Young Family Cemetery / Census Records

On the 4th of July, after we had lunch at Moonie's BBQ, Marvin and I stopped at an old cemetery across from the Falcons Complex (where the Atlanta Falcons NFL team trains) in Flowery Branch, Georgia. Being a genealogy and history enthusiast, cemeteries are always interesting to me. I had mentioned to Marvin that I'd like to wander through some of the ones in his area and so this is one he stopped at on the 4th. This one is close to the road, shaded and is small enough to cover the whole thing quickly. It was divided into two sections - one with ornate, well marked stones and another with simple, unmarked graves. We found a marker that indicated that one side was the Robert Young family and their kin and the other side was his slaves and their kin. I found a newspaper article from 2011 that explained that there were also some Native Americans buried in the slave portion of this cemetery.

Robert Young and his wife Selia Strickland Young were born in Virginia in the mid 1700's and moved to Georgia around 1795. They settled in the Hall County area (near what is now Lake Lanier). They had around a dozen children. Some died very young and there are many tiny graves in the family cemetery. Their son Robert married Martha Louisa Winn. There are several Winn family graves there as well with a marker noting that they were moved to this area when the Buford Dam was built to create Lake Lanier (around 1956).

I did a little research on ancestry.com for this family. I had hoped to find some addresses on census records to help correlate this family with actual locations in and around Hall County. Obviously, the cemetery would have been on what I presume to be a family homestead but as far as other locations in the area, I haven't found much. I don't want to spend a ton of time on it because... I still have years and years of research to do on my own family but so far I haven't found any addresses listed in the census records.

That's the thing about census records... sometimes they are an amazing wealth of information and sometimes they're blah. It is as varied as the number of people who performed the census searches over the years. I know that the few times I have responded to census requests I have been sort of aggravated by the intrusion BUT... as an amateur genealogist, I realize how important this record can be to future generations. Currently census records through 1940 are available online so it's possible to know far more about your great-great grandparents than your grandparents sometimes.

Up until 1840 the US Census just took a count of household members, not necessarily the names of individual members. So you may be able to see how many household members were literate, for instance... or how many slaves in a household (which never fails to make me cringe)... but you might not know exactly who lived there. Later records list the names of everyone in the household which shows us a lot about how families took care of each other back before welfare and social security. You will see elderly family members and sometimes young couples living with middle aged couples.

I think we've lost a lot by separating ourselves into individual households. Certainly if I didn't live with my dad, my granddaughter wouldn't know her great-grandfather as well as she does. Multi-generational households introduce their own set of problems, no doubt, but I think it's a great system for connecting family members who might otherwise feel isolated. Austin needs the financial support my dad and I can give... and the help parenting his little girl... but we need his physical strength and ability. Hopefully there's enough give and take to even it out for everyone. I just know that it cracks me up that Cosy gets excited whenever she hears Pop come in the door... and that she felt perfectly well at home enough to get out some of my mom's fine china out of the china cabinet to eat her pancakes on yesterday. I wish we were close enough geographically to give her that kind of familiarity with all of her extended family.

At any rate... I did find a nice write up about the Robert Young family on Genealogy.com and I thought I'd share it here, if you're interested. Hope you're having a great Sunday! Love and hugs!

