Bloomington Twp. -
JOHN YAGER, farmer, section 4, postoffice Halls, was born in Williamsburg, New York, now East Brooklyn, Aug. 13, 1832.  He was educated in the German schools of his native city, and also attended the English school a short time.  When fifteen years of age, he learned the baker's trade, which he followed four years.  From this date till the time of his marriage, he was engaged at various pursuits, in different states, employed by different railroad companies, operating in stone quarries, etc.  During this time, he learned the stone cutter's trade, and while at Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa, was married Aug. 5, 1855, to Miss Nellie Melcher.  She was born in Germany, Dec. 20, 1833, and came to America about 1853.  After residing in different parts of Iowa and Missouri, Mr. Y., moved to DeKalb, Buchanan County, Missouri, and settled on his present location in 1860.  He resided in DeKalb four years, and then rented a farm about three years.  He now owns a farm of 155 acres, which is well improved, and has sixteen acres of orchard, also about two acres of vineyard, and from which he manufactures first class wine.  He has a family of seven children; Emily, born June 14, 1856; Daniel, born Nov. 27, 1858; Francis L., born Apr. 7, 1861; John, born May 6, 1863; Charley, born Mar. 10, 1869; Mary, born Mar. 6, 1872; and Edward, born July 4, 1876.
Source:  History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881 - Page 1041

Agency Twp. -
E. M. YATES, merchant and miller, Agency, was born Oct. 7, 1838, in Buchanan County, Missouri, and has resided in this county all his life.  He was raised a farmer and received but limited educational advantages.  He was married Nov. 5, 1873, to Miss Victoria Boone, daughter of R. R. Boone.  They have had three children, Jewell, Effie, and Victoria.  Jewell died in 1875.  Mrs. Yates died Nov. 12, 1879.  The subject of this sketch was again married Feb. 22, 1881, to Jessie L. Boone, who was born in Meade County, Kentucky.  Mr. Yates owns forty acres of land in section 7, Jackson Township, his residence, store, house, and one-half interest in stock of goods and steam grist-mill in Agency.  He is a Master Mason, an Odd Fellow and a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  He has never sought political honors, preferring the quiet of private business to the turmoil of politics.  He was among the first white children born in the county, and the first born in Jackson Township.
Source:  History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881 - Page 984

Jackson Twp -
HENRY YATES, farmer, section 7, postoffice Agency, was born Apr. 20, 1847, in Buchanan County, Missouri, where he had the good fortune to secure a fair education.  Sept. 15, 1871, he was married to Miss Sallie Williams, who was born May 14, 1846, in Kentucky.  They have had three children: Thomas L., born in September, 1875; Harry C., born in October, 1878; Dora P., born July 3, 1872, died Jan. 13, 1879.  To the eighty acres of land, given him by his parents, he has managed by his own industry to add 160 more.  He is a Mason and Odd Fellow, and is also a member of Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  His farm is all under fence, and well improved, with a good house and barn, and well supplied with farm machinery.
Source:  History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881 - Page 1065

Wayne Twp. -
HENRY YEAKLEY, farmer, section 23, postoffice St. Joseph, is a son of Samuel and Mary Yeakley, who were natives of Tennessee.  Samuel's father, Henry, was of German descent.  Mary Yeakley was a daughter of Michael Berger, who was of Welsh origin.  The subject of this sketch was born in Orange County, Indiana, Sept. 1, 1817.  Was reared there and in Owen County, spending his boyhood days on a farm.  In the fall of 1840 he moved to his present location, having entered a part of the farm he now owns.  His landed estate consists of about 508 acres comfortably improved, having an orchard of three acres.  Mr. Y. has been married three times; first, to Miss Rebecca Cotter, Sept. 2, 1838, who was born in Indiana, Dec. 15, 1818.  She died June 24, 1852, leaving seven children, four of whom are living: Mary A., Michael, Lydia E. and Margaret.  The second marriage occurred Oct. 3, 1852, to Mrs. Margaret P. Herrington, whose maiden name was Tyler.  She was born in Indiana, June 13, 1831, and died Mar. 2, 1859.  They had three children, two now living: James H. and Emily J. Mrs. Sarah M. Brown became his third wife July 10, 1859.  Her maiden name was Riley, and she was born Aug. 26, 1826, and is a native of Lexington, Kentucky.  They have had seven children, of whom three are living:  Belle F., Armacinda S. and Mary L. M.   Mr. Y. is a mason being a member of Willington Lodge No. 22, also of Chapter No. 6.  Also belongs to I. O. O. F. of DeKalb No. 191.  Mr. and Mrs. Y. are members of the Christian Church.
Source:  History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881 - Page 1006

