Hiram Young

Who was Hiram Young?

Hiram Young was one of the leading manufacturers of wagons in Independence, Missouri, for westward pioneers in the mid-19th century, notably the Forty-niners, and a successful African-American entrepreneur.

Young was born a slave in Tennessee in the early 19th century, and married while still a slave. He moved to Missouri, and at some point he purchased his wife Matilda's freedom; according to some reports he bought Matilda's freedom before his own, a common practice at the time because the children of a slave and a free person inherited the mother's status. In 1847, Young finally purchased his own freedom from his master, George Young, for $1,500.

After freeing himself, Young went into business building wagons. Missouri then being a slave state, Young purchased slaves of his own for his business, but he paid them regular wages of $5 a week, and allowed several of them to purchase their freedom eventually. By 1860, Young's business was producing 800-900 wagons annually, and some 50,000 ox yokes. The business's inventory alone was appraised at over $50,000, with a capital investment of another $30 to $35 thousand. Young was one of the most successful businessmen in Independence during the period 1851-1860.