Life History

Notes

• George Yandell was born about 1853, though most genealogies report him born about 1852.  His birth on his memorial in Find a Grave is February 1852.  But no photo of the grave is provided.
  
  This date of birth cannot be correct.  Because his parents marriage record in Henry County, Missouri, indicates George's parents William Yandle and Manda Clark did not marry until September 1852.  It is highly unlikely he was born months before they married.  And no record or genealogy suggests that.
  
  The 1900 census has his birth date as an even more absurd Apr 1847.  The 1860 census report that George was only 8 years old in 1860!  The reported age of 53 was the basis of the enumerator's report.  If George was 8 years old in 1860, then in 1900 he shoudl have been about 48.  Age reports vary a lot in this era from census to census across the board in some regions.
  
  A reference from the Isom Terry family tradition suggested that Rachel Terry Hughes married George W Yandell.  A reference form a Terry-Yandell rseracher that mentioned both husband's names gave me a clue to both Rachel's husbands.
  
  "Have you found any documents to support Rachel marrying John Hughes before she married George W Yandell?"
  --  Jami Sue Yarger Brandt, Geneanet Messaging communication to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 30 April 2015
  
  With these names I found the record of George and Rachel's marriage in Johnson County, Arkansas, where we would expect.  This date is a few months after the death of Rachel's first husband John Hughes.
  
  Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
  Geo W Yandle
  Residence Butts Store, Johnson, Arkansas
  Geo W Yandle, Johnson County
  Age 26, Birth Year abt 1852
  Spouse's Name Mrs Rachel Hughes
  Spouse's Residence Fort Douglas, Johnson, Arkansas, Age 26
  License Date 30 Jan 1878
  Ceremony by James C Harris, Justice of the Peace
  Ceremony 1 Feb 1878
  Registered 8 Feb 1878, Marriages Book 0, page 256
  
  In had seen reference to the Terry-Hughes marriage information, but only in June 2016 did I find the actual marriage record for Rachel Terry and John Hughes.
  
  Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
  John Hughes
  Age 21, Birth Year abt 1851
  Residence Johnson, Arkansas
  Spouse's Name Rachel A Tary
  Spouse's Age 20 [b abt 1852]
  Spouse's Residence Johnson, Arkansas
  Marriage 16 Jun 1872 Johnson County
  
  "G.W. Yandell was my great grandfather. ... Rachel had a son, John, when she married George and they had two children; William Isom, and Mary Ellen.  My g-mother was Amanda Yandell, the youngest of Mary Bunker's (Huffstuttler) children.  She had three; Nathan, Charles, and Amanda.  After Mary died, George married Sally Smithwick and they had one child; Oma Jeanette.  Sally Smithwick died and George married Ruth Hickenbottom.  I think George died around 1905 and supposedly he and all four wives are buried in the Hartman, Arkansas cemetery. (unmarked)."
  --  Lanita ("tandibruce"), Ancestry Messaging  to Orville Boyd Jenkins, Jun 27, 2016
  
  There is no burial information on Find a Grave for anyone named George Yandle in Johnson County or anywhere in Arkansas.  There are a few Yandles in other counties.  I found that most families spell the name Yandell.  There are 3 George Yandells in Hartman Cemetery, where Rachel is buried, but all of them were born 1880 or later.
  
  But George's fourth marriage occurred in October 1905.  Though Lanita reports the name of George's 4th wife is Ruth, a record matching his information exactly  is found on a marriage license for G W Yandle and Mrs Mary A Higginbottom.  (The spellings Higginbottom and Hickembottom are variations of the same name, as well as Higginbothan and other forms.  Just as Yandell was spelled in a variety of ways in records and by family members.)  Both G W and Mary live in Hartman.  No further record has been found of either G W or Mary.
  
  George was born in Missouri.  In the 1860 census, he was enumerated as the oldest child of his family in Hickory County, Missouri.
  
  1860 Federal Census, Hickory County, Missouri, 7 June, Township 37, PO Black Oak Point, page 15-16, Hse/Fam #108
  William Yandle 30 M Farmer $0 Real Estate $80 Personal born Tennessee Cannot read or write [b abt 1830]
  Amanda Yandle 23 M born Indiana Cannot read or write [b abt 1837]
  - page 16 -
  George W Yandle 8 M born Missouri [b abt 1852]
  Mary E Yandle 5 F born Missouri [b abt 1854]
  Amanda Yandle 1 F born Missouri [b abt 1859]
  
  Between 1868 when Fielden was born and the census in 1870, George's parents moved the family to Kansas.
  
