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Aaron Younkins |
Aaron Younkins -- also spelled "Younkin" -- was born in about 1840 or 1841 in Tannersville, Monroe County, PA, the son of Simon and Ann (Bishop) Youngken of the family of George Yonkin Jr. He was a casualty of the Civil War.
Aaron as an adult stood 5 feet, 5 inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown hair and blue eyes. Circa 1860, at the age of 20, he dwelled on a farm in Clarks Green/Blakeley, Lackawanna County, PA, to where he had moved as an apprentice to shoemaker James Burt. He also worked for Joseph Heckman and merchant Jacob Stauffer in Tannersville.
During the Civil War, Aaron and his brother Samuel and their father all served in the Union Army.
Aaron was assigned to the 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company K. Having been an apprentice shoemaker, the Army put him to work as a saddler, responsible for maintaining and repairing leather equipment. He was promoted to corporal on Nov. 1, 1863. When his term of service ended, he re-enlisted as a veteran volunteer at Portsmouth on Dec. 21, 1863.
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| Ferocious fighting at Ream's Station, where Aaron Youngkin was killed Famous Leaders and Battle Scenes of the Civil War |
He is known to have sent his pay home to his mother in April or May 1864 in the amount of $75 and to his sister Isabella of $20.
Tragically, he was killed in action along the Weldon Railroad at Ream's Station, VA on June 29, 1864. During this battle, the Confederate Army under the command Maj. Gen. William Mahone and Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee defeated Union cavalry attempting to raid Confederate railroads south of Petersburg. Aaron's place of burial is lost to history.
His grieving mother petitioned the government for a military pension as compensation for her loss, and it was awarded. [Widow App. #274.807 - Cert. #214.559]
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Copyright © 2023-2024, 2026 Mark A. Miner |
Content for this biography courtesy of the National Archives. |