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Belgians in the Civil War

Emigrants arrival

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BELGIANS IN AMERICA:    Biographies of Belgian settlers  

ADAM YOUNGPETER, an enterprising farmer, now of Marion township, Allen county, Ohio, is native of the Buckeye state, and was born in Seneca county July 11, 1847, of sterling old German parentage.

Hubert Youngpeter, father of our subject, was born in Belgium, one of the oldest monarchies of Europe, and there married Anna M. Peter. To this union were born in the old country four children-a infant, deceased; Michael (first); John, who died in our Civil war and Nicholas, who was killed by a falling tree after coming to America. In 1847 Hubert, with his small family, sought a home in the republic of the United States, and after his arrival here there were born to him and wife the following children: Annie, Adam, Susan, Thomas, Michael (second), and Margaret-all of whom lived to reach maturity, but of whom three a only living-Adam, Thomas and Margaret. Mr. Youngpeter first settled in Seneca county, Ohio, where he bought a small farm of twelve acres, on which he lived until September, 1861, when he came to Allen county and settled on an eighty-acre tract in the woods at Landeck, and was one of the first of the Landeck settlers to clear up a farm. He became prosperous and reared his family to respectability, dying at the advanced age of seventy-two years. Mr. Youngpeter

was an ardent Catholic, was very liberal in his aid to the church, and was one of the foremost in contributing to the erection of the Catholic house of worship at Landeck, and, indeed, was one of its founders. In politics he was a democrat, but was loyal to his adopted country, and yielded to its defense, as will have been seen, his son John, who died in hospital after three months of brave and faithful military service.

Adam Youngpeter was born eleven days after the arrival of his parents in Seneca county, Ohio. His educational advantages were limited, but he succeeded in gleaning a fair stock of information in the frontier school of his native township. He was early inured to the hard work incident to the clearing up of a forest farm, and at the age of fifteen year came with his parents to Marion townships Allen county, where there was but little cessation of this class of labor until he had reached his majority, if then.

July 3, 1871, Mr. Youngpeter was joined in the bonds of matrimony with Miss Louisa Frend, daughter of Michael and Beatrice (Lutz) Frend-parents of two children, Charles and Louisa. Mr. Freud is a pioneer of Spencer township, Allen county, Ohio, coming from Elsass, now a province of Germany. He owns 160 acres of land in Spencer township, and, owning such a farm, in so favorable a locality, is necessarily wealthy. He and family are devout members of the Catholic church at Landeck. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Youngpeter settled upon and went to housekeeping on the old Youngpeter estate, and here have been born their nine children-John, who died at the age of sixteen years, Hubert, Edward, Annie C., Emma, an

others, who died in infancy. This homestead he had purchased, being now the sole owner, and has placed it in a fine state of cultivation, and so improved that it compare most favorably with any other in the township. In addition, Mr. Youngpeter is n in partnership with Peter Wagner n operating a threshing machine. In politics Mr. Youngpeter is a democrat; in religion he and family are Catholics, and few stand higher in the respect of the community, than he.