1880 Crockett Co, TN Soundex J. B. York 25 GA; Vol 5 ED 1
1870 Giles Co, TN Census Jacob York 15 GA, 211/160/160.
Coleman York correspondence received from Bruce O. York.
Lived in Arkansas and later in Clearwater, Idaho.
Jim Nikolaisen -- jjnikola@telus.net
Judith York Wardlaw: judiew0818@yahoo.com
Phyllis Abell Collins, 1920 W. 7th Ave., Kennewick, WA 99336.Sheet 9 Line 44.
Note: Did he really have two wives in 1880? By then polygamy had been banned.
Jacob was a Baptist minister.

1880
Jacob B. York 25 GA
Mattie York    20 TN (wife)
T. B. York    10/12 TN (son)
A. B. York    62 GA (mother)

Was a Baptist Minister for 61 years. Built a church in Clearwater, ID that is still in existence.

According to the Aug. 29, 1992 letter from Phyllis Abell Collins: Jacob's daughter, Vanda, took some notes on her father's history in 1930. In the notes, Jacob says he was born in 1855 in Georgia. When he was 3, the family moved from Franklin Co, GA to DeKalb Co, AL, near Sand MT. In 1864, the family moved from DeKalb Co, AL, to southern Alabama, near White Plains, 80 miles east of Montgomery. While living inor near White Plains, they lived near John G.'s mother and her husband, Jim Paine. At about age 11, the family moved to Lincoln Co, TN, where John G. died a short time later of wounds or illness related to the Civil War. He was a Chaplain in the Confederate Army. The family lived in Lincoln and Giles Co, TN until about 1876 when they moved to Crockett Co, TN, near Gadsen. The family at this time consisted of probably his mother, Anna, and the younger children Francis, Jacob, and Thomas. About1880, Jacob and his new bride, Martha Deborah Allen, followed his brother John and his family to Arkansas, near Ft. Smith. In 1883, Jacob moved his family to Indian Territory, near Short MT. in the Choctaw District.

In a newspaper interview on his 81st birthday printed in the Jan 27, 1936 issue of the Lewiston Morning Tribune, J. B. York states "he was born in Georgia, reared in Tennessee, and resided in Indian Territory Oklahoma for five years before coming to Idaho." He stated he moved to Indian Territory to keep from preaching, as he had promised the girl, who would later become his wife, that he would not preach. "It so happened that several families had moved to Central Idaho and, upon finding no churches of the Baptist Denomination, prevailed upon the Baptist Association to send a missionary to this field and I was elected."

In the fall of 1887 (October) the family returned to Fort Smith to begin their journey west by immigrant train to Riparia, WA. From there, they took a river steamer to Lewiston, ID. Rev. York, his wife and five children (Travis Bunyon, George Virgil, Lucy Naomia Deborah Banks,Bernard Ray, Eva May), the youngest a three month's old baby, arrived in Lewiston, WA, Nov 14, 1887. "It was arranged that we were to be met in Lewiston by several persons but through some mis-understanding, they came to Lewiston three days before we arrived and did not wait." "At that time there were only two hotels in Lewiston, the Raymond, and the DeFrance, where we spent the night." "In the morning, we started our four day trip to Camas Prairie by freight wagon, by way of Sweetwater, on the Fontaine Grade by Mason Prairie." "On the first night, we spent the night in Sweetwater in a barn owned by an Indian." "After climbing Craig MT., we camped a second night at a barn on Mason Creek. The ground was deep with snow and we were forced to build a large fire to prevent suffering." "The third night we reached Cottonwood and stayed in a hotel, and fourth night we spent at the home of a rancher."

"We reached Clearwater, our destination, and I had $5.50, a wife, five children, and clothes enough to last possibly six months. We had to depend upon the Lord, remembering the Biblical quotation, "Cast your way upon the Lord and he will bring it to pass." "The next Sunday, I preached in a little log school and this was the first sermon for a Baptist Minister to be preached north of Moscow." "The members of that first congregation were, Mr & Mrs. Wm. Manes, Mr & Mrs. Benjamin C. Cowling, and Mr & Mrs Shelton McPherson."

Rev. York purchased a pre-preemption homestead claim, from a bachelor named Tom Dampster, containing 160 acres and a log home. He paid $60.00, borrowing the money from Wm. Manes, and made rails to pay it back. He preached in schools, homes, city halls, wherever he could gather a crowd.

