My Genealogy Hound

D. J. Young, resident agent for the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association, of St. Louis, for Fort Smith and adjacent territory, was born in Illinois September 4, 1848, and is the son of William and Sarah (Wells) young, who were married in Ohio, and soon afterward went to Illinois where they were pioneer settlers of Bureau County. Here they both died, William at the age of seventy-one and Sarah at the age of sixty-eight. The Young family were of old New England stock. Sarah (Wells) Young was also a native of Ohio, was of German descent on the mother’s side, and on the father’s side for several generations back were Americans. She was the mother of nine children, of whom D. J. Young is next to the youngest in order of birth. He grew to manhood on a farm in Illinois, and received a good education for the chances he had. At the age of twenty he left Illinois, went to Missouri, and here followed the railroad business for nine years, being conductor for six years. He ran a train, principally to Missouri, on the St. Louis, Salem & Little Rock Railroad. In 1877 he quit the railroad, and engaged in merchandising for about three years, when he became agent for the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association, of St. Louis, residing at Seligman, Mo., while that was a railroad point. He left that city and moved to Fort Smith in 1883, though he had an agency here in 1882. Mr. Young has also been engaged in the brick business, under the firm name of Braden & Young, and furnished all the large contracts in the city while in the business, principally the United States court-house, the county court-house, the Anheuser-Busch building, Masonic Temple and others. He is sole proprietor of the Fort Smith Steam Bottling Works, in Fort Smith, and has enlarged the business to its present proportions. He became sole proprietor in March, 1888. Its capacity will supply a trade of 50,000 inhabitants. Mr. Young has been the prime mover in having the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association invest nearly $60,000 in buildings in the city. He was married in Steelville, Mo., to Miss Angie Jamison, June 16, 1873, daughter of Preston and Mary (Early) Jamison. This union resulted in the birth of four children: James Roswell, Imogene, Maude and Agnes Early. Maude died at the age of four months and eight days. Mr. Young is a Republican in politics, and is a stockholder in the American National Bank, of Fort Smith. He is also a stockholder in the Fort Smith Canning Company, Fort Smith Building & Loan Association No. 3, Fort Smith Journal Publishing Company, fort Smith Fair Association, Van Buren Ice and Coal Company, Border City Ice & Coal Company, of Fort Smith, and Border City Soap Factory, and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, being a Knight Templar of that order in four lodges; a K. of P., both subordinate and uniform rank; A. O. U. W., and uniform rank of the order, in which he carries $5,000 life insurance. He is also insured for $2,000 in the Masonic fraternity, and the same amount in the New England and New York Mutual. Mr. Young owns business property on Townsen Avenue and on Rogers Avenue, and residence property on Fifth Street and Twelfth Street, and has great confidence in the future prospects of Fort Smith. He avoids serving as a director in any of the many enterprises he is interested in, as he has enough business of his own to look after.