PABERKS-L Archives

From: "Betty J. Burdan" <>
Subject: Anna, Chas, Jonas, Frank A., George W. Yocum
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 13:39:57 -0500
In-Reply-To: <ea.5c8aac91.2eca30c6@aol.com>

With all this interest in the Yocums/Yocoms perhaps the following articles
would be of interest to someone researching these lines. My interest in
the Yocum/Yocoms is simply to identify those who are buried at the
Pottstown Cemetery.

Montgomery Ledger, April 24, 1866
Suddenly Death Jonas Yocum, an aged and highly respected citizen of this
borough, died suddenly, on Wednesday last. He had not been in very good
health for some time previous, but had recovered sufficiently to walk
about. On Wednesday morning he got up apparently as well as usual, dressed
himself, came down stairs, and sat down in a chair, but had scarcely done
so before he was taken with apoplexy, which cause his death almost
immediately. Mr. Yocum was in his 71st year.

The Montgomery Ledger, Pottstown, PA
January 17, 1916 - FUNERALS TODAY

The funeral of Miss Anna Yocom, of Philadelphia formerly of Pottstown, was
held this afternoon at 2:30 o'clock from the undertaking parlors of Harvey
C. Wilson, No. 170 North Charlotte Street. The services were in charge of
Rev. Irwin B. Kurtz, D.D., pastor of the Emmanuel Lutheran Church, and were
largely attended by relatives and friends. After the services the cortege
proceeded to the Pottstown Cemetery where the interment was made. The pall
bearers were Walter Hutt and William Strunk, of the Class of 1914,
Pottstown Hight School: Paul Henry, Francis Haring, Earl Lachman and John
McCarthy of Philadelphia. Funeral director Harvey C. Wilson had charge of
the arrangements. There were a number of beautiful floral tributes to
the memory of the deceased. [found buried at the Pottstown Cemetery, west end]

Montgomery Ledger, Pottstown, PA
December 3, 1878

YOCUM At Barto, Berks County, on the 29th inst., Charles C., son of Albert
E. and Catharine E. Yocum, aged 4 years, 8 months and 2 days. The
relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral from
the residence of his grandfather, Aaron Yocum, No. 323 Chestnut Street, on
Tuesday, December 3, at 2 o’clock, p.m. Interment at Pottstown Cemetery.

The Pottstown Ledger, Pottstown,
Montgomery County, PA
April 1, 1912

FRANK A. YOCUM CLOSES HIS LONG LIFE
He Left an Interesting Autobiographical Sketch
Active in Various Lines in His Career and When He Retired He Was in the
Leather Business
Was Elected to Position of Trust

After being in failing health for some time ex-Councilman Frank A. Yocum, a
highly respected citizen and business man of this town, died at 11:30
o’clock on Saturday night, in the 80th year of his age. His health had been
failing for some time, but he was confined to his bed for little more than
a week.

Recently he started to write a sketch of his life and put down some of his
recollections, seeming to feel a premonition. Unfortunately the writing of
the sketch was interrupted by death. He wrote as follows:

The Autobiography
Frank A. Yocum was born in West Pottsgrove Township, (Grosstown),
Montgomery County [PA], one mile and a half above Pottstown (Bramcote) on
April 7, 1832. He was the youngest son of Jonas and Sarah Danahower Yocum,
who had nine children, as follows: Rebecca, Leah, Edward D., Henrietta,
Jacob A., Amelia D., Margaret E., Annie and Frank A. all which are deceased.

With the exception of a few years, Mr. Yocum has lived all his life in
Montgomery County and was raised on the old homestead in West Pottsgrove
Township, but the main swing upon which is now erected the extensive works
of Stanley Flagg and Company. He attended the pay school in Grosstown until
he was 15 years of age, when he attended a select school taught by John
Rowan, Esq. in the borough of Pottstown. In the spring of 1850 he entered
Freeland Seminary, Collegeville, from which he graduated in the spring of
1852 and among his classmates were such men of prominence as Wayne
MacVough, William L. Williamson, General Brooke, Albert Longaker and his
brother who later became Judge Longaker.

