USA > Maine > Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume IV > Part 8
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KING This surname was often spelled in England, Kynge; on the Rolls of Parliament and the Hundred Rolls are recorded Hamond le King, Sayer le King and Robert le Kynge. It is an uncommon name north of Shropshire, and though some branches of the family scattered through many counties, Devon, Cornwall, Cambridge, Essex and others, the Kings were best known in Gloucester, Hampshire, Warwick, and espe- cially Somerset and Wilts. Many of this name came to America after 1634 whose records show little to indicate a relationship between them. After much research, however, several lines have been connected with the English, and indications are strong that kinship exists betweeen the Kings of Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. But the emigrant ancestor of the following line in America is not yet clearly placed in his English home. But wherever and however ancient that may be, his family was undoubtedly of high standing or he would not have married into the family of a Massachu- setts clergyman. There is strong evidence that the descendants of Philip King, of Taunton, Massachusetts, have been distinguished for their intellectuality, industry, patriotism, love of order, efforts to promote education and for the advancement of all civil and religious in- stitutions. Each generation has successively laid broader foundations for their descend- ants.
(I) Philip, the earliest ancestor, came from England with his brother Cyrus and was set- tled in Braintree, Massachusetts, prior to 1680. At that date he went to Taunton, Massachu- setts (the part now Raynham), where he pur- chased land, the deed of which is on record at
Taunton. He built a home on this land soon after his arrival and married "about 1680, Ju- dith, daughter of John Whitman, of Milton, Massachusetts." He became a favorite with the Indians and he and his family were never molested by them. Captain Philip's funeral was an impressive one, with military honors, a large concourse following to his grave in the cemetery at Neck of Land, Taunton. Chil- dren: I. Mary, married John Leonard. 2. Lydia, married Nathaniel Williams Jr., and (second) John Macomber. 3. Judith, married Ebenezer Williams, of Taunton, and (second) Colonel Ebenezer Robinson. 4. Hannah, mar- ried Jonathan Padelford, whose descendants possess the walking staff Philip the emigrant brought from England, bearing his full name. 5. Elizabeth, married John Hall. 6. Experi- ence, married Nicholas White, of Taunton. 7. John, married Alice Dean.
(II) John, only son of Philip and Judith (Whitman) King, was born in Taunton in 1681. He married, about 1700, Alice Dean, of a prominent Taunton family. He died, ac- cording to his gravestone inscription, in 1741, "in his 60th year." His wife died in 1746. They had thirteen children: Judith, Philip, John, Hannah, Isaac, Abigail, Jonathan and David (twins), Josiah, Ruth, Mercy, Ebenezer and Benjamin. John King, like his father, was interested in the Indians, and educated two-Campbell and Occeun-at his own ex- pense, to become missionaries to their native brethren.
(III) Benjamin, youngest son of John and Alice (Dean) King, was born in Taunton (Raynham). He died 1803, aged eighty-five. He married Abiah, daughter of Deacon Sam- uel Leonard (and married twice after her death-Deliverance Eddy and the Widow Cobb). He was a worthy citizen, and pos- sessed a large estate bordering on the river. He was representative from Raynham to the general court in 1774, and was a delegate to the provincial congress. The children of Ben- jamin and Abiah were: George, William, Asa, Gaius, Anna and Hazadiah.
(IV) George, eldest son of Benjamin and Abiah (Leonard) King, was born in Rayn- ham, November 27, 1744. He married Bet- sey, daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Hall) Shaw. He is described as "a power- ful, athletic man, with a courageous and pa- triotic spirit." He served in the revolutionary war for a year or more, under General Wash- ington at Roxbury and other places. He was orderly sergeant and clerk of the Raynham company. On the first call for soldiers he
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rode through the town to the accompaniment of fife and drum, rallying his townsmen to drive out of the country the British who "were killing Massachusetts men." Children of George and Betsey who grew up: Samuel, born May 18, 1771, married Sally Hall; George, born August 9, 1779, married Polly Hall. These two brothers were early settled in Maine ; Betsey married Enoch Shaw.
