Ada Young

Ada Young

National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, Ohio

Quick Facts

Significance:

Educator, Mother and Wife of Charles Young

Place of Birth:

Grass Valley, California

Date of Birth:

October 30, 1880

Place of Death:

Wilberforce, Ohio

Date of Death:

November 21, 1953

Place of Burial:

Arlington, Virginia

Cemetery Name:

Arlington National Cemetery

Ada Mills Young was Charles Young’s wife. She was born on October 30, 1880, in Grass Valley, California. After graduating high school Ada Mills attended Spelman College, a historically Black women’s college, in Atlanta, Georgia. She returned to California after a few semesters.

She met Charles Young in San Francisco, California, after he and the Ninth Cavalry returned from the Philippine-American War. The Ninth Cavalry was stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco. Ada and Charles were married on February 18, 1904, in Oakland, California. Their wedding was a small private ceremony at Ada’s aunt’s home. The officiant was the Reverend Otho E. Jones of the First AME Church of Oakland. The newlyweds lived at the Presidio officers’ quarters.

Three months after getting married, Ada and Charles Young moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where Charles became a military attaché for Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This was a big change for Ada, who had grown up in San Francisco. In spring of 1906, Ada learned she was pregnant, and Charles encouraged her to move to Wilberforce, Ohio, to live with his mother during her pregnancy. Out of an abundance of caution, having miscarried shortly after arriving in Haiti, Ada went to Wilberforce. 

On December 25, 1906, Ada Young gave birth to her oldest child and only son, Charles Noel Young, in Wilberforce. Unfortunately, his father, who was still serving in Haiti, was not there for the birth. Charles Young was reunited with his wife and met his son in the summer of 1907. 

It was during this time in 1907 that Charles and Ada Young purchased a house that they called “Youngsholm.” It was originally built in the 1830s and later became a stop on the Underground Railroad. This home is now the centerpiece of the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument.

In July 1908, The Young family traveled to the Philippines for Charles Young’s next assignment. Upon arrival in Manila, they took up residence in the officers’ quarters at Camp McGrath. There, Ada Young gave birth to their second child, Marie, on March 26, 1909. Shortly thereafter, the Young family was on the move to Fort D.A. Russell, Wyoming.

On May 16, 1910, the family left Fort D. A. Russell for a two-month leave at their Wilberforce home. Initially, Ada Young did not like the rural Ohio town, but as her family grew so did her affection for the area. It became the family’s place for rest, relaxation, and reflection.

On April 30, 1912, the Young family arrived in Monrovia, Liberia, where Charles would serve as military attaché. They rented a house, where Ada and the children were comfortable. Shortly after arriving, Charles Noel and Marie were sent to Belgium to continue their educations. Ada was welcomed into Monrovia’s American diplomatic social circle.

With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Ada traveled to Belgium to find her children, who had been evacuated. When she reunited with them, the three traveled to London. Once there, Ada and the children stayed with Nina DuBois, wife of the activist and Young family friend W.E.B. DuBois. 

Ada stayed in London briefly before she traveled to Paris to enroll her children in a boarding school. As the war expanded, her husband was initially apprehensive about the children remaining in Paris. Nevertheless, he deferred to Ada’s decision; she returned to Wilberforce. After Charles’s assignment in Liberia, he was stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. This was one of the few times Ada did not follow her husband.

Throughout Charles’s various deployments, Ada stayed at Youngsholm, managing the property and the family’s affairs. She entertained guests who visited Wilberforce University and became an integral part of the community. In the summer of 1917, Charles was forcibly retired from the military because of his high blood pressure. Though this stressful turn of events, Ada continued to support her husband. 

On October 29, 1919, one day before Ada’s 39th birthday, Charles received word that he was needed once more for a tour of duty in Liberia as a military attaché. The family spent the Christmas season together before their journey. Ada and the children accompanied Charles as far as Europe. Charles continued his journey to Monrovia. Ada stayed in Europe long enough to get the children settled into school and then returned to Wilberforce.

The War Department notified Ada of her husband’s death on January 30, 1922. The telegram stated, “The Department regrets to announce the death of Colonel Charles Young on January eighth at Gray Hospital Lagos Nigeria of Nephritis.” She was alone at Youngsholm when she received the telegram. She then faced the task of bringing her husband home. She wrote to the Army quartermaster general requesting that Charles’s body be returned to the United States. Political red tape prolonged this process by more than a year, and initially Charles had a military funeral and interment in Lagos. Finally, on June 1, 1923, Ada, her children, and their many friends and family said goodbye to Charles at Arlington National Cemetery, where he was reinterred. The Army gave a funeral service for Charles at the Arlington Amphitheater—he was only the fourth person to have this honor—and buried him with full military honors.

After Charles’s death, Ada continued to live and maintain the Wilberforce farm. She also taught home economics at Wilberforce University. Ada died on November 21, 1953. She was buried with her husband at Arlington National Cemetery.