Early Career
After leaving Freeland Seminary, Mr. Yocum began teaching and for two years
taught in Baumstown, one term in Amityville, Berks County and one term each
in Upper and Lower Pottsgrove township. He also taught a select school in
Pottstown. While teaching in this latter school he was tendered a position
as clerk in the store of Henry McKinty, at Douglassville, where he remained
for two years and then went to Reading to take a position with Haines and
German, wholesale dry goods dealers of that city. Mr. Yocum remained in
Reading one and a half years and then returned to Pottstown to assume a
position in the post office under Postmaster Davis H. Missimer and
continued there for a short time after William Savidge became head. He then
went into the retail grocery business in partnership with Mahlon Hartman,
but at the end of the first year they dissolved [the] partnership by Mr.
Yocum buying Mr. Hartman’s interest. He continued in this business for five
years when he was offered a position by J. Dutton Steele, Chief Engineer of
the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, as chief clerk in the roadway
department at Pottstown. When this department was moved to Reading he was
appointed ticket agent at Bechtelsville in the Colebrookdale line station
and then again returned to Pottstown to enter into the leather and shoe
finding business and after more than ten years, sold out to Charles W.
Lessig Sr.

On October 8, 1858, Mr. Yocum married Lucinda Leopold Missimer, second
daughter of Joshua and Ellen Leopold Missimer of Pottstown. Of this
marriage there were four children, Harry S., Daniel Wingard, Annie Virginia
and Charles P. Yocum. The three sons survive their father, his wife
departed this life on May 16, 1896.

For six years Mr. Yocum served as school director and for five years he was
secretary of the Board. He was later official visitor of the schools. He
was a member of Town Council from the eighth ward and was the first
president and presiding officer under the new law of Town Council. During
his six years as school director, he underwent instruction in theology at
night under the Rev. George Miller an during that time he transcribed from
the original two books of the Bible St. Matthew and the Psalms.
Enlisted in Company
During the Civil War, when the State of Pennsylvania was invaded by the
Southern Army, Mr. Yocum enlisted in a company of some 70 men to go to its
defense. The following were elected officers of the said company: Captain
John H. Hobart, First Lieut. George Rice, Second Lieut. Thomas C. Steele,
Orderly Sergeant William H. Dyer, Second Orderly Sergeant F. A. Yocum.

The company proceeded to Harrisburg and was sworn into service on the
capitol steps by Governor Curtin, assigned to a regiment and sent as far as
Chambersburg where the regiment encamped for 10 days, after which it was
discharged and sent home.

Mr. Yocum took a great interest in Sabbath School work and was one of the
first to organize a Sunday School in this town. When the Lutheran Church of
the Transfiguration was built he became a member of that church and was
always active in church work.

At this pint the recollections of this interesting life came to an end all
too soon. Mr. Yocum’s many friends will be sorry that he was unable to
finish his sketch.

The funeral will be held on Thursday afternoon from the late residence of
the deceased and interment will be made in the Pottstown Cemetery East End.
Before his death Mr. Yocum made all arrangements for his funeral which will
be carried out as far as possible……end.


Department of Veterans Affairs-Norristown, reports:
YOCUM, Franklin A. (b.4-7-1832 d.3-30-1912), Sec. D Lot 78, Civil War
veteran, enlisted 9-15-1862 discharged 9-27-1862, Co. E 19 Regt. PV, Sgt.,
Bates Vol. 5, p. 1191]

Pottstown Ledger, Pottstown, PA
Pottstown, Montgomery County, PA
January 13, 1885

