Samuel Youngs (1760-1839)

Samuel Youngs (1760-1839). Revolutionary War Soldier, Teacher and Lawyer. The grave of Samuel Youngs has the singular distinction of being Dale Cemetery's first interment in 1851. His remains were transferred from the Old Dutch Church cemetery in North Tarrytown (Sleepy Hollow), New York, by General Aaron Ward, first president of Dale. Even in cemeteries a war hero is good for business. , For Youngs, service in the American cause was a family tradition. Both he and his father Joseph served in the Revolutionary War. The family farm was located at Four Corners in Mount Pleasant, and played a vital role as headquarters and barracks from 1776 until 1780. It was the site of the “Affair at Youngs's House,” a notable battle in which the farm buildings were set on fire and upwards of 15 Patriots lost. , Youngs served as a Westchester Guide under Colonel Aaron Burr, escorting troops through the back trails of Philipse Manor, then under Captain Requa, and as a lieutenant under the command of Colonel Frederick Weissenfels. , After the war, Youngs taught school briefly while learning the law, and then had a successful legal practice. He helped many veterans file their petitions for war pensions, and it is from these records we have valuable information about how the various militias formed in Westchester at that time. He served as Westchester County Surrogate and in the State Assembly. , Youngs lived his final years in Tarrytown. A mainstay of local lore is that he was the model for Washington Irving's character Ichabod Crane (also a soldier, school teacher and lawyer) in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” While Irving and Youngs may have been acquainted, recent research suggests that Ichabod was an amalgamation of different people. Part of Samuel Youngs may live on through him.