  1870 Federal Census, Labette County, Kansas, 8 June, PO Chetopa, Richland Township, page 15 (scan 109), Hse/Fam #115
  Yandle, William 40 M W Farmer $0 Real Estate $300 Personal born Kentucky [b abt 1830]
  Yandle, Amanda 36 F W Home b Missouri [b abt 1834]
  Yandle, George 20  M W Farmer born Missouri [b abt 1850]
  Yandle, Mary 17 F W home born Missouri [b abt 1863]
  Yandle, Fielden A 12 M W born Missouri [b abt 1868]
  
  George and Rachel were enumerated in the 1880 census with her son John Hughes in their home in Pilot Point, Johnson County, Arkansas.  Note that John Hughes' birthplace is reported as Kentucky.  If this is correct, it means that John and Rachel moved to Kentucky for a short time, then she moved back, probably after his death.  But John is buried there in Johnson County.
  
  1880 Federal Census, Johnson County, Arkansas, 2 June, Pilot rock, District 88, page 10 (scan 258A), Hse #8, Fam #10
  Yandel, George W M 26 Head Farming Cannot read or write MO KY IN [b abt 184]
  Yandel, Rachel W F 27 Wife Keeping House Cannot read or write KY OH KY [abt 1853]
  Hughes, John W M 7 Stepson Kentucky Ark Kentucky [b abt 1873]
  
  There is some confusion about Rachel Terry Hughes Yandell's death date.  There are two similar grave memorials in very similar names in Hartman Cemetery, Johnson County, Arkansas,.  Both have the very same birth date and the same death day, but one has the death year as 1890 and the other has the year of death as 1895.  The 1895 death matches the birth of George's last child reported in the 1900 census, born in Dec 1894.  But why is her name Hughes or Hughes Washborn instead of Hughes Yandell or Terry Yandell?
  
  The name on the memorial, with the marker photo, reporting the date of death as 12 January 1890, is Rachel Hughes Washborn.  The other in the name of Rachel Hughes, has no marker, and the date of death there is reported as 25 January 1895.  A marriage record reports that George married Mary Bunker in May 1890, which would fit with the death of his wife Mary Terry Hughes Yandell in January 1890.
  
  The date of death 1895 may be for the next wife, Mary Bunker in the marriage record, whom George married on 12 May 1890.  No death record has been found in either name to match either of these names or dates.  But with George's marriage to Mary E Bunker in May 1890, we can take the date of 25 January 1890 as likely.  We know it was after the birth of Mary E Yandell in March 1888 (if the 1900 census is right about her bihht).
  
  This birth date is likely close to corect, since it was only a comparatively short time before the 1900 census, compared to George's which defuinitely seems to be too early.  But if we take that as the death date, then this seems to affirm the birth and death dates on the grave memorial in the name of Rachel Hughes Washborn, leaving is stil lwith that anomaly.  We can only watch for other records or clues to turn up along the way.
  
  G W Yandell
  Marriage 18 May 1890 Johnson, Arkansas
  Age 38, Birth Year (Estimated) 1852
  Residence Hartman, Johnson, Arkansas
  Spouse's Name Mary E Bunker
  Spouse's Age 30, Birth Year (Estimated) 1860
  Spouse's Residence Hartman, Johnson, Arkansas
  Marriage License Date 14 May 1890
  
  The following record in the 1900 census appears to be our George Yandell  Though the township is different from the 1880 census, the county is the same.  Several genealogies also attach this family record to George and his children.  George's birth date as reported here is a good bit earlier than any other age report in previous records which range from 1850 to 1852.  His stated birth date here is April 1847. Three of the chidlren are born after 1890, the year wehen Rachel is reported to havce died in Janaury, according to one of the grave memorials, and grave photo, as well as several genelaogies.
  
  This would fit with the marriage reported above of George to Mary E Bunker in May 1890.  George is reported as widowed here.  Mary could have died before the 1900 census, though I have not found a death or burial record of a memorial on Find a Grave.
  
  1900 Federal Census, Johnson County, Arkansas, 18 June, Ward Township, District 44, Page 13A, House #218, Family #226
  Yandell, George W Head W M Apr 1847 53 Widowed MO OH OH Farm Laborer Rents
  Yandell, William T Son W F Dec 1884  15 Single AR MO AR Farm Laborer
  Yandell, Mary E Dau W F Mar 1888  8 Single AR GA MS Servant
  Yandell, Charles E Son W M Feb 1892  13 Single AR MO AR
  Yandell, Amanda V Dau W F Dec 1894  5 Single AR MO AR
  Moore, Michael Boarder W M Aug 1846 53 Single AR Ireland OH Farm Laborer
  
  The 1900 census has George's birth date wrong.  His parents marriage record in Henry County, Missouri, reprots they married 16 Sep 1852 in Henry County, Missouri.  His grave has an also incorrect date of February 1852.
  
