Connection to William Alfred King (Stafford Co., Virginia)

George William King (b. 1950) son/grandson of the Harrison Co., Kentucky Kings, received his y-dna results through FamilyDNA.com. Previous to these results, researchers had traced this family line back to immigrant Michael King; however, the y-dna markers 12, 25, 37, link this family to a captain of the Colonial Militia, William Alfred King (1657-1702), of Stafford Co., Virginia.  The William Alfred King line traces back to immigrant Francis King who arrive to America about 1653.  It is thought that Francis was an indentured servant of Giles Brent. He lived in Northumberland Co., which is where Giles Brent lived and where he had received land for importation of other settlers to the colonies.

The confusion between the Michael King and Francis King lines seems to be due to a lack of information regarding Robert King (1707-abt. 1733/4) who married Margaret Sebastian (1711-1741). According to records from St. Paul’s Parrish in Stafford Co., Virginia, Robert and Margaret were married in 1727 and had a son, Joshua King (Jan 3, 1730).   Joshua was only about 3 years old when his father Robert King died. In 1735, Joshua’s mother, Margaret Sebastian King, married Joseph Suddeth at Overwharten Parrish, Stafford Co., Virginia.

The Kings of Harrison Co., Kentucky have always traced their line back to Joshua King (1730-1802) and his son, Joshua Thomas King (1761-1831), who is buried in King’s family cemetery (located on private farm) in Oddville, KY.  However, the y-dna results have offered new connections that confirm Robert King of Stafford Co., VA as Joshua S. King’s father.

In 2013, I was contacted by a Kevin King who stated that there is a passage in the EE barton papers (http://www.kykinfolk.com/pendleton/court_index.htm) that documents the relationship between the Kings of Pendleton and Harrison Co.  The document confirms the relationship between Joshua C. King and Joshua King Jr.

The Kings of Cynthiana, KY

Kings of Harrison Co., Kentucky & Clark Co., Indiana

The George T. King family of Clark Co. Indiana has traced their family history back to Joshua T. King (1761-1831) of Culpepper Co., Virginia married to Rachel “Hannah” Kannady.  While the exact year in which Joshua T. King moved to Harrison Co., Kentucky is unknown, Joshua’s will, dated 1802 in Harrison Co., Kentucky, is on record[i].  Joshua T. King Jr.  appears in the Harrison Co. census of 1830. Joshua’s grave has not been located but his brother, Richard (1762-1827), is buried in the King’s Cemetery in Cynthiana, KY located off of Lafferty Pike. This cemetery is quite large and surely as other family members buried there but only two head stones were still standing as of summer 2012. 

Richard King’s son, Paul King (1806-1872), has also been located in a family cemetery in Oddville[ii] where he is buried with his children and wives.  In this cemetery a headstone was located for Mahulda Garnett King (1809-1839), wife of Richard King and sister of our ggg-grandmother Sarah B. Garnett King (1808-1888). This connection with the Garnett family[iii] has helped confirm that Joshua T. King of Virginia is indeed our gggg-grandfather.  In fact, christening and marriage records indicate that Sarah and Mahulda’s father, Larkin Garnett[iv], is also from Culpepper Co., Virginia.  Perhaps the families’ close relationship is indicative of social ties that date back to when both families lived in Virginia.  One could even suppose that the families may have migrated to Harrison Co. together or during the same time period.

The King family does not possess a family bible and therefore many stories from our grandfathers have been lost.  However, the King grandsons of Clark Co. Indiana[v] have related several anecdotes regarding their grandfather George T. King (1838-1964).  Many of these stories illustrate great grandpa King’s sporting affections such as hunting and gambling.  Some claim that George T. King had inherited land and money that was lost through his gambling. It is also said that great grandpa King never liked working and spent days in the hills of Kentucky hunting while his wife, Sally Effie, ran a boarding house in Cynthiana in order to support the family.  Her daughter, Tilly Lilly King, claimed that her mother would sweep the yard waiting for her husband’s return. Aside from hunting, great grandpa King passed many hours at the local pool halls where he taught his son George Jr. (1919-1984), who was often sent by his mother to “fetch” his father, to master the game.  Great grandpa King boasted about his young son’s talents at the pool table and often bet on his ability to beat out other players who were much older than he.   

During his high school years, grandmother Effie Taylor King sent her son George Jr.  to live with his sister, Betsy, in Oddville. In this small town, George Jr. became a star basketball player for Oddville High and learned to farm alongside his brother-in-law, Earl Kerns.  

When George Jr.’s older brother, Garnett, moved to Louisville, KY, with his job on the tobacco market, he was offered several hundred acres of land across the Ohio River in Clark Co., Indiana.  Garnett bought the land and then encouraged his younger brothers, George Jr. and Harold, to move to Indiana to farm the property.  In 1932, the King brothers moved to Indiana where George Jr. and Harold met their wives, Edith Rachel Lewman and Martha Hilton, daughters of local farmers. George Jr. and Rachel Lewman were married in Vevay, Indiana on Feb. 14^, 1941 and later had four boys[vi].  Harold King and Martha Hilton King had two girls[vii], but Garnett and his wife, Alleen Lemmons King, never had children.

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[i] Harrison Co. Will Book A pg. 40

[ii] Located in a field belonging to John White.  5231 US HWY 62 E., Cynthiana, KY 41031

[iii] Two King brothers (George T. and Paul) married Garnett sisters (Sarah B. & Mahulda)

[iv] Larkin Garnett (1856-1888) is buried in the King-Garnett Cemetery off of Two Lick Pike in Cynthiana, KY.

[v] Douglas King, Ronald King, Thomas A. King, George W. King

[vi] Douglas King, Ronald King, Thomas A. King, George W. King

[vii] Deanna King Morrow, Carol Sue King Wilson

About this site...

This site is for King family members and genealogy enthusiast who are investigating the George T. King family of Harrison Co., Kentucky.  I have posted details concerning my family history in links found in this site.  Please contact me if you would like to inquire about or contribute to information on this site.