A MAN OF HIS TIME



No doubt I have many unsavory ancestors, yet we all take pride in those who had at least 15 minutes of fame. My dad's forefathers fought in the Revolution, the Battle of San Jacinto and Sam Houston, the Mexican War, the Civil War (Confederacy), WWI, and WWII. One-half of my mother's DNA is from people already here when the Europeans and Mexicans invaded their land and committed genocide. Native Americans fought hard to keep their beloved land but were outgunned.

William Cocke Young, my great grandfather+, holds the distinction of being somewhat famous in Texas history. Young moved from Tennessee to Red River County as a young man. He became the county's first sheriff and was eventually appointed the District Attorney by Sam Houston. He spent most of his career chasing Indians, some of who were likely my mother's ancestors. Young participated in the Battle of Village Creek, which was an expedition to root out Indians from their villages due to the Indians' habit of raiding the homes of white settlers. Later, he formed a company of soldiers to fight in the Mexican War. After the Mexican War, he moved to Grayson County, practiced law, and served as a US Marshall.

Young traveled by horseback to meet with Jefferson Davis in Alabama when the Civil War began, then organized and commanded the Eleventh Texas Calvary. While chasing a band of bandits preying on Confederate and Union soldiers, he was killed in the canebrakes along the Red River. James Young, Colonel Young's son, followed the trail of the assassins and found one of them. James forced the man at gunpoint to accompany him where Colonel Young was murdered and had the Colonel's slaves hang him.

Colonel Young lived five years after Young County was named in his honor in 1856. When I was a child, my family traveled to Graham, the Young County seat, for a family reunion. I remember driving past a large two-story white house standing alone in the treeless prairie a few miles from Graham. Relatives told us that Colonel Young had briefly lived with his third wife before his death.

Colonel Young would be considered courageous by today's standards. He fought in two wars and in many battles with Native Americans. If I took a time machine back to the 1860s, I'm confident the two of us would have opposing positions on Indians and enslaved people. I admire his bravery and believe that his courage was passed down to me, as I occasionally engage in verbal interchanges where invariably I'm of the minority opinion.

I'm not proud that my ancestor enslaved people and killed Indians, but I know that the Colonel felt an allegiance to his adopted state of Texas and did what he could to protect it.

In 1923, Colonel Young's great-grandson, John Crain, became one of the first Dallas police officers to be killed in the line of duty. Crain was investigating a burglary in Dallas when he was shot. I have been honored to represent the family at the annual Dallas Police Memorial services several times, which has led me to tears when I stand up as his name is called. His sacrifice and many other police officers will never be forgotten. Colonel Young would have been proud.


The man standing on the far left is John Crain. The elderly woman sitting with the animal hide over her legs is Mary Ann Young Crain, daughter of Colonel Young.

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