A VISITOR IN POTTSTOWN
Mr. George W. Yocom of Hayes Grove, Cumberland County, PA, has been
spending several days in Pottstown, visiting relatives and friends. He is a
first cousin of Messrs. Frank A. Yocum, of Pottstown, and Edward D. Yocum
of Upper Pottsgrove, and has numerous other connections in this place and
vicinity. Mr. Yocom, who is a hale and pleasant gentleman of 58 years, left
here with his father Samuel Yocom, and family, consisting of a wife and six
children, in 1840, settling at Centreville, Cumberland County. The father,
mother two sons and one daughter, are since deceased, leaving three sons,
George W. Yocom, residing in Hayes Grove; Samuel H. Yocom, at Jacksonville,
Cumberland County, and Henry A. Yocom, of Harrisburg, still living. Mr.
Yocom, who is now visiting here, is an enterprising and intelligent
carpenter and builder, and has erected a number of new dwellings at Hayes
Grove and vicinity the past year. He has a family consisting of a wife and
four children, two of his sons having settled in Illinois. Since moving
away from Pottstown in the “log cabin and hard cider” days of 1840, he has
been back three times in 1850 and in 1853, and now, after a long gap of 32
years our Cumberland friend calls around again. He expresses himself as
greatly pleased with our nice looking town, and does not see many of the
old houses and buildings which he remembered when a boy. The improvement
and progress of Pottstown he considers wonderful, and he had to look around
a few times to make sure he was in the right place. When the Reading
Railroad was building Mr. Yocom helped at filling up and making the
embankments at the upper end of town. His father owned a horse and cart and
shoveled and loaded, while the son George drove the team and unloaded. He
recollects, away back forty-four years ago, some of the then well known
citizens, such as Jesse Ives, Peter Bechtel, Dr. VanBuskirk Sr, Jacob
Weaver, James Rittenhouse, George Bechtel, Henry Davidheiser, Samuel
Davidheiser, Henry Bucher, and others, all of whom, with the exception of
the last two or three, have passed away. Within a few miles of Pottstown,
Montgomery and Berks Counties, the first Yocums (spelled originally Jocomb)
came over from Sweden and settled 150 years or more ago, but their
descendants are scattered over many counties of this State and many States
of the Union. It is a good thing for relatives thus separated to come back
to the starting place occasionally, to look up the other branches of the
ancestral tree, and to establish anew the lines and corner-stones of
kinship. Mr. George W. Yocom has been doing this; bus as thirty-two years
is pretty long between visits, we hope he has hunted up old friends and
“missing links” of the family enough to induce him to come soon again.

Pottstown Cemetery, East Section reveals these Yocum burials:
YOCUM monument, engraved 4 sides, 5 initial stones in front, and 4 in back
(1) YOCUM, Minnie w/o Harry S. YOCUM (b.12-26-1870 d.12-9-1894)
(2) YOCUM, Harry S. (b.8-22-1859 d.11-16-1914)
(3) YOCUM, Daniel W. s/o H. S. & M. YOCUM (b.3-26-1892 d.4-14-1892
(4) YOCUM, Lucinda w/o Frank A. YOCUM (b.12-12-1830 d.5-15-1896)
(5) YOCUM, Annie V. d/o F. A. & L. YOCUM (b.12-22-1863 d.3-28-1865)
(6) YOCUM, Charles F. (1869 - 1938) [LDS YOCUM Charles F. (d. 12-29-1938)
age 69-8-9]
(7) YOCUM, Mary F. (1872 - 1952)
(8) YOCUM, Forrest F. s/o C. F. & M. F. YOCUM (b.8-11-1897 d.2-14-1898)
(9) YOCUM, Franklin A. (b. 4-7-1832 d. 3-30-1912) [military]
(10) YOCUM, Wingard (b.3-15-1861 d.3-17-1939)
(11) MOORE, Virginia Lee (1929 - 1933)

A second monument at the Pottstown Cemetery, East Section includes these
burials:
BOYER/YOCUM Monument, perpendicular to row
(1) BOYER, Henrietta w/o John BOYER (b.2-2-1825 d.4-16-1897)
(2) YOCUM, Amelia D. (b.5-24-1829 d.8-20-1884)
(3) YOCUM, Sarah, w/o Jonas YOCUM (b.5-10-1794 d.6-18-1864)
(4) YOCUM, Jonas (b.8-18-1795 d.4-18-1866)
(5) YOCUM, Lydia A. (b.11-7-1836 d.10-5-1838)

At another location are these headstones:
9. YOCUM, Jacob (b. 5-24-1772 d. 10-23-1850) age 78-5-30
10. YOCUM, Margaret w/o Jacob YOCUM (b. 3-?-?? d. 2-?-??) age 76-?-27
11. no headstone
12. YOCUM, Edward D. (b.10-10-1822 d.4-28-1892)
13. YOCUM, Rachel (b.7-15-1834 d.11-1-1911)
14. YOCUM, William H. (b.8-19-1858 d.6-16-1869)

Betty

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• Anna, Chas, Jonas, Frank A., George W. Yocum by "Betty J. Burdan" <>