Yeomans was born on January 23, 1822, in German Flatts, New York, raised on the family farm, and educated in public schools.
For the first three years of his life in Mount Pleasant, Yeomans taught school during the winter months, and did farm work in the summer.
[1] Yeomans served a single term on the Iowa House of Representatives from December 4, 1854, to November 30, 1856, holding the District 32 seat as a Democrat.
In 1858, James Buchanan appointed Yeomans the register of the United States General Land Office at Sioux City, where he remained for six years.
Yeomans also served on the local branch of the Bureau of Pensions in Osage and Charles City, and was a trustee of the Iowa State Agricultural College for six years.