The Yost Family in the
American Revolution & Early Republic
From the gunsmith workshops of Revolutionary Maryland
to the settlements of Virginia, Kentucky, and Illinois,
the descendants of Hans Casper Yost entered a new
chapter in American history.
A Family in the Age of Revolution
By the outbreak of the American Revolution, the Yost
family had established roots in Pennsylvania and
Maryland. Two sons of Hans Casper Yost and Eleanor
Moerschel, Henry and John, became associated with
the manufacture and repair of firearms for the
Revolutionary cause.
Their descendants would participate in the growth
of the early United States, establishing families,
farms, businesses, and churches throughout the
Appalachian valleys and the expanding western frontier.
Original Research and Acknowledgments
This collection draws upon research conducted by
Alfred C. Yost of St. Louis during the late 1920s
and early 1930s. His research files passed to
his nephew Robert W. Yost.
Later family information was researched and
preserved by Mrs. Marsha Stanley and her cousins.
Additional genealogical information was published
by Patrick Daspit.
The Yost Post acknowledges these researchers for
preserving the historical accounts and family
relationships represented in this collection.
This is an edited presentation of a family-history
compilation. Some dates, military-service claims,
and relationships remain unverified or contradictory.
Family traditions are distinguished from surviving
documentary records wherever possible.
Generation Five
Henry Yost (1749–1803, Reported)
1749, near Lebanon, Pennsylvania
1803, Staunton, Virginia
Polly Marie Waggoner
Gunsmith, tanner, saddler
From Pennsylvania to Maryland
Henry Yost was a son of Hans Casper Yost and
Eleanor Moerschel. He married Polly Marie Waggoner,
daughter of Christian Waggoner, whose surname
also appears as Wagner.
The family historian placed Henry in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania, during his early life.
Around 1768 or 1769, Henry moved with his
father’s family toward Elizabeth Town, Maryland,
the community later known as Hagerstown.
In 1772, Henry acquired property in Georgetown,
including a lot near Rock Creek. The compilation
associates this property with the family’s
early firearms-manufacturing activities.
The Revolutionary War
As the colonies prepared for armed conflict,
Maryland’s local committees began purchasing,
repairing, and manufacturing firearms for
military service.
Henry Yost appears in the family compilation
as a gunsmith involved in the production and
repair of rifles and muskets.
The family historian recorded that three
rifles supplied by Henry Yost were appraised
for Captain Cresap’s company at
£4 15s each.
Arms and Equipment
The original account describes Maryland’s
requirements for muskets, including barrel
length, bore dimensions, locks, stocks,
bayonets, ramrods, and bullet molds.
The family compilation quotes specifications
calling for musket barrels approximately
forty-two inches long, with a three-quarter-inch
bore, double-bridle locks, hardwood stocks,
brass fittings, and bayonets.
Henry Yost in the Maryland Records
Listed among able-bodied men in the
Upper District of Frederick County.
Rifles associated with Henry appeared
in the Committee of Observation’s
appraisal records.
The committee acquitted Henry of an
accusation involving powder supplied
for testing muskets.
Recorded as having signed as an Associator.
Two rifles and one musket valued at
£13 were recorded for delivery to
Colonel Henry Shryock.
A payment of £100 was ordered for
repairing muskets.
The family historian associated Henry
with Maryland’s Oath of Fidelity and
a first lieutenant’s commission.
Another payment of £100 for musket
repairs was recorded.
Later Life in Virginia
After the Revolution, Henry’s family became
associated with Augusta County and the
Valley of Virginia. The historian also
identified later property transactions
near the New River and Fincastle.
Henry was described as continuing work
in the trades of tanning, saddlery, and
harness making.
Chronological Conflict:
The compilation gives Henry’s death as 1803
but attributes land transactions and tax
records to him in 1809, 1812, 1819, and 1820.
These conflicting statements require further
genealogical investigation.
Marie (Waggoner) Yost
- James Casper Yost — 1785–1850.
- Elizabeth Yost — 1771–1798.
- Jacob Yost — born about 1773 or 1774.
- John Yost — born 1776.
- Rebecca Yost — 1778–1850.