Robert Young and his brother, "Devil" John Young, came to Georgia at the time the state of Georgia, in collusion with the Federal government, was rapidly expanding into the tribal homelands of the Creek and Cherokee. Robert and John established a trading post at Ponce de Leon spring within the environs of present day Atlanta. (This site was later commemorated by a plaque placed upon the Sears store building on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta across from the old Ponce de Leon ballpark). Here they traded and became friends with many members of the Creek and Cherokee tribes. 
As stated, the state of Georgia, either by forced treaty or outright confiscation, was actively annexing Indian lands and making it available for settlement by lottery (at least in theory...there was a lot of corruption in the lottery system). After the discovery of gold in the Cherokee tribal territory this practice was escalated. The price of these lottery plats was inexpensive and Robert took advantage of the opportunity. He was able to acquire himself a 1600 acre tract in what is now Hall County, Georgia and erect himself a two-story, twelve room log house complete with chimneys, pillars and flagstone walks. (The site is now marked by the Young family cemetery located about two miles outside Flowery Branch, Georgia). Here he engaged in farming, trading and cattle raising. Because his home was located on the Federal Road (opened in 1805 and the first vehicular road opened in northwest Georgia) he also became a de facto innkeeper. Travelers frequently stopped at his home for lodging. One such visitor was Andrew Jackson, General in the 1818 Seminole campaign, who stopped there for a night with his staff and two companies of militia. That event is commemorated by yet another Historical Marker placed on the site in 1957 by the Georgia Historical Commission.
The writer J. C. Flannigan wrote a description of Robert Young in his publication "Gwinnett County History". "It is said he (Robert) marked out the road from Fort Daniel at Hog Mountain to Standing Peachtree (the Peachtree trail from Atlanta to Flowery Branch, Georgia). Later on Robert, John Young and Augustin Young were employed to grade and construct this road. Robert Young was a character, whose like will seldom be seen hereafter. He was original in his looks, in his language, in his habits, and in the character of his mind, wholly with no knowledge of books, except the great book of nature, from which he drew liberally. He was a man of superior judgement, and had stored up from observation a large fund of information that was valuable to him and his friends. He was true to his word, faithful to his honor, truthful to the fullest extent. His word, his promise, and his integrity were never questioned by those who knew him. He always wore his hair tied in a queue, which he prized most highly, and of which he was proud to the day of his death."
Many of Robert Young's children, siblings, nephews and nieces later settled in the Indian lands in Alabama. It seems that Robert also made trips to this country from time to time. In 1837, after one such trip, he returned home to find that his wife, Celia, had died some weeks earlier. He then married a Elizabeth Carmon of South Carolina; a woman some 49 years younger than himself. He sired two more children by Elizabeth but by 1850 she had left him. Robert died at half past four on the afternoon of 21 March 1854 leaving an impression on his surrondings that is still in evidence today.
Robert Young and family were enumerated in the 1820 Hall County, Georgia census as 4 white males under ten (Harrison, Richard, Robert and Isaac), 2 males of ten under sixteen (Wiley and Kerney), 2 males of sixteen and under twenty-six (Wilson and Unknown), 1 male of forty-five and up (Robert, Sr.), 1 female under ten (Luzaney), 1 female of ten under sixteen (Delany), 1 female of sixteen and under twenty-six (Irana), and 1 female of twenty-six under forty-five (Selah). Also enumerated with the family were 5 male slaves under fourteen, 3 male slaves of fourteen under twenty-six, 3 male slaves of twenty-six under forty-five, 1 male slave of forty-five and up, 3 female slaves under fourteen, 2 female slaves of fourteen under twenty-six, 2 female slaves of twenty-six under forty-five and 1 female slave of forty-five and up. Sixteen of the twenty slaves were foreign born. (NOTE: Of the two white males of sixteen and under twenty-six the unknown male would logically be Augustine. However, Augustine was enumerated that year as a single male in Gwinnett County, Georgia. It may be that he was enumerated twice if, perchance, the Gwinnett census was taken at some time after the Hall County census).Robert's brothers, Richard and John A. Young were living nearby with their families.
Robert Young and family were enumerated in the 1830 Hall County, Georgia census as 1 male under five (Samuel), 2 males over five under ten (Isaac and Robert), 1 male of ten under fifteen (Richard), 1 male of fifteen under twenty (Wiley), 1 male of sixty under seventy (Robert), 1 female of five under ten (Celia), 1 female of fifteen under twenty (Luzany), and 1 female of fifty under sixty (Selah). 
Robert Young, Sr. and family were enumerated in District 411 in the 1840 Hall County, Georgia census as 1 male under five (Nelson), 1 male over fifteen under twenty (Benjamin), 1 male over twenty under thirty (probably Wiley), 1 male over sixty under seventy (Robert, Sr.), 1 female over fifteen under twenty (Celia) and 1 female over thirty under forty (Elizabeth). Also enumerated were 4 black males under ten, 5 black males over ten under twenty-four, 6 black males thirty-six under fifty-six, 6 black females under ten, 1 black female ten to twenty-four, and 1 black female thirty-six under fifty-six.
Robert Young and family were living in the 38th District, Hall County, Georgia in October 1850. Living with him was his mentally retarded son Wiley. Also living with the family was "T. A. Young", female, age 17, born in Georgia.She was likely a child of one of Robert's deceased sons.
There were two other Young children, born in Alabama,living with the family of Allen Blake who's farm was not far from Robert's; "Toliver", male age 12, and "E.", female age 11. (In 1860 they appear again as "M. T." and "Elizabeth"). Allen was married to Robert's daughter Luzany and he was the brother of Thomas Blake who married Delany Young another of Robert Young's daughters. NOTE: "M. T." is Mathew T. Young who is buried in the Young family cemetery in Hall County, Georgia which is located on the site of Robert Young's plantation. He was the son of Richard Young, the deceased son of Robert, and Emily Long Young. This Matthew T. Young married Elizabeth Ann Wigley in October 1858. Elizabeth is also buried in the Young Family Cemetery. 
LEGAL RECORD
24 July 1838. Hall County, Georgia. Mentioned in the will of JAMES D. R. HARTWELL. "To old ROBERT YOUNG a new gold watch."
4 January 1848. Hall County, Georgia. Estate sale and auction of Richard Winn. "...the Allred Place was bought by Robert Young, Sr. for James Roberts."
24 May 1851. Hall County, Georgia. Book "A" Wills, pp 99-102. Will of Robert Young. "To wife, ELIZABETH YOUNG (2nd wife), one Negro by name CICERO. To minor son, NELSON T. YOUNG, 2 lots numbers not recollected in 8th district, 1 lot where my Mill stands on Mud Creek and the lot covering Beaver Ruin Place." Also named in the will are: daughter-in-law LUCINDA YOUNG, widow of son RICHARD; granddaughter MARY ANN YOUNG, daughter of RICHARD; son AUGUSTINE; son WILSON. Children named to receive distributive shares of his estate: IRENE STRICKLAND and children; SELANNAH BLAKE, wife of THOMAS BLAKE, and children; WILEY YOUNG; LOUZANA GATREY BLAKE, wife of ALLEN BLAKE; ROBERT YOUNG, Jr.; ISAAC YOUNG; SELAH STRICKLAND, wife of TALBOT STRICKLAND, and her children; SAMUEL B. F. YOUNG; ELIZABETH and EMILY YOUNG, children of son RICHARD, deceased; ROBERT LUMPKIN YOUNG; LOUISA; SAMUEL YOUNG; and children of HARRISON B. YOUNG, deceased. 
More About Robert Young:
Date born 2: December 12, 1760, Nash County, North Carolina.8779, 8780
Date born 3: December 13, 1760, Fredricksburg, Spotsylvania County, Virginia.8781
Date born 4: 1766, North Carolina.8782
Burial: 1854, Young Cemetery, Hwy 23 near Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia.8783
Died 2: March 21, 1851, Hall County, Georgia.8784, 8785
Died 3: March 21, 1854, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia.8786, 8787
Occupation: Farmer..8788
More About Robert Young and Celia 'Selah' 'Sealey' Strickland:
Marriage: 1798, North Carolina.8789
More About Robert Young and Elizabeth Carmon:
Marriage 1: June 14, 1838, Hall County, Georgia.8790, 8791
Marriage 2: May 05, 1838, Hall County, Georgia.8792, 8793
Marriage bond: May 14, 1838, Hall County, Georgia.8794
Children of Robert Young and Celia 'Selah' 'Sealey' Strickland are:

