John Lorenzo Young

John Lorenzo Young (30 May 1826 – 26 July 1881) was an Australian school principal and teacher. Young was born in London, England and died at sea.^[1]

Young was also one of the founders of the Adelaide Philosophical Society, now named the Royal Society of South Australia.

John Lorenzo Young ca. 1861
In the 1860s, with his brother Oliver, he founded the Adelaide Educational Institution which grew into the largest private independent school in South Australia. In 1872 new premises were built at Parkside in Young Street (named after the schoolmaster). For a photograph of the school, see B 1843.

ca. 1870

John Lorenzo Young (30 May 1826, London - 26 July 1881, at sea) was born in London, the son of John Tonkin Young (1802?–10 April 1882), a builder from Veryan, Cornwall.^[2][3][4]

He was educated at the Communal College of Boulogne, under Professor Opel at Wiesbaden, in 1842 at the Civil Engineering College in Putney, and at King's College London from 1843 to 1845, where John Howard Clark (later Sir John Howard Clark, editor of The Register and who conducted its Geoffry Crabthorn column) was a fellow student.^[3] Another reference says this fellow-student was Sidney Clark.^[5] He worked in Cornwall on railway and mining construction then left for Adelaide in 1850.^[6] on the ship "Panama", arriving on 31 October 1850. He joined the rush to the Victorian goldfields but soon returned.^[3]

In 1851 he became second master at South Australian High School,^[7] but the venture failed by the end of the year. Headmaster Charles Gregory Feinaigle (1817? – 10 March 1880), before 1860 spelled "Feinagle", opened a private academy at his residence "Brandon" on Unley Road, but was soon in Victoria, in a wide variety of vocations. He remained friends with J. L. Young: together they founded the Philosophical Society on January 1853 (perhaps with Whitridge of The Register^[5]), and he maintained active membership after he left Adelaide.^[8]

After the South Australian High School folded he was persuaded in 1852 to open his own school at the rear of the old chapel in Ebenezer Street off Rundle Street East, and soon moved to larger premises in Stephens Place.^[3][9] His brother, Oliver Young, held classes for some time,^[10] (and acted headmaster in 1860 while J. L. Young was away on recuperation leave) but returned to Cornwall in 1866.^[11] Oliver never married.^[12]

On 29 October 1855, John married Martha Paynter Young. ("Young" was also her maiden name)^[13]

Their first son Arago was born early in 1857 but died at Glenelg on 7 March 1859.^[14]

A son was born at their home in North Terrace on 28 February 1858^[15] This may have been Algernon Sidney Young, in 1881 cited as his eldest son.^[5]

Son John Hampden was born at North Terrace on 26 August 1859^[16] but died 18 August 1861

A daughter was born at Parkside 29 April 1861.^[17] and may be the daughter Bertha who died 15 August 1915.^[18]

A daughter was born at Parkside 8 February 1863^[19]

A daughter was born at Parkside 30 December 1864^[20]

Son A. Lincoln was born around 1866 and died 21 August 1917 aged 51^[21]

Daughter Emily was born at Parkside on 26 March 1870^[22] and died 25 September 1875

Son Roland was born at Parkside on 17 March 1873^[23] and died 17 June 1925^[24]

In 1861 he built the large two-storey "Young House" in Parkside, which was used both as his private residence and as a student boarding house. He then commissioned architects Wright and Hamilton to design and oversee building of a schoolhouse next door. (Edmund Wright had designed many prominent Adelaide buildings including the Town Hall).^[25] In 1871 he was able to relinquish the Freeman Street premises.

John retired in 1880 and closed the school, with the intention of joining his wife and large family who were visiting brother Oliver and his father in Veryan, in Cornwall. On his retirement, a testimonial was held 17 December 1880 by his old scholars, and he was presentated with a purse of sovereigns.^[26] His 16-room residence, with schoolhouse and various other houses on Young Street,^[27] after several auction attempts in February 1881, was eventually purchased by Alfred Allen Simpson (who coincidentally had also purchased the Gawler Place school property).^[28] The two Parkside buildings, which may still be seen at 61-71 Young Street, were sold by Alfred A., Fred N. and Violet Laura Simpson to Mr. C. O. A. Lapidge in 1922.^[25]

He embarked on the steamer John Elder in 1881 to visit England (where his father was still living), his family having preceded him, but died on 26 July 1881 while crossing the Red Sea. He was buried at sea.^[3] Martha returned to Adelaide, at first living in Kent Town then settled in Glenelg.^[29] She died 6 April 1887 aged 57.^[30]

Fred W. Sims, formerly Deputy Registrar of Companies in the Supreme Court, wrote in The Advertiser: I could tell you quite a lot about John L. Young's school— 'dear old Johnny', as we used to call him ... Mr. Young possessed, among his other fine qualities, the saving grace of humor. It is recorded that his first two pupils were Caleb Peacock and John Partridge. He remarked at the time that, whether be met with success or not as a schoolmaster, he would anyway die "game".^[31]

See also

• Charles Cameron Kingston

References