The elder Caution, descended from Haitian immigrants, was originally from Washington County, Maryland, and worked in a lumber mill in Williamsport.
Annie Caution's mother was Julia C. Collins, who in 1865, produced the first serialized novel written by an African-American woman, Curse of Caste, or the Slave Bride[5][6] The family lived at 342 Front Street in Williamsport.
Orphaned, the four children were taken to Cambridge, Massachusetts by their father's brother and sister-in-law, Cornelius and Ella (Blake) Caution; upon her death seven months later, all four were placed in a local orphanage.
Around 1910, Young contacted J. Hockley Smiley, managing editor of the Chicago Defender newspaper as to the possibilities of a job as a reporter.
His pallbearers included Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalfe, and John Sengstacke, owner and publisher of the Defender.
He supported Jack Johnson as he tried to return to boxing after serving his prison sentence,[12] and was actively involved in promoting the inclusion of African Americans into professional sport during the early years of the twentieth century; he was also a staunch and unwavering supporter of black collegiate sports, as well as encouraging the involvement of African Americans in such sports as tennis, golf, and auto racing.