1. +Augustin 'Gus' Young, b. August 17, 1799, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia8795, 8796, 8797, d. February 02, 1868, Polk County, Georgia8798, 8799.
2. +Wilson R. Young, b. July 28, 1800, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia8800, 8801, 8802, 8803, d. Aft. 1870, Lafayette County, Mississippi (?)8804.
3. +Irene Irana Young, b. December 15, 1803, Jackson, Butts County, Georgia8805, 8806, d. December 1895, Cleburn County, Alabama8807.
4. Kerney Young, b. 1805, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia8807, d. April 27, 1841, Georgia (?)8807, 8808.
5. +Delany 'Selannah' Young, b. March 20, 1807, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia8809, 8810, 8811, d. January 25, 1895, Cleburn County, Alabama8812.
6. Wiley Young, b. 1810, Georgia8813, d. November 23, 1851, Georgia (?)8814, 8815.
7. +Harrison Bennett Young, b. 1811, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia8816, d. 1841, Georgia (?)8816.
8. +Richard Young, b. Abt. 1813, North Carolina (?), d. Bef. 1846, Randolph County, Georgia8816, 8817.
9. +Luzany Causey 'Gatsy' Young, b. January 08, 1815, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia8818, 8819, 8820, d. November 11, 1857, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia8821.
10. +Robert Young, Jr., b. January 15, 1818, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia8821, 8822, d. March 31, 1869, Hall County, Georgia8823, 8824.
11. +Isaac Young, b. April 15, 1819, Hall County, Georgia8825, 8826, 8827, d. July 19, 1889, Fox Creek, Clay County, Alabama8828.
12. Celia 'Selah' Young, b. May 18, 1821, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia8829, d. date unknown.
13. +Samuel Benjamin Franklin Young, b. October 14, 1825, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia8830, 8831, d. June 02, 1902, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia (?)8832.

Children of Robert Young and Elizabeth Carmon are:

1. Nelson T. Young, b. 1840, Hall County, Georgia8833, d. date unknown.
2. Elizabeth Young, b. 1842, Alabama8834, 8835, d. Aft. July 24, 1860, Georgia (?)8836.