Wayne Twp. -
JAMES A. YEAKLEY, farmer, section 23, postoffice St. Joseph, is a son of Henry Yeakley, and was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, Dec. 15, 1853.  He has been raised on the farm where he now resides, and has followed farming during life, and owns a farm of forty acres. He was married Dec. 21, 1874, to Miss Mary A. Carrel.  She is a daughter of Andrew J. and Lucy A. Carrel, who now reside in Buchanan County. Here she was born Aug. 4, 1854.  They have four children, three now living: Emily L., Minnie E., and Charles E.
Source:  History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881 - Page 1007

City of St. Joseph and Washington Township -
A. S. YETTER, foreman painter of locomotive department for the St. Joseph & Western Railroad Company, is a native of Germany, and was born in Wurtemberg, May 8th, 1840.  When thirteen years of age he came to America with his parents, locating in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was reared and educated, and learned his trade with Harper Bros.  After this he was in the employ of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad as painter. In 1859 he went to Buffalo, New York, and was shipwrecked while en route on Lake Huron.  He worked for a time at St. Catharine, Canada, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.  His mother had died and his father and only brother had returned to Germany.  When the rebellion broke out A. S. was in New Orleans and was forced into the Confederate army; served three months and deserted while on guard, secreted himself in the cane-brakes, and after traveling for three nights and not having any food or drink, he made his way to a Union camp.  He came North, locating in Wisconsin, and in 1861 he was married to Miss Johanna Fieber in Grafton, Wisconsin.  He soon moved to Milwaukee and worked at his trade until 1866, when he came to St. Joseph, and for two years was in partnership with George Pooler; also for two years and a half in the employ of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad Company.  In 1871 he commenced with the St. Joseph & Western as foreman painter.  When the car and locomotive departments were made separate he was placed in charge of the latter.  Mr. Yetter is a gentleman favorably known m St. Joseph, and as a painter is master of the profession in all its details.  His wife died in 1874, leaving five children, Julia, Clara, Willie L., Edward J., and Ida.  In 1878 Miss Annie Deichmann became his wife, by whom he has one daughter, Martha.  Mr. Y. is a member of the St. Joseph Turn Verein, Enterprise Lodge of I. O. O. F., South St. Joseph Grove of Druids, and Orderly Sergeant of the Turner Rifles, Company B, Second Battalion National Guards of Missouri.  He helped organize Wallhalla Grove of Druids, and was First Vice Arch and for five successive years was trustee; has been four times representative to the Grand Grove; was appointed by The Grand Grove as District Deputy Grand Arch for three years.  He organized Centennial Grove, No. 35, and also South St. Joseph Grove, No. 37, U. A. O. D.
Source:  History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881 - Page 952

Center Twp. -
THOMAS YOUNG, farmer and stock raiser, section 4, postoffice St. Joseph, was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, on the 6th of December, 1817, and until fourteen years of age spent his time on a farm, attending the school of his neighborhood.  For a short time he was employed as clerk in a whilesale liquor establishment, and afterwards removed to Belfast.  In 1832, when but fourteen years old, he emigrated to America, landing at Baltimore in September.  He went at once to Wheeling, West Virginia, and found employment with R. H. Sweeney & Co., in the iron and glass manufacturing business, for ten years.  In 1842, he went to New Orleans, and, contrary to his intention upon starting out, came to Missouri, arriving in St. Louis in the fall of 1842.  Returned to Wheeling, and afterwards settled in this county in that same year.  In the spring of 1840, he had preempted one hundred and sixty-seven acres of land, where he has since made his home.  Two or three years after coming, he was chosen justice of the peace, and filled that office for twenty-two years.  He has been school director over thirty years.  During the late war he was a strong Union man, and had two sons in the service.  They enlisted in Co. A, Twenty-fifth Missouri Militia, serving on the mounted militia.  His eldest son remained four years, taking part in all the battles of the Mississippi campaign, and was with Sherman in his march to the sea.  Mr. Y. owns a farm of two hundred and eleven acres, well stocked.  July 27, 1837, he was married to Miss Jane Greer, a native of Ireland.  They have eight children:  James G., John H., Robert I., Harry H., Margaret I., now Mrs. Robert Hensley; Eliza Ann, now Mrs. Henry Knight; Mary, now Mrs. Cure, and Kittie, wife of Captain J. E.. Dickinson, of Kansas. For two years previous to the war Mr. Y. served as assessor of the county, and since the war, for a like period, acted as county coroner.  He has been twice nominated for county judge by acclamation, but private affairs prevented his accepting the honors.
Source:  History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881 - Page 997