- Henry Marshall Yost — 1780–1846.
- William Yost — born 1788.
- Fletcher Harris Yost — born 1791.
- David Greiner Yost — 1798–1843.
- George Yost — uncertain identification.
- Polly Eleanor Yost — uncertain identification.
The original family research contains
discrepancies concerning the number and
identities of Henry’s children.
John Yost (1743–1826, Reported)
1743, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
1826, Tazewell County, Virginia
Rebecca Bonham
Gunsmith and arms contractor
A Gunsmith in Georgetown
John Yost was another son of Hans Casper
Yost and Eleanor Moerschel. He settled
in Georgetown, Maryland, where he became
associated with the manufacture of firearms
during the American Revolution.
Unlike some family traditions concerning
military service, John’s work as an arms
contractor is supported by surviving
correspondence and proceedings of the
Maryland Council of Safety.
The Council entered into a contract
with John Yost for the manufacture of
300 muskets. The records also identify
an order for 100 rifles and authorize
an advance of £150 toward the work.
Firearms Production
Producing firearms required the work of
several specialized craftsmen. Gun barrels
had to be forged and bored, locks assembled,
wooden stocks shaped, and metal fittings
prepared before a weapon could be completed.
John’s correspondence with Maryland officials
illustrates the difficulties of supplying
military arms while facing shortages of
materials, skilled labor, and finished
gun locks.
John reported that he had constructed
a horse-powered mill for boring gun
barrels and employed nine workers,
with two additional men expected.
He also sought unfinished gun locks
that could be completed in his shop
to increase the supply of weapons.
Family Traditions of Military Service
The family historian recorded a tradition
that John served under George Washington
and participated in the Battle of Lexington.
Historical Clarification:
John’s alleged presence at Lexington has not
been established by the records presented here.
George Washington did not become commander-in-chief
until June 1775, two months after Lexington.
John’s documented Maryland arms contracts
remain an important and distinct contribution
to the Revolutionary cause.
Migration into Virginia
The family history places John among the
Yost descendants who migrated from Maryland
into Virginia. It associates him with
southwestern Virginia and the region that
later became Tazewell County.
The original account also describes the
continuation of farming and trades such
as tanning, saddlery, and harness making
among members of the family.
- Katherine Yost.
- John Yost Jr.
- Mary Yost.
- Elizabeth Yost.
- William Henry Yost.
- Susanna Yost.
- Lucy Yost.
- Rebecca Yost.
The Revolutionary Records
Maryland Council of Safety, 1776
The Maryland Council of Safety coordinated
military preparations during the Revolutionary
War. Its records provide valuable evidence
concerning the manufacture and delivery of
firearms by John Yost.
The Council recorded an agreement involving
300 muskets at £4 5s each and 100 rifles
at £4 15s each, a combined value of £1,750.
An advance of £150 was authorized.
The Urgent Need for Weapons
During the summer of 1776, Maryland officials
repeatedly sought information about the number
of completed muskets available for military use.
Transportation and delivery arrangements
depended upon the weapons being ready.
The Council sought information about
completed firearms ready for delivery.
Orders were issued concerning the
delivery of completed public muskets.
John Yost reported to the Council
concerning the progress of his work.
John described improvements to his
workshop and efforts to expand production.
The Council authorized another advance
of £200 on John’s arms contract.
John wrote from Georgetown in response
to the Council’s questions about his
firearms contract and the arms then
being manufactured.
The Council of Safety correspondence places
John Yost within Maryland’s Revolutionary
military supply network. It provides a
stronger documentary foundation for his
contribution than later family traditions
concerning battlefield service.
Generation Six
James Casper Yost (1785–1850)
March 11, 1785
January 5, 1850
Euphemia Hughes Bickle
Methodist minister, farmer, wagon maker
A Minister in Southwestern Virginia
James Casper Yost, also known as Casper,
was a son of Henry and Polly Waggoner Yost.
He established himself in Wythe County,
Virginia, where the family historian
associated him with religious and civic life.
The compilation described James Casper
as a wagon maker, farmer, justice,
and Methodist pastor.
