The Young family moved to Augusta, Woodruff County, before the Civil War. Thomas Young was born in Georgia. His parents settled near Olvey, Arkansas, before the Civil War. Thomas married Elizabeth Briggs (relative of Ambrose Briggs) of Yellville, Arkansas. They moved to Oakland-Promise Land area for a time. He had three daughters. One daughter married John Bryant (of the Baxter County Bryants.)
John and Ann had six children who grew to adulthood at Promise Land. They were: Charlie; Elza; Nancy Elizabeth (Sis); Elmer; Dee; and Babe Bryant. They all moved West except Mrs. M. A. (Sis) Bryant Gilbert.
Mrs. John Bryant, son Elza, M. A. Gilbert and wife and several children are buried in Promise Land Cemetery. Tom and Elizabeth Young are buried at Olvey, Arkansas. They died about 1885 and 1890.
Tom Young was a carpenter. He made furniture for the old courthouse in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It is said that some of it is still there.
Tom had two brothers, Lt. Crockett Young and Richard (Dick) Young, who were captured in the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. They spent time in a prison in Illinois. Richard Young died a few weeks before he was to be released from prison. Lt. Crockett Young returned to Olvey and is buried in the Olvey vicinity.
Some of Tom Young's relatives went west with the Missouri-Arkansas wagon train and were murdered in the Mountain Meadow Massacre. Two of the Young children were spared and the family went west and brought them back to Boone County.
Tom and Elizabeth Young were the great-grandparents of Eugene Gilbert of Oakland, Arkansas. Tom was a relative of Henry Young, a long-time resident of Yellville, Arkansas, who served four terms in the State Legislature.
In the home of Eugene Gilbert there is a brass kettle bought by the Youngs before the Civil War. There is also a pie cupboard which was built by Tom Young 110 years ago. This was told to them by a grandson of Tom's, Charlie Bryant. He had made one for each of his three daughters.
This history of the Young family was written by Eunice Hollingsworth Gilbert, daughter-in-law of Nancy Elizabeth (Young) Bryant Gilbert.
Reprinted with permission from History of Marion County edited by Earl Berry, copyright 1977.