(V) Samuel, eldest son of Sergeant George and Betsey (Shaw) King, was born in Rayn- ham, May 18, 1771. He was a carpenter and builder, also a farmer, and moved to Paris, Maine, with his uncle, Jairus Shaw. He mar- ried Sally, daughter of Jonathan Hall, who died December 9, 1862. Captain Samuel died April 26, 1856. They had eleven children : Samuel, born February 4, 1799, married Eliza Shaw, of Portland; Alonzo, February 3, 1801, married Miranda Prentiss; Sally Hall, Decem- ber 26, 1802, married Charles Durell, of Ox- ford; Polly, February 20, 1805, married Ira Brett, of Portland; Joseph Haven, March 17, 1807, married Charlotte Cushman, and ( sec- ond) Lucy R. Clifford; Betsey Shaw, August 7, 1809, died May 20, 1810; Horatio, June 21, 1811; Maria M., September 27, 1813, mar- ried Thomas H. Brown, M. D .; Jairus Keith, February 2, 1816, married S. Jane Shaw ; Cy- rus S., September 2, 1818, married Dorcas K. Perley, of Portland; William Otis, August 6, 1820, married Mary Ann Clifford.
(VI) Horatio, fourth son of Captain Sam- uel and Sally (Hall) King, was born in Paris, Maine, June 21, 1811. He supplemented his common school education by extensive study and voluminous reading, acquiring also a good knowledge of the French language, which, added to his unusual literary culture by prac- tical training, proved of great value to him in his subsequent career. In 1829 he entered the office of The Jeffersonian, a Democratic paper published in his native town. In about a year he became one of the owners and six months later the sole proprietor, employing the village schoolteacher to assist him in his editorial work. He continued to edit this paper until 1838, when he sold out and then terminated his professional connection with the public press. In the fall of that year he visited Washington, D. C., to look for a newspaper opening, but finding nothing to his mind he concluded to accept a clerkship in the Post Office depart- ment tendered him by Postmaster-General Amos Kendall, thus "commencing at the foot of the ladder that connection which proved alike beneficial to the country and honorable to himself and whence he climbed every step
marked by his ability and energy, to the chief position." His was the unique distinction of being the only person who ever started with the lowest clerkship and ended with the high- est office in the department-that of post- master-general. He filled successively the offices of correspondence clerk for New Eng- land; superintendent of foreign mail service; assistant postmaster-general, 1854-61; acting postmaster-general, being nominated February 12, 1861, by President Buchanan as post- master-general, serving until the inauguration of President Lincoln and the appointment of his successor March 7, 1861. All these im- portant and responsible places Mr. King "filled with fidelity and distinguished ability." He was loyal and patriotic, and though exempt by age from military duty he furnished a repre- sentative recruit who was mustered in and served in the Union army. For this exhibition of patriotism Mr. King received official ac- knowledgment from the United States govern- ment. After retiring from the postoffice de- partment he was appointed by President Lin- coln one of the commissioners to carry out the provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation in the District of Columbia, a service which continued nine months, when he became at- torney for the executive departments and in- ternational commissions until 1875. He then retired from active business. After a second European tour, 1875-76, he published a book entitled "Sketches of Travel, or Twelve Months in Europe." He was a strong and ready writer and contributed to newspapers and magazines. He originated Saturday evening literary entertainments at his private residence in Washington, which became popular, and contributed largely to the elevation of the liter- ary tone of the city. The one hundredth meet- ing was held February 21, 1884, and at the request of citizens, the proceedings were pub- lished in a pamphlet of forty-eight pages. Mr. King was a member for sixteen years (and most of the time was secretary) of the Wash- ington National Monument Society, and had the great satisfaction of witnessing the com- pletion and dedication of the beautiful obelisk. In 1894 another book of Mr. King's most im- portant writings was published, under the title : "Turning on the Light," compiled with a sketch of his life by his son, Horatio C. In June, 1896, the degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred upon him by Dickinson College. In November of that year Mr. King had a severe attack of the grip, from the effects of which he did not entirely rally, and after sev- eral months of increasing weakness he died
Horatio King
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on May 19, 1897, a peaceful passing of a re- markably active, useful and noble life. It may truthfully be said that "his career is one of the most remarkable in the history of this country." Mr. King married, May 25, 1835, Anne Collins, of Portland, Maine, and had seven children, of whom but three survive: Mrs. Annie A. Cole, of Washington, D. C .; General Horatio C. King, of Brooklyn, New York; and Henry F. King, of West Newton, Massachusetts. His wife died September 22, 1869, and he married (second) February 8, 1875, Isabella G. Osborne, of Auburn, New York, who survives him.
