Biography of Samuel A. King

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1898. Pages 407-408

	Scan and OCR by Joy Fisher, 1997. This file may be copied for non-profit 
	purposes. All other rights reserved. 


SAMUEL A. KING, a retired farmer living on the northwest quarter of 
section 25, township 126, range 58, in Marshall county, is a native of 
Chelsea, Orange county, Vermont, born March 13, 1825. Mr. King's 
grandfather was a pensioner of the Revolutionary war, having lost a limb 
in the service of his country during that struggle for liberty. He was 
an Englishman by birth, but his wife a Welch lady. Mr. King's father, 
John King, was a native of Vermont, born in 1787, and died in 1852. His 
wife, Alpa (Buck) King, was also born in Vermont, in 1803, and died in 
Dover, New Hampshire, in 1882. They reared a family of six children, 
three of whom are now living.

	Mr. King, our subject, spent his boyhood until he was eighteen 
years of age in Vermont, Lowell, Massachusetts, and Huron, Ohio. He went 
from Ohio to the lead mines of Illinois, but did no prospecting. After 
traveling around for about three years he returned again to Ohio, where, 
in 1853, he was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Studwell, a native of 
New York. Mrs. King was born in 1830. The same year Mr. King, with his 
wife, started west, stopping for about a year at La Porte, Indiana, 
where his oldest son, Horace, was born. In 1854 he moved to Iroquois 
county, Illinois, where the second son, Lloyd, was born and died the 
same year. They lived in Illinois only a little more than one year, and 
in August, 1855, moved to Tama county, Iowa, where Mr. King bought land 
and pursued farming successfully for about thirteen years. During this 
time there were four children born to them, viz.: Jay, Alpa, William and 
Mary. In June, 1867, Mr. King removed to Pottawattamie county, Iowa, 
driving his stock across the country and taking his goods and family in 
wagons. In Pottawattamie county he again bought land and engaged in 
farming and stock-raising to considerable extent, which proved very 
successful. While in that county Lizzie, the youngest daughter, was 
born. In the spring of 1883 he sold his properly, chartered three cars 
and with his family, stock and household goods started for Marshall 
county, South Dakota, arriving there April 1, 1883. He filed preemption 
and homestead claims in Waverly township. His first improvements 
consisted of a frame house, the first in that part of the county, and he 
was appointed commissioner of Day county when it was yet included in 
Marshall county. In 1894 his wife, Mrs. Hannah King, died leaving six 
living children, who are all residing in Marshall county, except Alpa, 
now Mrs. C. L. Sprouse, who lives in Cass county, Iowa, and Lizzie, now 
Mrs. E. J. Leach, of North Dakota.

	Politically, Mr. King is a Populist, and is an advocate of the 
doctrine of equal suffrage. Mr. King is now seventy-two years old, and, 
as he says, "expects to make this his home while he is permitted to 
remain here on earth."

	JAY KING, third son of S. A. King, was born in Tama county, Iowa. 
In 1882 he came to Dakota and located land which, the next year, his 
father came to occupy. Jay King also took land under his homestead, pre-
emption and tree claim rights, for all of which he now holds government 
deeds. He was married to Miss Nell Hall, who died in 1885, leaving one 
child, a daughter. Mr. Jay King was united in marriage in January, 1887, 
to his present wife, who formerly bore the name of Lizzie M. Stewart. 
Mrs. King is a native of Ohio, born February 28, 1865, of Irish descent. 
Four children have been born to bless this union, viz: Glenn D., born 
December, 1887;  Samuel Jay, born June 1, 1890, William H. , born 
October 16, 1892, and Frances, born July 18, 1895.

	Mr. Jay King has devoted his attention to farming, and in the past 
has made wheat his principal crop. Finding this unprofitable, however, 
he is preparing to develop a range, stock and dairy business, and to 
this end is lending all possible aid in the establishment of creameries 
in that section of the country, which he believes is admirably adapted 
to that business and which can be profitably carried on in South Dakota, 
as has been fully demonstrated.