Biography of Benjamin Frank King Sr, St Francis County, AR

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Submitted by: Paul V Isbell
        Date: 19 Nov 2008
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
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Since its founding seventy eight years ago in 1876, the Avery Insurance Agency,
by W. H. Avery, who sold to George P. Taylor, grandfather of Alston Taylor, who
changed the name to Taylor Insurance Agency. The firm is now composed of Harry
A. Knight Sr., Alston Graham Taylor, and B. F. King. Edgar P. Taylor joined the
firm when the elder Mr. Taylor died in 1898. At that time, a promising young
Forrest Citian, became a partner in the firm and the name was changed to Taylor-
Knight & Co. When Edgar P. Taylor passed in January 1935, they consolidated with
B. F. King and the name was changed to Taylor-Knight-King Insurance Agency.
Meanwhile, James Taylor, son of Edgar continued with the firm until his death in
Oct. 1950, when Aslton Taylor, another son of Edgar, joined the firm. The second
oldest member of the firm, B. Frank King, who came to this city 35 years ago
from Greenwood, Miss., is the son of the late R. C. and Letitia L. King of
Greenwood, and was born at the old Agricultural & Mechanical College in
Mississippi. Mr. King married on June 17, 1918, the former Mattie Mann of
Forrest City, daughter of the late Judge Samuel H. and Mary R. Mann, prominent
pioneer settlers of St. Francis County. The Kings have one daughter, and two
granddaughters Their son Frank Jr., was killed when World War II at Pier,
Germany, while fighting with the 104th Army Division. The King-Beazley American
Legion Post bears his name as a memorial for Frank. Mr. King was in training as
a pilot at the end of World War I ended. He came to Forrest City, the home town
of his wife, to become a clerk at the old First Natrional Bank, now consolidated
with the National Bank of Eastern Arkansas, and in 1933 founded the King
Florist, now Henley's Florist. In 1925, he went to St. Petersburg, Fla. to head
the New Business Dept. in the First National Bank there. In June 1930, he
returned to Forrest City to purchase the J. E. Ferguson Insurance Agency, which
he continued until it merged in March 1953 with Taylor-Knight & Co. He received
his formal education at the Greenwood High School and at Mississippi State
College. He served as Alderman from Ward I from 1949-1951 and has been President
of the Rotary Club, a member of the Young Business Men's Club and the Elks Club.
He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and is Committeman from Ward 1 of the
St. Francis County Democratic Central Committee.


SOURCE:
HISTORY of ST. FRANCIS COUNTY, ARKANSAS, 1954 - Robert W. Chowning

Copyright, with Permission: Weston McCollum Lewey, Publisher
-Times Herald Publishing-Forrest City, Arkansas