Death of John Young
John Young, of Wilmington Township, died at his home on Saturday, January 24, 1880, at the advanced age of 83 years. He was born near Carlisle, Pa., on July 12, 1797, and when seven years old came to Mercer County with his father, John Young Sr., and lived and died on the farm which the father first settled on. At the time the father first settled in Wilmington Township, he owned 3 Negroes – a mother and her two children. Robert Johnson, one of the Negro children, is now 87 years old and has passed his whole life since he came to Mercer County in the Young mansion, where he still lives. The Negro mother died in the same home a few years ago at the advanced age of nearly 100 years. The other child, a daughter, married a Mr. Jackson, colored, of New Castle. For years, John Young, the subject of this sketch, and Robert Johnson, went to the polls together and voted, continuing to do so until our State disenfranchised the colored voter. In later years they revived the old custom, the constitutional amendment having enfranchised Robert and his race.
The deceased was, we believe, the first man in Mercer County to avow himself an abolitionist, and from that day until slavery was abolished he carried on a ceaseless warfare against Negro slavery. When Congress many years ago passed the Fugitive Slave Law, he read it carefully over, then took down his bible and pondered over the words of the Master, where the King, in the description of the last judgement says: “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I have hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me,” and notwithstanding the fact that it was a violation of the law, punishable by fine and imprisonment, to feed, clothe, protect and aid the fleeing fugitive, John Young never turned him away from his door hungry. It was for years a rendezvous for the southern black, fleeing from slavery to Canada and liberty, and many a weary fugitive found food, shelter and clothing beneath his hospitable roof.
In those days it took courage for a man to stand up and defend the right. He bravely met the jeers and reproaches of his fellow citizens, and in season and out of season labored to bring his neighbors over to his side, and the almost unanimous Republican sentiment in Wilmington Township today is largely owing to his incessant labors. In the anti-slavery agitation in this county he was a prominent figure, and thirty years ago few men were better known by the people of this section of the State. He was a man of much more than ordinary ability, and in both religious and political questions arising over the slavery question, he took an active and prominent part. For the past few years he has been closely confined to his home and neighborhood, and has been lost sight of by the present generation outside of his own locality. He was a patriot in the biggest sense of the word; he was a true friend to his fellow men, recognizing God’s image without regard to the color of the veil that covered it; he was a good neighbor, loving husband, a kind and indulgent father, an exemplary citizen, an honest man.
Shall not we trust, have we not good reason to hope, that the Master has said unto him; “Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
The Mercer Dispatch & Republican, Friday, 30 January 1880, p.1
John Young, of Wilmington Township, died at his home on Saturday, January 24, 1880, at the advanced age of 83 years. He was born near Carlisle, Pa., on July 12, 1797, and when seven years old came to Mercer County with his father, John Young Sr., and lived and died on the farm which the father first settled on. At the time the father first settled in Wilmington Township, he owned 3 Negroes – a mother and her two children. Robert Johnson, one of the Negro children, is now 87 years old and has passed his whole life since he came to Mercer County in the Young mansion, where he still lives. The Negro mother died in the same home a few years ago at the advanced age of nearly 100 years. The other child, a daughter, married a Mr. Jackson, colored, of New Castle. For years, John Young, the subject of this sketch, and Robert Johnson, went to the polls together and voted, continuing to do so until our State disenfranchised the colored voter. In later years they revived the old custom, the constitutional amendment having enfranchised Robert and his race.
The deceased was, we believe, the first man in Mercer County to avow himself an abolitionist, and from that day until slavery was abolished he carried on a ceaseless warfare against Negro slavery. When Congress many years ago passed the Fugitive Slave Law, he read it carefully over, then took down his bible and pondered over the words of the Master, where the King, in the description of the last judgement says: “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I have hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me,” and notwithstanding the fact that it was a violation of the law, punishable by fine and imprisonment, to feed, clothe, protect and aid the fleeing fugitive, John Young never turned him away from his door hungry. It was for years a rendezvous for the southern black, fleeing from slavery to Canada and liberty, and many a weary fugitive found food, shelter and clothing beneath his hospitable roof.
In those days it took courage for a man to stand up and defend the right. He bravely met the jeers and reproaches of his fellow citizens, and in season and out of season labored to bring his neighbors over to his side, and the almost unanimous Republican sentiment in Wilmington Township today is largely owing to his incessant labors. In the anti-slavery agitation in this county he was a prominent figure, and thirty years ago few men were better known by the people of this section of the State. He was a man of much more than ordinary ability, and in both religious and political questions arising over the slavery question, he took an active and prominent part. For the past few years he has been closely confined to his home and neighborhood, and has been lost sight of by the present generation outside of his own locality. He was a patriot in the biggest sense of the word; he was a true friend to his fellow men, recognizing God’s image without regard to the color of the veil that covered it; he was a good neighbor, loving husband, a kind and indulgent father, an exemplary citizen, an honest man.
