Young, W. Coleman Family

YOUNG, REDD, MCDOWELL

Posted By: Mary H. Cochrane, Volunteer
Date: 7/12/2019 at 08:11:04

BIOGRAPHY ~ W. C. "COLEMAN" YOUNG FAMILY

Reflections of Grand River, Iowa: 1881 - 1981
Clarke Pub. Co. p. 319. Osceola IA. 1981.

W. C. (Coleman) Young, son of William (Ham) Young, was married to Margaret Frances Redd Nov. 3, 1890. Seven children grew to adulthood from this union. They are: Hamie, Ralph, Fred, Naomi, Frances, Mary and Addie. They lived on the farm that borders the town of Grand River on the southeast corner, laying on the east side of highway 294.

Coleman had some of the biggest steam engines around this area. He pulled a threshing machine and threshed over a several mile area. After winding up the summer of threshing around here, he would load his steam engine, threshing machine, water wagon and other supplies on a flat car and ship them to the Dakotas.

He would thresh up there until late fall. Upon returning, he would make another local run shredding corn fodder. At this time he was also cutting enough wood to keep his family warm during the winter months. Later on in the winter when the ice got thick enough, he would cut and store ice in their ice house for summer use. He also had a sawmill that sat south of the house by the creek. It was powered by one of his steam engines.

Ham, the father of Coleman, was a blind man. He made his living making and selling brooms. Coleman's daughters used to escort their grandfather to town on Saturday morning to sell his brooms. Each trip he bought horehound and peppermint stick candy, which he treated the girls with.

NOTE: Colman Young was born September 3, 1862, and died February 18, 1940. Margaret Frances (Redd) Young died in 1947. They were interred at the Grand River Cemetery, Grand River, Iowa.

Photographs from "Reflections of Grand River, Ia. 1881-198"

Copied from "Reflections of Grand River, Ia. 1881-1981" by Stacey McDowell Dietiker
An interesting note, Margaret Redd's mother was a McDowell, my father's paternal line, and William Coleman Young was of course a Young, which is my father's maternal line. Do you all find that a lot in your research in this county? I have!

William Hamilton "Ham" Young family page