The following was written by Elder John Wesley Youngblood of Pomona, California, and printed in 1941 by Faith Publishing House, Guthrie, Oklahoma, as the introduction to a booklet entitled "Songs". These are the words to nine songs he composed, reflecting his religious faith. The booklet is 4 ¼ x 6 ½ ", tan in color, with a paper back and contains 20 pages.

The history from the booklet was among the other documentation used to establish a line of descent to James Youngblood, Revolutionary Soldier, for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution. Note that subsequent research exposed several errors in the history given ~ however there was enough accuracy verified to be accepted "on preponderance of evidence", i.e., it stands verified in absence of other records.

Interest in this "documentation" has been expressed by several and, since the booklet has long been out of print and not readily available, this section has been scanned for their benefit. I have taken the liberty to add endnotes for clarification and/or additional information that might be of interest.

Dorothy Morris Quaife

I am the son of Doctor Franklin Youngblood, who was the son of George Bradley Youngblood, who was the son of Jeremiah Youngblood, who was the son of Yonbluit of Germany. Yonbluit was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and was killed in the Battle of Camden. Jeremiah Youngblood was a soldier under General Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812 -1814. He was given a furlough after the battle at New Orleans, and died on the way to his home in Mississippi and was buried by the wayside.

George Bradley Youngblood was a soldier in the Civil War; was the physician and surgeon in Company K of the 1st Arkansas Cavalry of Volunteers, and died in Dallas County, Mo., soon after the close of the Civil War. My father, Doctor Franklin Youngblood, was the 1st Lieutenant in the same company with my grandfather, and my great-uncle, Theoderic Youngblood was the Captain of the Company.

My Mother, Ruth Ann, was the daughter of one Allen Reeves of Nashville, Tenn. Her mother's name I do not know. None of my ancestor's as far back as I have any record, ever had a criminal charge against them. Neither were any of them ever divorced from their companions. They were good, law abiding citizens and lovers of home and country. Most of them had large families. My father and mother were married in Carroll County, Arkansas, December 11, 1859, and I was born in the same County on October 20, 1860, about eighteen months before my father went north to join the Union Army.

The first thing I remember in life was when the Rebel Bushwhackers came to our house and searched the house and took everything they wanted, among which articles was a little red cap that my Uncle Will Reeves had given me when he went away with my father to join the Union Army. I was sitting up in bed and very much frightened. Mother was crying and pleading with them to go away and leave us alone. One of the men took the cap down from the wall and put it on his head. I cried and he made an ugly face at me and that ugly face is fixed in my memory until this day. The next thing that I well remember was when I stood by the grave of my little sister and saw them lower her little coffin into the grave, and I cried. After this I have no clear memory of anything until the Battle at Fayetteville, Ark., when our house was badly torn up by cannon shot. I Was past four years old at the time, and after this battle my memory of things that transpired is pretty clear.

After the war was over we moved from Arkansas to Dallas County, Mo., and my father took up land under the Homestead Act in a thinly settled part of the County where there was plenty of wild game Here I spent my boyhood days. We only had three months school in the year, in a little old log school house about three miles from our place. I was the oldest of ten children, and as my father had been badly used up in the Civil War, and much afflicted. I became the bread winner for the family, and at the age of thirteen was hired out for wages through the summer and winter clearing and fencing land. So by the time I was twenty-one we had quite a good-sized farm cleared out and were doing fairly well.

My father's health had become very poor, so he decided to sell the homestead and go to Eureka Springs, Ark. for his health. In the fall of the year he sold the old home place and took the family and went to Eureka, Arkansas. I was left alone without a dollar in the world, and sick with the Three Day Ague and lung trouble. I was under treatment of a doctor and not able to work. I went to a friend's house and agreed to stay with him through the winter and do his chores for my board and room.

He was badly afflicted with T B and soon became bed-fast and died before the winter was over. That left me again without a home and not a dollar in the world. I went to relative, Joseph Youngblood by name, who had a large farm and plenty of house room. He took me in and cared for me. He leased his farm to his son and me. He was to furnish everything and board us and give us half. My health was poor, but we sowed oats and millet and planted corn. We had a nice prospect for a good all-around crop, when I took down with an abscess in my left lung, which kept me bed-fast for thirty days.

This sickness put me in debt so much that it took all my part of the crop to pay my debts, and left me again without a dollar and without a home, as Mr. Youngblood had sold. his farm and moved to Texas. This was in the fall of 1882. I went to the man that had bought our old home place from Father, and made a bargain with him to pay half of all the family living expenses for my board and bed. lie had a wife and child. I worked with him in the timber, making shingles, until the 11th of January, 1883, when I was married to the girl who has been faithful to me through all of my sickness, poverty; and adversity. She was the daughter of old Squire Michael Hildebrand, an old farmer and citizen \who died a few years before we were married. We moved to ourselves on a small farm where we lived only a short time. We sold the little farm and began renting, moving from place to place for several years, during which time we had ten children born to us. In the early part of our married life we both became Christians and have endeavored to live good, clean, Christian lives. We have traveled many miles in the gospel work; passed through many hard places in life, and enjoyed many of the rich blessings of God.

Now after having been married fifty-nine years, we are alone again, but we are fully decided to live and die in the Christian faith We came to Pomona, California thirty-one years ago. How much longer we will remain here we know not; we only say, "The will of the Lord be done."

Three of our children died in infancy. The other seven are all married and most of them live near us. We have sixteen grandchildren and some great-grandchildren. The Lord has been good to us, and we hone and pray that all of our loved ones will give their hearts and lives to Him and live for Jesus and heaven. Farewell for the present.

(Elder J. W. Youngblood)

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