He reportedly served as a Methodist
pastor for eighteen years and belonged
to the church for forty-eight years.
The family history places his burial
in the old Methodist Episcopal
graveyard at Wytheville, Virginia.
Hughes (Bickle) Yost
- Lewis Marshall Yost — 1826–1883.
- Mary Yost — born 1807.
- John Cooper Yost — 1809–1891.
- James Lockhart Yost — 1811–1868.
- Margaret Bickle Yost — born 1813.
- Adeline Cooper Yost — 1815–1885.
- William Owen Yost — 1818–1890.
- Fletcher Harris Yost — 1821–1874.
- Henry Adams Yost — 1823–1871.
- Jane Yost — 1830–1831.
Elizabeth Yost (1771–1798)
1771, Maryland
1798, Virginia
John David Greiner Jr.
Smallpox
Elizabeth Yost married John David
Greiner Jr. The family historian
reported that the couple and their
young son Jacob died during a
smallpox outbreak in 1798 near
Middlebrook, Virginia.
According to the family history,
the epidemic claimed all three
members of Elizabeth’s household.
-
Jacob Greiner —
born 1795; died 1798.
Jacob Yost (c. 1773–1874)
1773 or 1774
1874, Greenville, Kentucky
Matilda Johnson
Sarah McDonald
From Virginia to Kentucky
Jacob Yost was a son of Henry
and Polly Waggoner Yost.
According to the family historian,
he traveled westward with his
brothers during the early
nineteenth century.
The family’s journey took them
through Tennessee before Jacob
eventually settled in Kentucky.
The Tavern near Auburn
Jacob reportedly owned and
operated a tavern approximately
two miles east of Auburn, Kentucky.
The original tavern was described
as a log building, later replaced
by a brick residence.
The family historian reported
that Jacob died at the home
of his son, Dr. William Henry
Yost, in Greenville, Kentucky.
Matilda (Johnson) Yost
- William Henry Yost — physician.
- Eliza Yost.
- Elvira Elizabeth Yost.
- Sarah Catherine Yost.
- Chatman Yost — uncertain listing.
Henry Marshall Yost (1780–1846)
May 23, 1780
March 22, 1846, Illinois
Mary Polly Early
Lydia Eleanor Roberts
The Journey to Illinois
Henry Marshall Yost and his family
left Virginia and traveled westward
during the early nineteenth century.
The family history places their
settlement near Fort Jordan in
Franklin County, Illinois.
The original account describes
a dangerous river crossing during
which Mary Polly fell from a wagon
into deep water.
Mary Polly was reportedly rescued
from drowning but became ill with
a fever following the accident.
The incident was preserved in
the family’s migration account.
Fancy Farm
Henry established a farm known
as Fancy Farm, on land reportedly
purchased from John McCreery.
The property became associated
with the raising of livestock
and poultry.
After Mary Polly’s death,
Henry married Lydia Eleanor Roberts.
He died in 1846 and was reportedly
buried on his farm in Franklin County.
-
Eight older children —
names not established in this summary. -
Roberts Early Yost —
born about 1819 at Fancy Farm.
The source contains additional
incomplete child entries that
require verification.
David Greiner Yost (1798–1843)
1798
1843
1823, spouse unidentified
Attorney and businessman
A Maryland Attorney
David Greiner Yost was described
as an attorney associated with
Hagerstown, Maryland.
The family historian stated that
David was admitted to the Maryland
Bar in 1818 at the age of twenty-five.
This conflicts with the reported
birth year of 1798.
The compilation records his purchase
of a pew at an Episcopal church
in Hagerstown in 1823 and his
later service as a church trustee.
Business and Financial Difficulties
According to the family account,
David became prosperous through
his legal and business activities
before suffering substantial
financial losses.
The family historian reported
that David died by suicide in 1843.
-
R. D. Yost —
full name unidentified.
Research Questions:
The original compilation contains conflicting
dates for Henry Yost, uncertain child lists,
and several family traditions requiring
documentary verification. John’s reported
participation at Lexington is not established
by the surviving Maryland arms records.
David Greiner Yost’s reported age at
admission to the bar also conflicts with
his listed birth year.