Center Twp. -
GEORGE W. YOUNG, farmer and stock raiser, section 6, postoffice St. Joseph, was born Dec. 4, 1829, in Shelby County, Kentucky, and was there reared, spending his youth on a farm.  Received his education at Dr. Waller's Military College, from which he graduated and received a diploma.  In 1856, he entered the service of the Government, and engaged in driving stock from Old Mexico through to Boonville, Missouri.  In 1857, he commenced steamboating on the Mississippi River, and followed this business for five years.  During the late war he espoused the Confederate cause.  Returned to Marion County, Kentucky, and raised a company at St. Mary's College, and was elected its captain.  This was known as nearly half of the company was killed at the battle of Pennington, Kentucky.  They then joined General Lee, in the entrenchments around Richmond, and remained there until the 27th of January, 1864, when they started with Morgan on his raid through Ohio, and were captured in Columbiana County, Ohio, and taken to the Columbus prison.  From there Mr. Young, with a few others, made his escape to Canada, and thence by water to Wilmington, North Carolina, where he again joined the army.  Took part in the Cynthiana raid, then returned to Virginia, and was with General Morgan when he was killed.  He came to this county after the war, and settled on the farm he now occupies, his landed estate consisting of 359 acres of well improved land, and it constitutes one of the finest farms hereabouts.  There is an excellent spring upon the place.  Was married May 10, 1872, to Miss Cynthia Brown, a native of Nodaway County.  They have had five children, two of whom are living - Maggie and Wallace.  Mrs. Y. is an active member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
Source:  History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881 - Page 998

Marion Twp. -
WALLER YOUNG formerly Senator from the Second District, was born in Bath County, Kentucky, in 1843, and remained in the State until ten years of age, when he came to Missouri, locating in Buchanan County, where, excepting at short intervals, he has since resided.  He attended college at Platte City, Missouri, until the commencement of the late war, when he went to Virginia, joined General Marshall's army, and remained in the ranks until the last echo of the Southern guns died away.  He then returned to Missouri, determined to acquire for himself in the civil walks of life a respectable position, and if energy would accomplish anything, a prominent place among the people of his State.  After graduating at the law school of Louisville, Kentucky, he practiced in St. Joseph with marked success.  Having a natural propensity for politics, and a clear and discriminating judgment, he early foresaw that the only means whereby the people of Missouri could be relieved from the oppressions of the Radical party was by producing dissensions in their ranks by forming a Liberal party, based upon the principle of enfranchising all citizens of the State without distinction; hence we find him taking an active part in the campaign that elected Brown governor.  He was a delegate to the State convention in 1872, and did more to nominate Governor Woodson than any man in the convention.  He was appointed private secretary of Governor Woodson, and after serving a short time resigned.  In 1874 he was nominated as a Democratic candidate for the State Senate, and was elected by 1,900 majority - the largest Democratic majority the district ever gave.  He was chairman of the Committee on Claims, and a member of the committees on Internal Improvements, Swamp Lands, and Lunatic Asylum.  Mr. Young bids fair to become one of the most prominent men in the State, and possesses all the qualities essential to a great man - intelligence, capability, principle, and honesty.  In the past few years he has taken but little active part in politics.
 Source:  History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881 - Page 965