James Mason Young was born in Ontario, Canada, on the 23rd October 1853, the son of John and Anne Young (née Coleman). His father was a prominent merchant in Dundas, Hamilton, Ontario, and James was the eldest son in the family, although it is not known how many siblings he had.
He learned about the cotton industry while working in the Dundas Cotton Mill, and then co-founded the Hamilton Cotton Company with his brother, Hamilton Young. The company started importing cotton from the United States of America, Mexico and Brazil, and manufactured a number of cotton products. The company grew to have plants throughout Ontario and remained in family ownership until the 1960’s.
On the 27th September 1880, James Young married Georgina Abigail Vernon at Calvary Presbyterian Church, Buffalo, New York, in the United States of America. They established their home in Hamilton and had four children.
He frequently travelled to the United States of America, South America and Europe in the course of his business, and was frequently accompanied by his wife.
On the 25th April 1915, the couple’s youngest son, Lieutenant James Vernon Young, serving with the Canadian Field Artillery on the Western Front, was wounded in the thigh and sent to Miss Pollock’s Hospital for Officers, 50. Weymouth Street, London, to recuperate. On learning of this James and Georgina Young decided to travel to London to visit him.
Consequently, James Young booked a saloon ticket for them both (number 866) on the May sailing of the Lusitania, through agents W. McIlroy, of Hamilton.
The couple left home at the end of April, and having arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York port on the 1st May 1915 in time for the Lusitania’s 10.00 a.m. departure; they boarded the liner and were escorted to their accommodation in saloon room B53. This room was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward Walter Wood, who came from Seaforth in Lancashire, a suburb of Liverpool on the side of the River Mersey.
The liner’s sailing was delayed until the afternoon as she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner the S.S. Cameronia, which had been
requisitioned by the British Admiralty for service as a troop ship at the end of April. She finally left the port just after noon and just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, when she was within sight of the southern Irish coast and only hours away from her Liverpool home port.
Both James Young and his wife were killed as a result of the sinking and although her body was later recovered from the sea and identified, his never was. Consequently he has no known grave. He was aged 61 years.
Bedroom Steward Walter Wood, who had looked after James and Georgina Young in room B53 did survive, however, and eventually made it back to his home in Seaforth.
James Young is commemorated on his wife’s gravestone at Hamilton Cemetery, Hamilton, Ontario.
James Vernon Young survived the War, and took up a position in the Hamilton Cotton Company, along with other members of his family. He served as Master-General of Ordnance for the Canadian Army during WWII and retired from military life with the rank of Major-General.
U.S. Presbyterian Church Records 1701 – 1970, 1881 Census of Canada, 1891 Census of Canada, 1901 Census of Canada, 1911 Census of Canada, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Calgary Daily Herald, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/258, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.