Yolo County CA Archives Biographies.....King, William 1838 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 5, 2005, 4:53 am Author: Tom Gregory WILLIAM KING Beneath the shadow of the Great Smoky mountains, with the lofty peaks of the Blue Ridge chain lying in the remote distance and lifting their gray summits toward the sky, in the eastern portion of Tennessee seventy-five years ago there stood a few buildings on a Knox county plantation, forming a homestead whose memory lingers with William King into, his old age. There he was born in 1838 and there he played with the zest of care-free childhood. But when he was yet quite small the family, in the hope of bettering their condition, removed by wagon to Missouri and journeyed west almost to the Kansas line, settling in Jackson county south of the present metropolis of Kansas City. Into that region settlers were coming in large numbers, but the news of the discovery of gold in California turned the tide of emigration still further toward the setting sun. With the passing of winter and the opening of the spring of 1853 an expedition was formed for the purpose of crossing the plains. In the party there were thirty-two men and only two boys, David and William King, brothers, the latter a youth of fifteen years, sturdily endowed by nature, but with only the education afforded by the day arid locality. He was quite useful as a cattle drover and also looked after the mules for the men. At the end of a tedious journey Yolo county was reached during the autumn of 1853 and here Mr. King still resides. At present there is not a man nor a woman in Davis township who was here when he came in 1853 and many are the changes he has witnessed during the long period of his residence, his own quiet and industrious labors having contributed to the bringing about of some of these changes. After having made two trips across the mountains hauling freight with four yoke of oxen, Mr. King began to work on the Gregory ranch, where he was the only employe able to speak English. Two-thirds of the people in the vicinity of Davis at the time were Spaniards. In 1856 he rented sixty acres of raw land and raised a crop of wheat, which he sold at $2.50 per cwt. Next he squatted on a land grant, but was ejected because he had not attained his majority. However, he managed to raise a crop of broom corn on the place. During 1861 he began to haul freight from Sacramento to Virginia City and continued at the work for a considerable period, eventually, however, removing to Yolo county, where he bought eighty-five acres of unimproved land. His first task was the clearing away of the brush that covered the land and he then was able to raise large crops of barley and wheat. In 1875 he moved into the village of Davis, where ever since he has made his home, but the farm of eighty-five acres, purchased in 1869, he still owns and manages. All of the trees on his home place in Davis were planted by Mrs. King. Many other improvements were made that enhanced the value of the property. During 1910 the grain threshed on the farm averaged twenty-three sacks to the acre. A large crop of hay also was taken from the farm. Since becoming a citizen of Davis and a man of some leisure, Mr. King has devoted a part of his time to public activities. Movements for the benefit of the town or township receive his sympathetic co-operation and he has been progressive in his citizenship from the first of his identification with the county. In no movement has he been more interested than in the improvement of the. highways and he has rendered efficient service as roadmaster. As early as 1879 he was first chosen to the office of justice of the peace and for nine years he continued to serve with impartiality and intelligence in the position. During. 1890 he was elected a member of the board of county supervisors and later was honored with the chairmanship of that body. During this time he built the first two steel bridges in his district, the first in the county, and he justly takes pride in having reduced the taxes to $1. No one surpasses him in devotion to the county, of which for so many years he has been a progressive citizen. Sharing with him in the regard of others is his wife, formerly Miss Rebecca M. Montgomery, whom he married March 30, 1864, and who was born in Marion county, Mo. She crossed the plains with her parents in 1854. Her father, Alexander, and her grandfather, William Montgomery, first came to Yolo county in 1850. Mr. and Mrs. King became the parents to eight children, but two, J. K. and Daisy, have passed from earth. The others are as follows: Catherine, Mrs. W. H. Scott, of Davis; Amanda, wife of J. B. Harrington, of Davis; Thomas J.; Edna, Mrs. W. Cole, of Sacramento; Nellie, wife of Samuel Lillard, of Davis; and Belle, who married I. C. May and lives in Sacramento. Additional Comments: Extracted from HISTORY OF YOLO COUNTY CALIFORNIA WITH Biographical Sketches OF The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth and Development From the Early Days to the Present HISTORY BY TOM GREGORY AND OTHER WELL KNOWN WRITERS ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA [1913] File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/yolo/bios/king89nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 5.6 Kb