He was a businessman, carpenter, and manufacturer of farm equipment.

Hiram was born enslaved to Hiram Walton in 1812 in Hawkins County, Tennessee. The Walton family moved to Missouri in 1838, where Hiram was sold and enslaved to George B Young. As was customary, enslaved people were forced to take the name of their enslaver.

Hiram learned woodworking, carpentry, and the art of yoke making at a young age. He utilized his craft and skills to earn money and achieve self-emancipation by purchasing his freedom and that of his wife.

In 1850, the couple relocated to Independence, Missouri, where Hiram established the Hiram Young Company, a successful manufacturing business. Independence was the starting point for trade on the Santa Fe Trail. Hiram’s company produced wagons, ox yokes, and other farm equipment.

By 1860, the Hiram Young Company was the key manufacturer of yokes and good-quality wagons in the Jackson County, Missouri area. Hiram was an astute businessman. He successfully negotiated government contracts for the production of yokes and wagons that settlers needed for westward travel. At one point, the company was producing more than fifty thousand yokes and nine hundred wagons a year. Before long, Hiram was one of the wealthiest businessmen in Jackson County.

Hiram dedicated himself to helping Black people gain freedom from enslavement. He leased enslaved workers for his shop and paid them the same wages as free men, which enabled them to save money and buy their freedom.

During the Civil War, Hiram and his family fled to Leavenworth, Kansas. They returned to Independence after the war, and Hiram began rebuilding his company, which had been pillaged during the war. After reestablishing his business, Hiram built the Hiram Young School, the first school for Black children in the area. He also helped form St. Paul’s African Methodist Episcopal Church and provided financial support.

Hiram Young died in 1882. The epitaph on his gravestone reads: Hiram Young, after living a useful life.