  George married Sarah (Sally) Smithwick in December 1900.
  
  Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
  G W Yandells
  Age 52, Birth Year abt 1848
  Residence Hartman, Johnson, Arkansas
  Spouse's Name S J Smithwick
  Spouse's Age 35
  Spouse's Residence Hartman, Johnson, Arkansas
  Marriage 18 Dec 1900 Johnson County
  Marriage License Date 17 Dec 1900
  
  Arkansas Marriage License
  George W Yandell
  Mrs Mary A Higginbottom
  Residence of both Hartman, Johnson County, Arkansas
  Marriage license 5 October 1905, solemnized same date
  --  Johnson County Marriage Record Book, p 228
  
  --------------------
  The following death and burial announcement for a George Yandell was attached to our George in another genealogy.  A matching burial is found in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, acress the border form Scott County, Arkansas, where the Waldron Advance newspaper had publsihed a 2-line death announcement for the George Yandell who was buried in Le Flore County.  However, as more records were discovered, it appeared this was a different George Yandell..
  
  "...Uncle George Yandell, a brother of Judge Edmond Yandell, died of pneumonia last Thursday night [2 March 1905?].  He will be buried in Heavener. (Oklahoma)"
  --  Waldron Advance, Waldron, Arkansas, 10 March 1905 [Friday]; text reported in the Townsend Family Tree on Ancestry.com
  
  Waldron is in Scott County, Arkansas, bordering Le Floore County, Oklahoma.  It is not clear here where death occurred.  His FAG memorial manager concludes that death was in Oklahoma, but it seems more likely it was in Scott County, Arkansas.  The date of death, however, is complicated by the discovery of a marriage record for George W Yandle and Mary A Higgenbottom, in Hartman, Johnson County, Arkansas, where George was still living in 1900.
  
  Further, the marriage record was found for George's 3rd marriage to Sally Smithwick, with the date of December 1900.  This means George married his 4th wife at a later date.  A record in Hartman, Johnson County, Arkansas, matches the report of Ruth Hickebottom, except that the name is not Ruth by Mary A:  Mrs Mary A Higginbottom.
  
  This appears to be the 4th marriage reported by a great granddaughter of George and Mary Huffstuttler Bunker.  The date of this marriage was 5 October 1905, after the date of March 1905 when George is reported to have died.  Was there another "Uncle George Yandell" in Scott County that the above death reprot refers to?  And which has been referenced in our G W Tandell's memorial on Find a Grave?
  
  George W Yandell
  Birth Jan 1852 Scott County, Arkansas
  Death Mar 1905 Le Flore County, Oklahoma
  Note: Information taken from 10 Mar 1905 death notice printed in the Waldron Advance
  Burial Memorial Park Cemetery, Heavener, Le Flore County, Oklahoma
  Created by Julie McLaughlin Aug 11, 2015
  --  Find A Grave Memorial #150491485, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Yandell&GSiman=1&GScid=98611&GRid=150491485&
  --------------------
  

Sources

• 1. Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
• 2. 1860 Federal Census, Hickory County, Missouri
  • 7 June, Township 37, PO Black Oak Point, page 16, Hse/Fam #108
• 3. 1880 Federal Census, Johnson County, Arkansas
  • 2 June, Pilot Rock, District 88, page 10 (scan 258A), Hse #8, Fam #10
• 4. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 5. Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002
• 6. Lanita Tandi
• 7. Death Announcements
• 8. 1900 Federal Census, Johnson County, Arkansas
  • 18 June, Ward Township, District 44, Page 13A, House #218, Family #226
• 9. Jami Sue Yarger Btrandt
• 10. 1870 Federal Census, Labette County, Kansas
  • 8 June, PO Chetopa, Richland Township, page 15 (scan 109), Hse/Fam #115
• 11. Arkansas Marriage License
• 12. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
• 13. 1900 Federal Census, Johnson County, Arkansas
  • 18 June, Ward Township, District 44, Page 13A, House #218, Family #226
• 14. 1920 Federal Census, Faulkner County, Arkansas
  • 16 January, Havre Township, District 33, page 8A, Hse/Fam #5
• 15. California, Death Index, 1940-1997
• 16. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
• 17. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
• 18. Rootsweb Obituary Index
  • Location: http://sites.rootsweb.com/~obituary/;