native of Germany. Mr. Yager's seven children were born to his second union.
They were as follows: John, who was accidentally drowned in a stone quarry when 23 years of age; George F.; Mary, who married Jacob Fetter, William; Emma, who married Jacob Wiffler; Sophia, who married George Martin; and Caroline, who married Samuel Fetter. David Yager died July 8, 1897, but his widow still survives and lives with her son, George F.
George F. Yager was reared on his father's farm, where he remained until after his marriage, when he moved to the John Simpson farm, between Green Camp and Marion, where he lived for four years engaged in agricultural pursuits, and then returned to the home place, where he has since continued to reside. He was married March 14, 1899, to Catherine Gayer, who was born in 1867 in Pleasant township, and is a daughter of Henry and Catherine (Ault) Gayer, who settled here among the early pioneers. Mrs. Yager is one of a family of nine children, namely: Caroline, who married Charles Hoch; Catherine; Ida, who married H. Annett; Adam; Henry; Harriet, deceased, who was the wife of Edward Augenstein; Albert; George; and Bertha.
Mr. and Mrs. Yager have had seven children, namely: Anna; Freddie, deceased; Genevieve; Nina; Carl, who died October 5, 1901; Albert; and Hazel. Mr. Yager served on the School Board for a number of years, and has been township trustee since 1902. Politically, he is a Democrat. He is a member of the Lutheran Church.
HON. BOSTON G. YOUNG. judge of the Court of Common Pleas, at Marion, has long been a distinguished citizen of Marion County. He was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, February 2, 1850, and is a son of Stewart Young, who was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, but was a resident of the United States from early manhood, following farming, first in New York and later in Champaign County, Illinois.
The early education of Boston G. Young was obtained in the district schools near his parents' home, but later he enjoyed better advantages, first at Grand Prairie Seminary, in Iroquois Countv, Illinois, and later at the Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio. In 1875 he entered upon the study of the law, with Hon. William Z. Davis, at Marion, and two years later was admitted to the bar, being elected prosecuting attorney shortly afterward. His reelection followed as a testimonial to his professional ability, and since then, both as attorney and as judge, he has proven his capacity. For many years he has stood in the front rank in his profession, in this section of Ohio, and in 1900 he was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas. For this position he is admirably fitted and his record has reflected credit on the bench and bar of Marion County.
Judge Young has been also a very active politician and for a number of years has been a leader in the Democratic party in this section of the State. In 1883 he was elected first to the State Legislature and to this office was twice reelected, serving for three consecutive terms with acknowledged ability. He has been the nominee of his party both for Congress and for Secretary of State and in every campaign has demonstrated, even if defeated, his great personal popularity. At Marion he has always been counted as one of the representative citizens, taking his part in all movements looking to the progress and advancement of the city and contributing liberally to public-spirited enterprises.
On November 16, 1882, Judge Young was united in marriage with Anna E. Irey, who is a daughter of the late Joseph Irey, who was a substantial farmer of Marion County. They have two children--Ethel and Hector Stewart. Their beautiful home is located at No. 627 Delaware avenue, Marion. Judge Young and family belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is affiliated with a number of fraternal and social organizations. He has a wide circle of political adherents, warm personal friends and admirers.
JACOB YOUNG, deceased, was born June 23, 1823, about 12 miles from Hagerstown, Maryland, and was about nine years old ,when he came to Marion County with his parents, Philip and Mary (Messner) Young, who located in Scott township, just west of Letimberville, and there resided the remainder of their lives. Jacob Young passed out of this life November 19, 1901, and is buried at Letimberville. He received a common-school education and early in life, when about 20 years of age, the support of the family devolved on him owing to the death of his father. He drove cattle and sold stock for a Mr. Welsh for several years, going over the mountains to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The drovers sometimes sold the horses they rode and walked back home across the mountains. Jacob Young was a frugal liver, and at the time of his marriage, in 1854, he had money coming to him, in payment for his work as a drover, with which be purchased a home. After his marriage he rented a farm of Robert Kerr, in Scott township, and about four years later purchased 80 acres of the land now owned by Mrs. Young, comprising the small farm where she now resides. He still later acquired by purchase the interests of two of the heirs to the estate of Mrs. Young's father, and at the time of his death had about 212 acres of land, of which his widow has sold 30 acres, retaining about 182. Mr. Young followed general farming and stock-raising on this farm in Scott township until his death. He was a Democrat in national politics, but voted independently in local affairs. He served as township trustee, but refused frequently to have his name used as a candidate for the office of county commissioner.
Mr. Young was married July 4, 1854, to Agnes Kennedy, who was born March 26, 1832, in Richland County, Ohio, just south of Mansfield. She is of Scotch descent and is a daughter of John and Maria (Larimer) Kennedy. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Young, namely: Florence Adela, born July 21, 1856, who died aged three years and four months: John Kennedy, born June 5, 1858, residing at Detroit, Michigan, who married Ida Pease, of Nevada, Ohio, and has one son and one daughter Miriam Agnes and Fred C.; Melvin J., born January 10, 1861, who died November 25, 1862; and Orvilla Evelyn, born June 3, 1863, who married Henry Lewis Davids, September 13, 1893, and has two children-Charlotte Agnes, born February 24, 1896, and John E., born January 13,1898.
John Kennedy, father of Mrs. Young, was born near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1796, and died in 1851, aged 55 years. His wife, Mrs. Maria (Larimer) Kennedy, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, near Lancaster, in 1811, and was three years old when she came to Richland County with her father, James Larimer, a native of Scotland. James Larimer came to this country in the same vessel as did John Kennedy's father, but they were not aware of the fact until they began comparing notes many years afterward. James Larimer served as a soldier in the War of 1812 and was with Hull at the surrender of Detroit. John Kennedy, father of Mrs. Young, came to Marion County, Ohio, March 12, 1845, and located in Scott township one mile east of where his daughter's homestead is situated, securing land that constitutes the present farm of Thomas F. Slagle. John, Kennedy died August 21, 1851, and on November 1, of the same year the house and everything was burned, after which the widow built the present Slagle home. She owned 400 acres of land there and a 40-acre tract east of it. She lived on that farm until 1871, when she moved to Galion with her two daughters and resided there until her death, September 24, 1889. although at the time of her death she was visiting her son, who resided on the home place in Scott township. Mr. and Mrs. John Kennedy were the parents of nine children : Agnes, widow of the subject of this sketch; James Larimer, deceased, of Decatur, Illinois; Maria Louisa, widow of Dr. Augustus Halloway, residing at Decatur , Indiana; Thaddeus C., who died on the old Kennedy farm, August 31, 1903; Mrs. Isabella A. Miller, whose husband, Sanford Miller, was killed in the Civil War: Mary M., who married Charles Young, a brother of Jacob Young, our subject-both now deceased; Harriet Josephine, who died at Galion, Ohio: Emily E., who married A. N. Jenkinson and lives at Bellefontaine, Ohio; and John Francisco, who died in October, 1901.