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An American Family History

Joshua Yerkes, Jr. 
Berkeley County, Virginia was created from the northern third of Frederick County, Virginia in 1772. Jefferson County was formed from the county's eastern section. In 1863 Berkeley County became part of the new state of West Virginia .

Joshua Yerkes, Jr. was born on August 11, 1772 in Berkeley County, Virginia which is now Jefferson County, West Virginia. His father was Joshua Yerkes.

According to his pension record from the war of 1812, he married Margaret Reed in 1799 in Hagerstown, Virginia. Margaret was born on December 25, 1784 in Jefferson County, Virginia. Her parents were Thomas Reed and Mary Calvert.

Joshua and Margaret's children were Nathaniel Yerkes (1808), John Yerkes (1810), Rachel Yerkes Reed (1812), Joshua Yerkes (1814), Mary Yerkes Griffith (1817), Margaret Yerkes Jolly (1821), and Samuel Yerkes (1824).

The family appeared in the 1810 census of Jefferson County, Virginia. The family consisted of two boys under ten, a man between 26 and 44, and a woman between 16 and 25.

Children of Joshua Yerkes
  • Joshua Yerkes, Jr.
  • Margaret Yerkes Blue (Peggy)
  • Josiah Yerkes
  • Mary Yerkes Conklin
  • Rachel Yerkes Irvin
  • Priscilla Yerkes Wood
    		•

    Dearborn County is in southeastern Indiana. It was organized in 1803. All or part of six other counties including Ohio and Switzerland were carved from the original Dearborn County. Settlers from the eastern states began coming to Dearborn in the late 1790’s.

    Joshua served in the War of 1812 in the 57th Regiment, Virginia Militia as a corporal in Captain Thomas Cockerell's Company of Infantry in a Regiment commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George Minor. He began service August 26, 1814 and mustered out in December, 1814 in Washington. His home was listed as Jefferson County, Virginia. The distance of the place of discharge from his home was sixty six miles. He received ten dollars a month. In his pension application he said that he

    was guarding Ft. McHenry, Relived Picket Guards five nights in Succession kept Cogburn from coming into Ft McHenry & from there we went to Bladensburg and was there two or three months to keep them from coming into Washington City. My discharge was lost when I was getting land.

    In 1840 Joshua (Yarkes) was living in Springfield Township Hamilton County, Ohio. At the time of the 1850 census, Joshua and Margaret were living in Dearborn, Indiana. Joshua was 70 and Margaret was 66. Joshua and Margaret appeared in the 1860 census of Dearborn. Joshua (jashuay Yerks) was 83 and Margaret was 78.

    Margaret died on June 15, 1866 of a heart attack in Bright, Dearborn County, Indiana.

    At the time of the 1870 census, Joshua was still living in Harrison Township. He (josuah gergers) was a member of the James and Mary "refett" household. Joshua was 89, James refett was 57 and Mary refett was 53.

    Joshua died on February 28, 1872 in Bright, Indiana.

    The War of 1812 was between the United States and the British Empire and was fought from 1812 to 1815. The U.S. declared war because of trade restrictions with France, impressment, and British support for American Indian resistance. During the war both countries invaded each other's territory. Eventually they reached a stalemate and signed the Treaty of Ghent on December 24, 1814.

       
     

    Joshua Yerkes was born in Virginia and came from that State to Ohio, where he settled in Springfield township in the year 1819. All through his life he followed the business of farming, and was a soldier in the War of 1812. He died in Indiana in his hundredth year.

    His wife, Margaret Yerkes, died in her eighty-seventh year. The surviving members of the family are John H., Rachel Reed, Mary Griffith, Margaret Jolly, and Joshua, the second son and subject of this sketch.

    [Joshua Yerkes, Jr.]... was born in Virginia, in the year 1812, and came with his parents to Hamilton county when but a lad of seven summers. He left the parental roof at the age of fourteen; was twice married, first to Miss Eliza McGillard, daughter of an early pioneer. To Mr. and Mrs. Yerkes was born an only son, Howard, who resides in Iowa and has a wife and two children. Mr. Yerkes lost his companion after four years of married life. Mr. Yerkes married for his second wife Miss Elizabeth Brown, who was also of quite an early and prominent family, of whom an extended account will be found elsewhere. To this second marriage were born six children four sons and two daughters-Susan, Alfred, Elizabeth, Hiram, Martin, and Edward all living    .
         

     

         

    ©Roberta Tuller 2012
    tuller.roberta@gmail.com