Biography of William J. Yates
William J. Yates was born in Fayetteville, N. C., August 8, 1827. His father was an invalid, and was what was known in. those days as a ‘wheel-wright.” His mother was a member of the M. E. Church for seventy-two years, and she neglected none of the training that her son ought to have. The grandparents of Mr. Yates were English and Welsh, having come direct from Great Britain to this country. From boyhood he was thrown upon his own resources, and gladly assisted in the support of his mother and the younger children. Early in life he showed great devotion and tenderness to his mother, and this feeling was kept up through life, for after he left his old home he made his annual pilgrimage to Fayetteville to see her. He would make any sacrifice for her happiness, and a portion of his first earnings were spent in purchasing a house and lot for her. Mr. Yates’ first permanent employment was in the printing office of the North Carolinian, a paper published in his own town, where he served as an apprentice for about seven years. At the end of this time he became a “journeyman printer” in the same office, receiving a few dollars per week for his labor. This enabled him to lay by a little money to be invested in something at a suitable time....
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