"Illustrated History of Lane County, Oregon." Portland, Oregon: A. G. Walling,
publisher, 1884.  pg. 487.
 
CHARLES WALKER YOUNG
     This pioneer gentleman of Lane county was born in La Fayette county,
Missouri, May 12, 1830, and is the youngest son of James Young.  Having resided
in his native state until he grew to man's estate he there married, February 22,
1852, Mary B. W. Gillespie, and in the following May joined a company of which
Jacob Gillespie, his father-in-law, was captain, and crossed the plains by
ox-teams, enduring all the hardships attending that journey over the unknown
wilds of trackless prairies and rugged mountains.  Coming by the northern route
to Oregon, on August 27, 1852, Mr. Young arrived at The Dalles, whence, after a
short halt, he proceeded to Oregon City, then the central town around which
immigrants congregated, where they arrived on September twenty-seventh.  Messrs.
Young and Gillespie now sought a place on which they should locate, and this
they found in Lane county, the latter purchasing a section of land half of which
the former took over, but it was not until February 22, 1853, that he took up
his abode thereupon.  Mr. Young's beginnings were but small indeed -- nay,
infinitesimal -- he owed fifty cents borrowed from his father-in-law for the
purpose of crossing a ferry, and with one dollar as a cash capital, he commenced
life in the county.  But his is not the nature that will content itself with
"waiting for something to turn up."  His amiable wife and himself at once hired
out to Isaac and Elias Briggs, who then owned the tract of land on which the
village of Springfield now stands, where the former took charge of the household
affairs, but only for a short time, while her husband attended to the ferry-boat
that crossed the Willamette at that point.  A notion of Mr. Young's energetic
nature may be gained from the fact that he was wont to walk to his work from the
log cabin, which he had built in February, 1853, on his farm, and returning at
night.  Mr. Young continued at this work only a short time, after which he
commenced working on his own property, fencing and improving it.  During the
first year he raised about three acres of wheat, each year since increasing the
amount of land brought under contribution until now he owns sixteen hundred and
forty acres of splendid farming soil.  His family consists of eleven children --
three boys and eight girls.  In another portion of this work will be found an
excellent and truthful view of Mr. Young's residence placed in the midst of the
most exquisite scenery.

 
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in May 2005 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.