Christopher Yonges Sr. (abt. 1575 - 1626)

Born about 1575 in Reydon, Waveney District, Southwold, Suffolk, England [uncertain]

Husband of Margaret (Unknown) Yonges — married 1597 in Southwold, Suffolk, England

Descendants

Died 14 Jun 1626 at about age 51 in Reydon, Waveney District, Southwold, Suffolk, England [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: H Husted [send private message] and Derek Ralston [send private message]

Unknown Origins

No evidence of his parentage exists. The parents on this profile have been removed several times, as there is NO proof of his heritage and what does exist is conflicting. Lee-5956 10:02, 3 June 2016 (EDT)

Guesses have included

• George Young and Angherat Unknown
• Christopher Yonges and Joanna Horne
• Georgius Yonge and "Widow/Relecta" Cliff. Their son Christopher is named in the The visitation of Shropshire, taken in the year 1623. Based only on the name, it's been speculated this is our Christopher or possibly his father. No sources for this exist; Shropshire is across the country from Suffolk, as noted.
• Some have suggested he was born in Southwold or Reydon, Suffolk, England. Were there likely other Yonges families in Suffolk? Would a vicar in this era typically be from a local family?
• Selah Youngs claimed the surname was of Welsh origin.^[1]

Biography

The following note was posted via email a while back to LI-Rooters by Patricia McCabe , editor,"REV CHRISTOPHER YONGES FAMILY NEWSLETTER": "Rev. Christopher Yonges was born in 1575 - not 1545 (in old English script a 7 could easily have been construed as a 4). This was proven - by me (Patricia McCabe) - when I found the records of his ordination in the Norfolk Public Record Office, Norwich, Norfolk, England. Rev. Christopher was ordained an Anglican Deacon in 1599 "in his 24th year" and the following year ordained an Anglican Priest "in his 25th year". Both these ordinations took place in Norwich Cathedral and can be found in the book in which they were originally written. I have a copy of this - it was done by the staff at the record office. The original was in old Latin. I sent copies to Debretts in Winchester (Engl.) and they translated them into English."

Adult Life

"Rev. Christopher Youngs, born say 1575, entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, 25 April 1593. He was ordained as a priest in 1600, serving for a time as curate of Carlton-by-Keshall, Suffolk, before becoming vicar of Reyden and Southwold, Suffolk in 1611. He died 14 June and was buried in Southwold, 16 June 1626. Rev. Christopher Youngs had a wife Margaret___, who made her will 27 October 1630, and was buried at Southwold on 5 November 1630; her surname is unknown."^[2]

Christopher Yonges attended Cambridge University, obtaining a BA (1596) and a MA (1599).^[3]

Record in Alumni Database

Christopher YOUNG

Alias: Christopher YOUNGS

Adm. sizar at EMMANUEL, 25 Apr., 1593.

Matric. c 1593 ;

B.A. 1596/7 ;

M.A. 1600 .

Ord. deacon (Norwich) 21 Dec., 1599; priest, 25 Apr., 1600.

C. of Carlton-by-Kelshall, Suffolk .

V. of Southwold [ Suffolk ] and Reydon [ Suffolk ], 1611-26 .

Buried at Southwold [ Suffolk ], 16 Jun., 1626.

Will proved (Norwich C.C. [ Norfolk ]) 05 Jul., 1626.

Father of John (1620).

All his family emigrated to New England [cu] USA [/cu].

(J. G. Bartlett.)^[4][5]

Images of his ordination papers are available from the Youngs Family website.

Between 1611 and 1626, Rev. Christopher Yonges was the curate of a chapel in Southwold which was annexed to the vicarage of Reydon.

Robert Williamson of Southwold, mariner, will written October 25, 1617 & proved Feb. 6, 1617 bequeathes ten shillings to Mr. Christopher Yonges preacher of the word of God at Southwold, Eng.

Family

His wife's name was Margaret and they were the parents of the following children (all 6 survivors named in their parents' wills in this order)

1. John, b. Eng. 1598; m. Joan, widow Herrington m2 Mary Warren^[6]
2. Joseph b. Eng. m. Margaret Warren
3. Christopher b. Eng. m. Priscilla Elvin
4. Mary b. Eng. 1609, d. s. p. Salem, Mass., abt. 1638 m. William Brown
5. Margaret b. Eng. ^[7]
6. Martha b. Southwold, Eng., July 1, 1636; d. Southold, L. I abt. 27 June 1671; m. bef. July 1636 Thomas Moore b. abt. ??, d. Southold, L. I., 27 June, 1691. baptised 1613 not 1636

Edward b. Eng., drowned 25 July 1616. ^{[citation needed]} for his existence

Elizabeth b. Eng., drowned 25 July 1616, buried 31st. Married Peter Hallock ^{[citation needed] [8]}

Southwold Register, 1616

While vicar, Christopher recorded the loss of his eldest and fourth children by drowning in the Southwold Register as follows^[9]:

"The names of those who were drowned and found again. They were drowned in the haven coming from Donwich fayer, on St. James's day in a bote, by reason of one cable lying overwharf the haven, for by reason the men that brought them down was so negligent, that when they were redie to come ashore the bote broke lose, and so the force of the tide carried the bote against the cable and so overwhelmed. The number of them were xxii, but they were not all found. The widow Robson, Johne Bates, Mary Yewell, Susan Frost, Margaret Blackbourne and the widow Taylor, were all buried on the 26th day of July, being all cast away, coming from Donwick fayer, on St. James's daye."

