Rev. John J. Young, pastor of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, New York, was born in Rhenish Bavaria, Germany, September 13, 1846, son of John Michael and Eva Katherine (Kruker) Young. The death of his mother occurred April 6, 1851, in her native land, and in the spring of 1858 his father emigrated to this country, locating in Baltimore, Maryland, where he died June 3, 1895.
In 1862, the darkest period of the Civil war, John J. Young enlisted in the Union army as a teamster, was captured June 28, 1863, near Rockville, Maryland, but fortunately was paroled the following day. In the spring of 1864 he was transferred to the New York Engineers Corps and remained with them until the close of the war, being honorably discharged in June, 1865. At the date of his enlistment he had no English education, but he took up the study of the language, and at the time of his discharge could read, write and speak the English language quite well. Immediately after his discharge from the army he served an apprenticeship at the trade of baker, at the same time continuing his study of the language. In 1869 he entered the preparatory department of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) College and graduated from the collegiate and theological department of that institution in 1877. His first charge as a pastor was the Granville charge, at Garrett, Maryland, where he remained until 1882. He was then transferred to Richmond, Indiana, as pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, where he remained until 1893, at which date he was appointed pastor of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, New York city, the duties of which he is acceptably filling at the present time.
Rev. John J. Young married, June 6, 1878, Louisa E. Messersmith, of Baltimore, Maryland, of German parentage. Their
children are: Cora E., Eva C, and Paul Milton, a student at the Gettysburg College, the same which his father attended.