Shall not we trust, have we not good reason to hope, that the Master has said unto him; “Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
The Mercer Dispatch & Republican, Friday, 30 January 1880, p.1
Death of John Young
John Young, of Wilmington Township, died at his home on Saturday, January 24, 1880, at the advanced age of 83 years. He was born near Carlisle, Pa., on July 12, 1797, and when seven years old came to Mercer County with his father, John Young Sr., and lived and died on the farm which the father first settled on. At the time the father first settled in Wilmington Township, he owned 3 Negroes – a mother and her two children. Robert Johnson, one of the Negro children, is now 87 years old and has passed his whole life since he came to Mercer County in the Young mansion, where he still lives. The Negro mother died in the same home a few years ago at the advanced age of nearly 100 years. The other child, a daughter, married a Mr. Jackson, colored, of New Castle. For years, John Young, the subject of this sketch, and Robert Johnson, went to the polls together and voted, continuing to do so until our State disenfranchised the colored voter. In later years they revived the old custom, the constitutional amendment having enfranchised Robert and his race.
The deceased was, we believe, the first man in Mercer County to avow himself an abolitionist, and from that day until slavery was abolished he carried on a ceaseless warfare against Negro slavery. When Congress many years ago passed the Fugitive Slave Law, he read it carefully over, then took down his bible and pondered over the words of the Master, where the King, in the description of the last judgement says: “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I have hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me,” and notwithstanding the fact that it was a violation of the law, punishable by fine and imprisonment, to feed, clothe, protect and aid the fleeing fugitive, John Young never turned him away from his door hungry. It was for years a rendezvous for the southern black, fleeing from slavery to Canada and liberty, and many a weary fugitive found food, shelter and clothing beneath his hospitable roof.
In those days it took courage for a man to stand up and defend the right. He bravely met the jeers and reproaches of his fellow citizens, and in season and out of season labored to bring his neighbors over to his side, and the almost unanimous Republican sentiment in Wilmington Township today is largely owing to his incessant labors. In the anti-slavery agitation in this county he was a prominent figure, and thirty years ago few men were better known by the people of this section of the State. He was a man of much more than ordinary ability, and in both religious and political questions arising over the slavery question, he took an active and prominent part. For the past few years he has been closely confined to his home and neighborhood, and has been lost sight of by the present generation outside of his own locality. He was a patriot in the biggest sense of the word; he was a true friend to his fellow men, recognizing God’s image without regard to the color of the veil that covered it; he was a good neighbor, loving husband, a kind and indulgent father, an exemplary citizen, an honest man.
Shall not we trust, have we not good reason to hope, that the Master has said unto him; “Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
The Mercer Dispatch & Republican, Friday, 30 January 1880, p.1
John Young, of Wilmington Township, died at his home on Saturday, January 24, 1880, at the advanced age of 83 years. He was born near Carlisle, Pa., on July 12, 1797, and when seven years old came to Mercer County with his father, John Young Sr., and lived and died on the farm which the father first settled on. At the time the father first settled in Wilmington Township, he owned 3 Negroes – a mother and her two children. Robert Johnson, one of the Negro children, is now 87 years old and has passed his whole life since he came to Mercer County in the Young mansion, where he still lives. The Negro mother died in the same home a few years ago at the advanced age of nearly 100 years. The other child, a daughter, married a Mr. Jackson, colored, of New Castle. For years, John Young, the subject of this sketch, and Robert Johnson, went to the polls together and voted, continuing to do so until our State disenfranchised the colored voter. In later years they revived the old custom, the constitutional amendment having enfranchised Robert and his race.
The deceased was, we believe, the first man in Mercer County to avow himself an abolitionist, and from that day until slavery was abolished he carried on a ceaseless warfare against Negro slavery. When Congress many years ago passed the Fugitive Slave Law, he read it carefully over, then took down his bible and pondered over the words of the Master, where the King, in the description of the last judgement says: “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I have hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me,” and notwithstanding the fact that it was a violation of the law, punishable by fine and imprisonment, to feed, clothe, protect and aid the fleeing fugitive, John Young never turned him away from his door hungry. It was for years a rendezvous for the southern black, fleeing from slavery to Canada and liberty, and many a weary fugitive found food, shelter and clothing beneath his hospitable roof.
In those days it took courage for a man to stand up and defend the right. He bravely met the jeers and reproaches of his fellow citizens, and in season and out of season labored to bring his neighbors over to his side, and the almost unanimous Republican sentiment in Wilmington Township today is largely owing to his incessant labors. In the anti-slavery agitation in this county he was a prominent figure, and thirty years ago few men were better known by the people of this section of the State. He was a man of much more than ordinary ability, and in both religious and political questions arising over the slavery question, he took an active and prominent part. For the past few years he has been closely confined to his home and neighborhood, and has been lost sight of by the present generation outside of his own locality. He was a patriot in the biggest sense of the word; he was a true friend to his fellow men, recognizing God’s image without regard to the color of the veil that covered it; he was a good neighbor, loving husband, a kind and indulgent father, an exemplary citizen, an honest man.
Shall not we trust, have we not good reason to hope, that the Master has said unto him; “Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
The Mercer Dispatch & Republican, Friday, 30 January 1880, p.1
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