George W. Yoakum I (1758 - 1800)

Born 15 Jan 1758 in Peach Creek, Greenbrier, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Martha (Van Bibber) Yoakum — married about 1776 in Greenbrier, Virginia, United States [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 28 Oct 1800 at age 42 in Yoakum, Claiborne, Tennessee, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Cari Yocom [send private message] and Dave Ellenwood [send private message]

Biography

Name is spelled Yocaam on the gravemarker at Rogers Cemetery. He is not listed in the list of participants in the Battle of Point Pleasant written by Simpson-Poffenbarger. What is the source for the information that he fought there?

Another question: Supposedly a Henry and George Yoakum fought at the Battle of Blue Licks. A Jesse Yocum is listed as captured, but there is no other Yocum (et var) listed. Where did the information that Henry and George fought in that battle come from? (http://genealogytrails.com/main/military/battleofbluelick.html)

The following excerpt from work by Steve Smith on The Yoakum Pages may partially answer this question:

"Matthias YOAKUM, Sr., had many children. One son, Matthais YOAKUM, Jr., had a daughter named Amelia "Milly" YOAKUM. She married General James RAY about 1781 in Kentucky. In those days there had to be county militias, made up of the young men of the county, for Indian defense. The county militias were also important during the Revolutionary War time period. In trying to explain the D.A.R. marker placed at George YOAKUM's grave I have a theory. I suspect that one of the grandsons of Matthias YOAKUM, Sr., by the name of George "YOCAAM", living in LINCOLN County, Kentucky, may have served under General RAY during this time period. Matthias YOAKUM had several grandsons by this name. It is possible that this same General James RAY was a Captain of the LINCOLN County Militia while he lived there in this time frame. I suspect that someone has confused the County Militia record for this George "YOCAAM" to be the record of the Powell Valley George YOAKUM. This m[a]y explain the statement of him serving as a Private in Captain RAY's Company; LINCOLN Mil. LINCOLN Mil may have been shortened for LINCOLN County Militia? This is the only theory I have at this time concerning this matter. In studying the life of George YOAKUM, I., of Powell Valley, this researcher has not found any record of him fighting as a Revolutionary War Soldier under Captain James RAY. His military experience seems to be his involvement at Point Pleasant in 1774, his acting as an Indian Scout in the GREENBRIER County Militia, and his involvement in County Militias at RUSSELL County, VA., LEE County, VA., and GRAINGER County, Tennessee. I do not show him ever living in LINCOLN County, Kentucky.

"NOTE: Later found information confirms that one George YOCUM and one Henry YOCUM did fight under the command of Captain James RAY in the LINCOLN County Militia in the Revolutionary period. See Bibliography attached [no Bibliography is attached to essay]. This researcher suspects that these two men were younger children of Matthias YOAKUM, SR. There is proof that George YOAKUM, son of Valentine, was still in GREENBRIER County at this time.

Captured by Indians at Massacre at Muddy Creek 1763 -1765 Age: 11 Muddy Creek, Greenbrier, Virginia, British Colonial America. His father Valentine was killed and his mother Margaret Elizabeth See and sisters Elizabeth and Sarah were captured and held by the Indians.

Cumberland Gap, Claiborne, Tennessee, United States. George and his brother in law Peter Van Bibber (Van Bebber) built Yoakum Fort about 14 miles from Cumberland Gap and Yoakum Station in Tennessee.

Son of VALENTINE YOAKUM & MARGARET ZEH.

George's Father Valentine Yoakum died July 15, 1763 in Muddy Creek, Greenbrier County, Virginia Yoakum Station. He was killed by a Shawnee Indian tomahawk.

George Yokum, son of Valentine Yokum and Margaret See/Zeh, born Feb 1755, married Martha "Patty/Patsy" VanBebber about 1776. She was daughter of Isaac Van Bibber and Sarah Davis. George and Martha were the parents of 11 or 12 children. After the death of George, in 1800, Patty remained in the Powell Valley until 1810, when she removed to Montgomery/Bond County, Illinois, and ending up in Sangamon County by 1819. She left with children John, Valentine Jr., Peter, William, James, Matthias, and perhaps a daughter named Nancy. She died in Sangamon or Menard County after 1819. George and Martha have many descendants in Tennessee and Illinois, as well as across the country. George Yokum fought at the Battle of Point Pleasant on Oct 10, 1774, where his future wife's father was mortally wounded.