(VII) Horatio C., son of Horatio and Anne (Collins) King, was born in Portland, Maine, December 22, 1837. His parents soon re- moved to Washington, D. C., where his early education began. He became a student first of Emory and Henry College, Virginia, and then of Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsyl- vania, from which institution he was grad- uated 1858. He was popular at college and indulged in the sports, though a ready scholar, winning the esteem of his professors. Since 1896 he has been a trustee of the institution. After leaving college he entered the law office of Hon. Edwin M. Stanton (afterwards sec- retary of war), where he remained for two years (1859-1861). He was pursuing his legal studies in New York City preparatory to his admission to the bar in May, 1861. At the outbreak of the rebellion he was eager to join the first troops responding to the call, but was persuaded by his parents to continue in his profession, which he did until July, 1862, when he applied for a position in a light battery, but all places having been assigned, he went to Washington, and learning that General Casey was in need of a quartermaster, he se- cured through the Secretary of War, his friend and instructor, this position, with the duties of which he was unfamiliar. But after a few days leave of absence he reported for duty and proved equal to all emergencies and re- sponsibilities. Later he was assigned to the department headquarters, and finally as chief quartermaster of De Russy's division, which included an extensive line of fortifications south of the Potomac. Captain King's man- agement of this department secured for him the highest commendations of his superior officers. But desiring to be assigned to more active duty in the field, he applied in person to Secretary Stanton and an order was soon issued for him to report to General Philip Sheridan, commanding the army of the Shen- andoah. As soon as he could transfer to a
successor the immense property for which he was responsible, he started for the Shenandoah Valley. Accompanying the first escort to the front, the day after his arrival he reported to General Sheridan, and was assigned to the staff of General Merritt, the great cavalryman, as chief quartermaster of the First Cavalry Division of nine thousand cavalry, with the rank of major. He assumed the weighty cares and so conducted the department as to win special official mention from General Merritt. In all the duties which Major King was called to discharge to the close of the war he did not once fail to exhibit ability and distinguished service. He participated in the final campaign until the surrender of General Lee, and when he returned with the command to Washington, after the great review in which he took part, his resignation was accepted and he returned to civil life. Many testimonials appreciating his distinguished service and his value as an officer were received from the highest officers of the army, and the brevets of major, lieu- tenant-colonel and colonel were conferred upon Major King by the war department. He was also awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry outside the line of duty at the battle of Five Forks, Vir- ginia. After his return from the war, and re- entering the law business, he became associate editor of the New York Star, and later pub- lished the Christian Union, edited by Henry Ward Beecher. Later he was also connected with the Christian at Work. His poems, songs, musical compositions and magazine articles have been widely published. Colonel King is secretary of the Society of the Army of the Potomac since 1879; charter member of the New York Commandery of the Military Or- der of the Loyal Legion; and member of the Grand Army of the Republic; Phi Beta Kappa Society; and is a Mason and member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He was appointed by President Cleveland to the position of judge advocate general, with the rank and honor of a brigadier-general. Allegheny College, Pennsylvania, conferred upon him the degree of LL. D. He was a member of the board of education in Brook- lyn, New York, 1885-1894, when he resigned, and in 1894 was appointed trustee of the New York State Soldiers' and Sailors' Home. He was also one of the State Commission on the Law's Delays. General King's first wife was a daughter of Russell Stebbins, Esq., who with her infant child of three months died in 1864. He married (second) in 1866, the only daugh- ter of John T. Howard, and had a large fam-
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ily. One son and two daughters died in in- fancy, and in May, 1897, a lovely and uni- versally loved daughter Ethel, aged nineteen, died. The five surviving daughters are mar- ried; namely: Emma (Mrs. Percy R. Gray) ; Alice (Mrs. John Hanway) ; Susan (Mrs. S. S. Norton) ; Clara (Mrs. Cleveland Litch- field), and Mabel (Mrs. George L. Brown). There are ( 1908) sixteen grandchildren.
General King's publications include "Pro- ceedings of the Society of the Army of the Potomac" for thirty-one years, "Silver Wed- ding at Plymouth Church," "The Great Con- gregational Council of Plymouth Church," "King's Guide to Regimental Courts-Mar- tial," "Sketch of Dickinson College," "Remin- iscences of Brooklyn," "Sketch of the Army of the Potomac," "Sacred Songs and Carols," "Twelve Songs," "Songs of Dickinson," "Songs of Phi Kappa Sigma," and "Souve- nirs," besides several poems and numerous mu- sical compositions in sheet music form.
KING It is impossible at the present time to state how the first bearer of this surname acquired it. He may have taken it from his lofty bearing, or the place he occupied in the mock ceremonies of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, as, for in- stance, Epiphany, when there was a great feast and one of the company was elected king, the rest being, according to the lots they drew, either ministers or maids of honor ; or he may have been "King of Misrule," who initiated and conducted the merry doings of Christmas- tide; or the king who with his queen was en- throned in each English village on May morn- ing.