"Widow Poster was buried the 27th day of Julye. Bennett Allen was buried the 30th daie, Goodie Kerrison same daie. Edward and Elizabeth Younges, daughter and son to me, C. Younges, vicar and minister, was buried the 31st Dae of Julie."

"All these were found again in this towne and buried."

Death and Legacy

Abstract of his will

"Christopher Yonges, clerk, minister of Southwold 21 November ___ proved July 5, 1626. To wife Margaret all lands, etc., for life. Then to my six children John, Joseph, Christopher, Mary, Margaret, and Martha. To eldest son all my books except some English books as my wife or my chidren shall choose out for their use, one or two apiece. To John and Thomas Yonges my grand children, to each a silver spoon. Wife Margaret and John Smith and Thomas Elliot of Southwold to be executors."^[10]

Burial

Christopher was interred in the chancel of St Margaret of Antioch Church in Reydon, Suffolk. The inscription set in a brass tablet reads:

"Here lyeth interred e/y body of Mr. Christopher

Yonges who departed this life e/y 14 Day of June

anno Domini, 1626,

A good man full of faith was hee

Here preacher of Gods word

And manie by his ministrie

Were added to the Lord. (Act. II 24.)"^[11]

Research Notes

Surnames

Per the discussion on G2G, we will be merging duplicate profiles for Christopher into LNAB of Yonges.

Rev. Christopher Young was a character in a short story by Agnes Strickland published in in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine, January 1851.^[12]

Move this source to profile for Benjamin Yonges of Southold and family:

Lucy Akerly. "Southold, N. Y., Town Records, Vital Statistics from Libers D. and E., in the the Town Clerk's Office." New York Genealogical and Biographical Record 39 (Jan 1938): 59. Google Books

Sources

1. ↑ Selah Youngs, Jr. Youngs Family: Vicar Christopher Yonges, His Ancestors in England and His Descendants in America: a History and Genealogy. (New York: privately published, 1907), pp. 1-6: The Name and Nationality - Welsh Ancestry Archive.org
2. ↑ Bradley, Hal. (2016, Jan). "William Brown of Salem, Massachusetts, and the Youngs Family of Suffolk, England, and Southold, Long Island: Additional English Sources on Their Connection. The American Genealogist, vol. 88, no. 1, pages 73-77
3. ↑ Cambridge University Alumni, 1261-1900 via Ancestry.com
4. ↑ database for "Alumni Cantabrigienses" (Cambridge University) page 492. link
5. ↑ Reydon, Southwold and Carlton by Kelsale were in Norwich diocese at that time.
6. ↑ Will of Thomas Warren
7. ↑ This note says she married Capt Joseph Youngs of Salem and Southold - who he? - and was the executor of her brother Rev Christopher jr's will (1647). An alternative theory here would make Margaret's brother the Captain - in which case the "sister" in the 1647 will would have to mean sister-in-law
8. ↑ Some sources give the date as 11th July, but the register quotation says St James's Day.
9. ↑ ^{[citation needed]} for this transcription. Daniel Kelsey Youngs' Rev. Christopher Yonges and Pastor John Youngs: Thomas Youngs of Oyster Bay and his descendants : the 250th anniversary of Pastor Youngs' settlement. (Oyster Bay: Charles Welling (printer), 1890), 14, Archive.org, and Selah Youngs's book, Archive.org, both give a different version in which Edward becomes "Mistress Ward" and the words "daughter and son..." don't appear. Agnes Strickland's story gives the version quoted here.
10. ↑ "Genealogical Gleanings in England." NEHGR 52 (April 1898), 245. Retrieved from AmericanAncestors.org
11. ↑ Christopher Yonges on Findagrave.com
12. ↑ Agnes Strickland. "The Dangers of Doing Wrong: A Tale of the Seaside." Harper's New Monthly Magazine 8, No. 2 (January 1851). Project Gutenberg

• Delmar, J. P. (1998-2014). a look backward : Perraults and Mosiers . . . a bit of family history.
• Dietz, J. (2011). Brook Haven South Haven Hamlets and their People, a database which includes some sources
• Judy Jacobson. Southold Connections: Historical and Biographical Sketches of Northeastern Long Island. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992). On Ancestry.com or Google Books
• Eileen McKinnon-Suggs. "Our Kingdom Come" database.
• Geni.com profile for Christopher Yonges
• Youngs Family website.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to all who have provided input to this profile.