In those early years, Rev. York established a circuitous route on horseback, visiting the communities on the rich farmland of the Camas Prairie, the ridge communities perched on the hills surrounding the prairie, the river towns along the Clearwater and the mining towns in the mountains. Places with familiar names like MT. Idaho, Grangeville, Cottonwood, Greencreek, Kooskia, Stites, Harpster, Tahoe, Battle Ridge, Kidder, and Elk City; places with names almost forgotten with the passage of time, Sunnyside, Florence, Big Cedar, Ilo, Denver, Morrow, and Westlake. In all, Rev. York was responsible for establishing sixteen small churches and missions in Idaho County. These were organized into an association (The Camas Prairie Baptist Association). Though these churches were small and had a hard time financially, they had a sacrificial spirit and raised funds to assist the more destitute areas of North Idaho.

Rev. York was paid $30 a month for the first two years by the Southern Baptist Association, after that time, they pointed out that Northern Idaho fell under the jurisdiction of the Northern Baptist Association and that they should assume his support, which they did in 1894.

Rev. York would not have been able to accomplish this arduous task without the support of his wife, Mattie, and his children. While he was away from home so much of the time, the task of raising the children and running the farm fell to Mattie and the children.

On April 4, 1890, a son, William Cary York, was born at Clearwater. That year, Rev. York organized a church at Sunnyside, eight miles north of Grangeville. A daughter, Ethel Gertrude York, was born Feb 18, 1892 at Clearwater. In 1893, Rev. York organized a church at MT. Idaho and built a new home at Clearwater. The Idaho County Free Press states in an article for Dec 2, 1892 that "Mr. York's house is almost completed." A daughter, Trula Geneva York, was born June 6, 1894 in Clearwater. A daughter, Mary Vanda York, was born April 1, 1896 at Clearwater. In December of 1897, the family moved to Cottonwood. Rev. York was pastor at both Sunnyside and Cottonwood at this time.

On October 18, 1898, the twins, John Orvil and James Oscar, were born in Cottonwood. Rev. York also joined the Woodman of the World McAbees and Artisans. He also became a Justice of the Peace and received his notary commission. There was, also. a Camas Prairie Baptist Convention or Revival in 1898 at Sunnyside, a united work of Rev. A. J. Coble, Deacon Campbell of Moscow, ID, A. D. McNichol a traveling pastor from the Baptist Association, Pastor F. A. Houston of Pomeroy, WA. William Knox was ordained at the same time. At this time, Rev. York was pastor of four churches, Clearwater, MT. Idaho, Sunnyside, and Cottonwood.

On March 3, 1903, a son Allen Burroughs York was born; on March 16,
In March of 1900, the family returned to the homestead at Clearwater and in 1902 the church building at Clearwater was built.1903 Martha (Mattie) Allen York passed away.

In 1904, the Stites Church was organized.
In 1906, a church house (parsonage) was built.
In 1907, a church was organized in Kooskia.
In 1911, Rev. York moved to Kooskia, selling the homestead to his son Virgil York who had married Mattie Baldwin on Dec 9, 1902.
In 1912, the family moved to Stites.
In 1915, the family moved to Battle Ridge.
In 1916, he sold and broke up housekeeping.
In 1918, Rev. York was pastor at Asotin and Cloverland, WA.
On May 28, 1919, Rev. York married Serena Elizabeth Franklin Adams, born Feb 13,1865 at Bethel, OR, and died July 15, 1949 at Orofino, ID. They were married at Greencreek, ID.
In 1924, Rev. York moved to Cloverland, WA.
In 1926, Rev. York moved to Clarkston, Asotin County, WA.
In 1928, Rev. York moved to Lewiston, ID and retired.
Rev. Jacob B. York passed away Feb. 17, 1941 in Lewiston, ID and is buried at the Vineland Cemetery in Clarkston, WA, along with his wife, Martha York.

Judith (York) Wardlow: My no one knows from whom. Three of their children, including my grandfather Bernard Ray York, were born in LaFlore Co, OK.great grandfather, Jacob B. York was a Baptist Minister in 1883 in the Choctaw District near Short Mt., OK. He was born in Carnesville, Franklin Co, GA. Wife was Martha Deborah Allen, also from GA. Family lore says we are part Native American, but