(I) Samuel King was born in Ireland dur- ing the last quarter of the eighteenth century. He and his young wife, Mary (Rodney) King, being ambitious to better their condi- tion, decided to hazard their fortune in the new world, and they accordingly embarked for America soon after their marriage. They decided to settle in Maine, where Mr. King found employment in shipbuilding, then the leading industry of the state. He worked on vessels as a rigger, and was killed by an ac- cident in Bangor while aloft on a mast. Chil- dren: Eliza, Jane, Joseph, whose sketch fol- lows, John and Charlotte.
(II) Joseph, the elder son of Samuel and Mary (Rodney) King, was born at Orring- ton, Maine, in 1808, died in 1895. He was educated in the common schools, and at the age of four was bound out to Squire Goodell, one of the pioneers of that region, whose
original home was in New Hampshire. When Joseph had reached his majority, he was given, according to the custom of the time, a suit of clothes and a pair of steers. He remained with Squire Goodell one year after receiving his freedom, which shows that the apprentice- ship must have been satisfactory to both par- ties. For the next two years he had charge of the place of Captain Snow while the latter was at sea. After his marriage Mr. King settled in Herman, where he carried on farm- ing, and also owned a sawmill and hauled lumber to Bangor. After living there for ten years, he moved to Orrington, his native town, where he took up land, cleared it, and erected new buildings. Mr. King lived in this home till his death. He was a Whig in early life, and later became a Republican. He was a man of upright character and strong religious feelings and was a life-long Methodist. In 1833 Joseph King married Susan Huntley, born at Machias, Maine, 1812, died in 1891. Chil- dren: Fred, Mary Elizabeth, Laura, Addie, Melville and Gershom (twins), who died in infancy, Susan Jennie, Sophia, Arthur W., and Joseph M., whose sketch follows. Fred King married Matilda Bearse, and has one son, Fred Elmer. Arthur W. King lives on the old home place ; married Dora Atwood, and they have six daughters: Josephine, Addie, Helen, Ethel, Olive and Hazel. Lizzie King mar- ried A. P. Smith, of Orrington. Jennie King married A. B. Baker, of Orrington, and lives in New Hartford, Maine; child, Georgia C.
(III) Dr. Joseph Melville, youngest child of Joseph and Susan (Huntley) King, was born at Orrington, Maine, September 19, 1853. He was educated in the town schools and at the East Maine Conference Seminary at Bucksport, and was graduated from the School of Medicine, Boston University, in 1880. The same year he began the practice of medicine at Damariscotta, Maine, and has remained there ever since, and is now one of the oldest and most widely known physicians in the re- gion. Dr. King is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Methodist church. His professional duties keep him too busy to en- gage in officeholding or other outside interests. May 6, 1880, Dr. Joseph Melville King mar- ried Alzea M., daughter of Holmes W. and Lovica (Small) Ramsdell, of Harrington, Maine. Mrs. King's grandparents came from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The Rams- dell name is one of the oldest in the country, and is numerous in that part of the coast, where it has produced some distinguished sea captains. In New Hampshire the family had
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a worthy representative in George A. Rams- dell, of Nashua, governor of the state from 1896 to 1898. Children of Dr. Joseph M. and Alzea M. (Ramsdell) King: I. Geneva E., born January 16, 1881, is a graduate of Lin- coln Academy and a graduate nurse of the Mary Hitchcock Hospital, Hanover, New Hampshire. 2. Jessie R., November 12, 1883, was graduated from Lincoln Academy ; mar- ried Walter M. Boynton, a machinist and tool- maker of Nobleboro; one child, Richard. 3. Joseph Holmes, June 12, 1885, a graduate of Lincoln Academy and of the New York School of Journalism ; is now connected with the Hart- ford Courant, of Hartford, Connecticut. 4. Fred Melville, June 9, 1891, is now a student at Lincoln Academy.
TWAMBLEY This is a very old Ameri- can family which has been somewhat distinguished for the longevity of its members and which has taken an active part in the settlement and de- velopment of southwest Maine. The name seems to have had the form Twombly on its arrival in this country and this spelling is still used by many who bear it. The family was long located in Dover and Somersworth, New Hampshire.
(I) Ralph Twombly, immigrant, was a na- tive of England and settled as early as 1656 in Dover, New Hampshire, where he was first taxed in that year and had land laid out to him on October 4 of the same year. The bap- tismal name of his wife was Elizabeth, but her family name is yet undiscovered. His will was made February 28, 1685, and proved October 7 of the following year, his son John being made executor. There were five minor children at the time of his death. In addition to the eldest just mentioned, his children were : Joseph, born 1661 ; Mary, married a Tibbetts ; Ralph, who left sons Ralph and William; Will- iam, Sarah, Hope, Elizabeth and Esther.
