Zoath Yost was born and raised in West Virginia. He completed college and obtained a law degree from West Virginia University. Zoath married Pontiac native Ella Louise Hartshorn in 1890. Ella Hartshorn graduated from Pontiac Township High School and then attended several colleges. In 1898, Zoath and Ella Yost built their home on the Vermilion River at 298 West Water Street in Pontiac.
Zoath and Ella Yost had three children. The oldest child, Hellene Louise Yost, graduated from Pontiac Township High School. Hellene Yost received a bachelor's degree in Greek from Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Lynchburg, Virginia, and a master's degree in English from the University of Chicago. Early in her career, Miss Yost taught at Pontiac High School and Rivesville, West Virginia, High School. Hellene Yost spent most of her adult life reading many books and giving book reviews to various Pontiac groups.
The middle child, Catherine Virginia Yost, graduated from Pontiac Township High School. She attended Randolph-Macon Woman's College at Lynchburg, Va., the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts for a term and the Art Institute of Chicago for two years. One of her classmates at Randolph-Macon Woman's College was Pearl Buck, a famous author who won the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes in Literature. Catharine Yost was an early member of the Amitytown Society of Painters. Catharine Yost spent her adult life painting.
The youngest child, J. Paul Yost, graduated from Pontiac Township High School. Mr. Yost was a 1920 graduate of the University of Chicago with a degree in Philosophy. He then obtained a law degree at West Virginia University. While in law school, Paul Yost joined a traveling group of students who put on plays in various West Virginia cities. Mr. Yost then worked doing Broadway plays for several years. He also toured Europe to learn about how Europeans designed and presented their plays. Mr. Yost spent his adult life either directing or acting in various local plays. He also created artistic works as a member of the Amitytown Painters Society.
For over four decades, the Yost House and Zoath Yost's three children were the cultural and artistic hub of the Pontiac area. These three children never married and they all lived in the Yost House. The last child to die, Paul Yost, left the house to the City of Pontiac. The Livingston County Historical Society manages the house as a museum.
The Yost House is a historical treasure because the house and furnishings are almost identical to the condition of the house when it was first built in 1898. Two generations of the Yost family saved all of their possessions and they are featured in the house today.
This book focuses on the history of the Yost family and their home at 298 West Water Street. It is hoped this book will help to inform future generations about the history of the Yost family and their impact on the cultural development of Pontiac.
