Early Pioneer Days in Texas
Chapter XV
C. C. Yoakum
This noble pioneer was born in Hardy County, West Virginia, near the Allegheny mountains, and spent his youth in that interesting community, but cast his lot with Texas pioneers in 1839. He has a vigorous body and enjoyed life abundantly.
It was his duty to tend his father's stock, which he ranged in the excellent grass of the prairies so abundant as to reach the animals' sides. It was great sport to him to give chase to them as they were attempting to get away from control on fleet-footed horses racing as if they were racing for life. Fond as he was of the hunt, and being of a jovial nature, he had many friends among the young men who spent a great deal of time hunting. A real royal time they had with their dogs and guns in pursuit endeavoring to keep up with the hounds and kill the wild game and carniverous animals. How he delighted to tell of the enjoyment he got out of the delightful mountain springs with their abundance of flowing, cool, clear water. How he used to enjoy the scenery of the mountains and tell of the view away out in the distance seemingly a hundred miles away, and with what awe he was inspired as he looked at the variety of colors in nature's paint shop among the trees and cliffs and mountains as peak stood up above peak, seemingly trying to outreach one another in the attempt to reach a higher plane and endeavor apparently to reach heaven and seemed to be trying to get in touch with the infinite. The mountain seems to be the place of God's revelation to men in all ages. He gave Moses the law on a tablet of stone in the mountain. Moses had his last view on earth at the promised land somewhere in the mountain. And in the mountains, where Moses was either translated or buried, Satan contended with the angel for his body.
In those Virginia mountains, where our subject spent his boyhood days, it was an ideal home to him, but the temptations of the call of Texas brought him here in '49. He landed at Shreveport, at which place he bought an ox team, and came overland in a wagon and located at his old home place, six miles northwest of Honey Grove. This place he calls home home, sweet home the place he so much loved and labored so many years during his manhood days in improving and building.
C. C. Yoakum and his good wife, Mary, were very industrious, hard-working people and accumulated an independence with good property and a good quantity of stock. They had two sons and two daughters, all of them now living Bettie, the oldest, married Mr. Dock Gober, and after his death married Mr. Bud Stallings, and live at Eulia, Swisher County ; Ed., the oldest son, married Miss Lee Nicholson, and they live in the old Capt. Nicholson home; they have two children, a boy, Willie, and a daughter named Ethlyn. Miss Mollie Yoakum, the younger daughter of C. C. Yoakum, married P. B. Johnson, and have five sons Henry, Mort, Carl, Ivan and Willie. Mr. Johnson is a prosperous farmer, and his boys are equally industrious and are good business men. Mr. Mortimer Yoakum married Miss Laura Erwin, and they were parents of four boys and four grils. They live in the old homestead and are all doing well.
C. C. Yoakum died in 1909 and his wife preceded him in 1887. Their labors are over and have passed to the home prepared from before the foundation of the earth, for that is the promise to those who are redeemed of the Lord, and they were certainly good, Christian people.