(II) John, eldest son of Ralph and Eliza- beth Twombly, was born about 1660 in Dover, New Hampshire, where his life was passed. He was married (first) April 18, 1687, to Mary, second daughter of Thomas Canney, of Dover, who survived but a few years. He was married (second) October 3, 1693, to Ra- chel Allen. He died soon after July 18, 1724, when his will was made. Children: John, Joseph, Samuel, Benjamin, William, Sarah, Mary, Rachel, Esther and Hannah. Most of these lived in Somersworth, New Hampshire.
(III) Samuel, son of John Twombly, and grandson of Ralph Twombly, was born in
Dover, New Hampshire, March 10, 1699, and died there November, 1769. He married, No- vember 26, 1723, Judith, daughter of Tobias and Ann (Lord) Hanson. She was born September 12, 1703, and died June 23, 1793. Children, born at Dover: I. Ann, born Au- gust 15, 1724, married James Nock (Knox). 2. Samuel, March 18, 1726, mentioned below. 3. Jonathan, October 21, 1727, married De- borah Wentworth. Four other children, names not known.
(IV) Samuel (2), son of Samuel (I), Twombly, was born in Dover, March 18, 1726, and died there March 12, 1794. He married Sarah, born February 6, 1729, daughter of Ebenezer and Sarah (Roberts) Wentworth, granddaughter of Benjamin Wentworth, and great-granddaughter of William Wentworth, the immigrant. Children, born at Dover: I. Samuel, February 22, 1750, married, Decem- ber 22, 1777, Mary Barrows, born July 30, 1755; resided at Milton, New Hampshire. 2. Sarah, died unmarried February 17, 1827. 3. Daniel, mentioned below. 4. Tobias, born May 30, 1757, married, September 20, 1801, Lois Wentworth. 5. Lydia, married Benja- min Hanson. 6. Joanna Ichabod Cousin, of Rochester. 7. Stephen, mentioned elsewhere.
(V) Daniel, second son of Samuel (2) and Sarah (Wentworth) Twombly, settled in Ber- wick, Maine, where his descendants continued to reside for many generations. He was mar- ried November 6, 1784, to Mary, daughter of Deacon Thomas and Mary (Goodwin) Hods- don. She was baptized in 1765 and was the mother of: Rufus K., Samuel, Mary J., Da- vid and James.
(VI) Rufus K., eldest child of Daniel and Mary (Hodsdon) Twambley, was born 1786 in Berwick, died June 19, 1829, in Shap- leigh, Maine. He was a jeweler and watch- maker by trade and kept a store at what was called in his time South Berwick Landing. Three of his sons learned his trade. He mar- ried (first) Olive McSoo, who lived but a short time, and he subsequently married her sister Roxanna. There was one child by the first wife, namely Olive. Children of second wife were: Charles, Thomas, George, Alex- ander, Mary, Ann, David, Rufus K., Roxanna and Samuel G. The last named is still living, in his eighty-first year, and still engaged in the jewelry business in Biddeford, where he has occupied the same store since 1862.
(VII) Rufus K. (2), sixth son of Rufus K. (I) and Roxanna (McSoo) Twambley, was born November 23, 1823, in Berwick, where he died August 3, 1878. He was edu-
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cated in the common schools, and learned the jeweler's trade from his father and elder brother. When about thirty years old he en- gaged in business as a jeweler at Saco, Maine, and conducted the same successfully to the time of his death, which occurred in 1878. He was a Republican in politics, but took little active part in public affairs. He was married November 15, 1846, to Ann Murphy, at Shap- leigh. She was born March 24, 1824, and survived him about seventeen years, dying January 6, 1905. Their children were: Mary, Lizzie, who died in her twenty-second, year ; George Edwin, mentioned below ; Anna Louise, wife of Charles A. Siegemund.
(VIII) George Edwin, son of Rufus K. (2) Twambley, was born in Saco, Maine, Au- gust 20, 1849. He was educated in the public schools of his native town. He learned the watchmaking and jeweler's trade of his father and became associated with him in business. At the father's death he succeeded to the busi- ness, which he has conducted with success to the present time. He is a Republican in poli- tics and a Unitarian in religion. He married, November 19, 1871, Amanda Josephine, born 1850, died March 20, 1907, daughter of Jo- seph Whittier, of Biddeford. Their only child, George Frank, born September 19, 1876, was educated in the public schools of Saco and is now associated in business with his father.
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