Payette County ID Archives Biographies.....King, Samuel 1931 - 1907 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/id/idfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Patty Theurer seymour784@yahoo.com January 17, 2006, 10:56 pm Author: Compiled by Howard Mason History of First Settlement Along Lower Payette River 1865-1900 Compiled by Howard Mason 1983 SAMUEL W. KING Mr. Samuel W. King was born in Louisiana November 17, 1831. When he was five years old his folks moved to Vaiden, Mississippi, then later to Jackson, Mississippi. In 1854, he was married to Elizabeth A. Huff. Four children were born to them; two boys died in infancy and two girls, Nancy A. and Elizabeth. The kings had a small farm. Cotton and flax were among the crops raised. I remember grandma telling about raising flax, spinning it into thread and making cloth for their children and themselves, etc. The Civil War came on and grandpa was called to serve as a soldier leaving grandma with two little girls to manage and the farm too as best she could. I do not remember what battles he was in except the siege of Vicksburg where he was taken prisoner. He lost one eye in the war. Auntie Applegate, Grandma Johnson’s sister Elizabeth told me that when Grandpa came home from the Civil War just about everything on the farm was gone. I remember Grandma Johnson (Nancy King) telling how sometimes the Union soldiers came and took all the available food but never harmed them. After the war, grandma’s brother and wife came west. Grandma’s health was not good, so perhaps this had something to do with making the decision to come west. In 1869, the Kings came to Kelton, Utah on the first passenger train to come west after the Civil War. Kelton is no longer on the map as it was not very far west of Ogden. From Kelton, they stage-coached it to Boise which at that time was just a small village. Grandpa said a nice lady at Kelton fixed a nice lunch to eat on the way. From Boise it was on to where Payette now is. Grandpa had a small acreage so farmed some and also did carpenter work. Later they had a ranch on Upper Big Willow about twelve miles above the Barker ranch later. This was called the “milk” ranch. I think in early days Grandma King made butter which was taken to Boise to be sold to the mining towns nearby. One time Grandma Johnson told me Grandma King was very ill and the nearest doctore was in Boise. So a friend rode horseback for a doctor. The he and the doctor returned on horseback. It may have been about 1905 that grandpa sold their home and then lived with Auntie Applegate (the daughter) and Uncle Johnny Applegate on Big Willow and also with Grandpa and Grandma Johnson on Birding Island where he passed away January 31, 1907. I do not remember much about him as I was about six years old. I do remember him singing hymns. He had a good singing voice. The following is copies from mother’s papers which I am certain belonged to Grandma Johnson: “Probably there was no man in Payette Valley held with higher respect by his neighbors and friends than Mr. King. He was a great lover of truth and honesty, and with such a love to guide him lived a most commendable life. He united with the Methodist Church in 1856 and was a faithful member.” Grandmother (Elizabeth A. Huff) King Grandmother King was born on July 18, 1831 in Memphis, Tennessee. She spent most of her early life in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1854 Grandma King was married to Samuel King. Her life then was as given in history of Mr. King. After death of Grandpa King, Grandma King continued to live with Grandpa and Grandma Johnson or with Elizabeth Applegate and her husband, John Henry. Auntie was grandma’s sister but we always called her Auntie. She had a room at each place with her own furniture and of course she always visited all of us. How we always loved to have her come. She was a tiny little person, always full of fun. She did a lot of knitting. I still have a piece she knitted. It was knitted about a week before she had her final illness. She was sick about a week. She died at the home of Grandpa and Grandma Johnson, September 26, 1920. She was buried in Payette Cemetery. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/id/payette/bios/king21gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/idfiles/ File size: 4.6 Kb