Sources

• Tennessee Records: Bible Records and Marriage Bonds

Jeannette Tillotson Acklen

Heritage Books, May 1, 2009 - History - 542 pages

pp. 152-154

Yoakums Bible Record

Henderson Yoakums Bible Record

(Very fanciful but appears to be the source of George being killed by a bear. Written by grandson of George, Franklin Yoakum. Claims only seven children.)

Henderson Yoakum Bible Records p 152.

Henderson Yoakum Bible Records p 153

• The Battle of Point Pleasant: A Battle of the Revolution: October 10th, 1774. by Livia Nye Simpson-Poffenbarger. The State Gazette (Point Pleasant, West Virginia). 1909. (George is not listed in this book.)

https://archive.org/stream/battleofpointple00simpiala

• Setting All the Captives Free: Capture, Adjustment, and Recollection in Allegheny Country; Author: Ian K. Steele. Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP, Nov 1, 2013 - History - 552 pages (see images)

• Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Original data: Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp. Tennessee Census, 1810-91. Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.

Name: George Yoakum

State: TN

County: Grainger County

Township: No Township Listed

Year: 1799

Record Type: Tax list

Database: TN Early Census Index

• Estate and Guardianship Settlement Files (Grainger County, Tennessee); Author: Tennessee County Court (Grainger County); Probate Place: Grainger, Tennessee, Ancestry.com; Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008 for George Yoakum, Grainger Estate and Guardianship Settlements, 1796-1839. Image 97.

Administration of Estate of George Yoakum / Yokem / Yokum. 18 May 1801

• Steve Smith's Bibliography (http://incolor.inetnebr.com/gwbrownx/smithbiblio1.htm)

May 27, 1972; Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee; Letter written by Mrs. Hazel AUSMUS DAVIS, concerning the tombstones erected at the Felix ROGERS Cemetery. This is important information concerning the dates and names on the gravesite of Margaret YOAKUM:

"George YOAKUM, I., is buried in Felix ROGERS Cem. less than a mile from Ft. YOAKUM which he established. The ruins of the old fort can still be seen. The Felix ROGERS Cem. is located in CLAIBORNE Co, Tenn. At the time George YOAKUM I, was buried The County was still GRAINGER Co. CLAIBORNE County was nor formed until 1801. There is another tombstone beside George YOAKUM, I, whom we believe to be his wife Margret VAN BEBBER YOAKUM. The inscription was so dim we weren't able to read it, or to read enough of it to be positive."

NOTE: Considering what Mrs. DAVIS has said, we can now see that the name and dates on the tombstone could have read something entirely different than what they printed on her tombstone. I don't question the name Margaret, but I do question the dates of 1754 and 1794.

• History of the early settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois : "centennial record" by Power, John Carroll, 1819-1894. Springfield, Ill. : Edwin A. Wilson & Co. 1876. Archive.org: (https://archive.org/stream/historyofearlyse00powe)

p. 101 Nancy Yoakum md David Batterton

p. 101 William Yoakum md Priscilla Batterton

p. 271 Francis M. Duncan md Martha J. Yoakum

p. 271 Alice Duncan md Turner Yoakum

p. 381 Barila Hoag md Thomas C. Yoakum

p. 502 Elizabeth McHenry md Matthias Yoakum

p. 791 William Yoakum md to Sarah Simmons and his family

p. 791 Matthias Yoakum md Elizabeth McHenry and his family

p. 792 James Yoakum md Julia Owens and his family

• Findagrave.com

Photo of gravestone, mostly unreadable, and a memorial stone which is readable.

Birth: Jan. 15, 1758

Virginia, USA

Death: Oct. 28, 1800

Burial:

Rodgers Cemetery

Claiborne County, Tennessee, USA

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11094697

George Yoakum original Tombstone, with darkened letters

• family record