Some of Richard King's Children

      ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

Identifying the children of Richard King of Taliaferro County, Georgia, has been like playing sudoku with several missing numbers. To be able to identify any of his children, I have been working from what little documentation there is and trying to link the children together. 

Richard King's 1853 obituary referred to a "large family of children," but does not name any members of his family. It does refer to his Revolutionary War service and his participation in the Battle of the Eutaw Springs.

Richard King's Revolutionary War pension application papers are both a wealth of information and a desert of information. He applied for his pension on 13 September 1832, relating that he entered the service in 1775 as a substitute for his father Drury King. He does not state where he or his father was living at the time. His rendezvous was in South Carolina. When he completed his service, he returned home, location not named. Within a short time, he was drafted and went to South Carolina again to rendezvous. When his service was completed, he returned home to an undisclosed location and moved to "Wane" County, North Carolina. Again, he was drafted. During this round of service, he participated in the Battle of Eutaw Springs, guarded prisoners on their way to Camden, and eventually marched to the high hills of  Santee, where he was discharged. Again he was called into service, guarding the legislature at Hillsborough for seven months, and then sent home. He signed with his mark. 

A document in the final pay voucher file for Richard King, dated 5 March 1849, stated that Richard King had been a resident of Taliaferro County, Georgia for 22 years [1827] and that prior to that he had been a resident of Wilkes County, Georgia. However, in another document dated 19 October 1838, he stated that he had been a resident of Taliaferro County, Georgia for 23 years [1815].

After his death, on 21 October 1854, his widow Rachel King applied for a widow's pension, stating that they married in October 1796. She did not provide a location.

Also, on 21 October 1854, Jackson Henry, James Brantley, and Tyre G. Ellington stated that they knew Richard and Rachel King and that the couple had a "large family of children," of whom William D. King, aged 57, was the oldest child. No other children are named and there was no reference as to how many children there might have been. The statement that William D. King was the oldest of their children may suggest that Richard King had other children from a previous marriage. Since Richard King seems to have been 20 years older than Rachel, it is highly likely that he had at least one previous wife and an undetermined number of older children. 

The following spring, on 7 May 1855, Rachel King applied for her bounty land entitlement based on Richard's service. In that document, she stated that they had been married in October 1803 by "Wm Byrum of P." No location was provided. If it could be determined where William Byrum was performing marriages, it might be possible to locate more information about the Kings and Rachel's family. In this document, Rachel also stated that her name before marriage was Dunnan or Drannon or Dearman. The handwriting is difficult to read. 

Richard King and his family can be found on both the 1820 and 1830 Georgia censuses.

1820 Wilkes County, Georgia:

Richard King 100101-3231

Aley Hadaway 1-001

Amos Hadaway 1001-001

Richard King's household was composed of

One male under 10 [b. 1811-1820] =                                                                                                            

One male 16 to 25 [b. 1804-1795] = 

One male 45 and up = Richard King 

Three females under 10 [b. 1811-1820] = Elvy King and two unknowns

Two females 10 to 15 [b.1810-1805] = Sallie B. King and one unknown

Three females 16 to 25 [b. 1804- 1795] = Frances King, Elizabeth King, and one unknown

One female 26 to 44 [b. 1794-1776] = Rachel King

1830 Taliaferro County, Georgia:

James Brantley 10001-210011

Richard King Sr. 01100001-01110001

Richard King Sr.'s household was composed of

One male 5 to 9 [b. 1825-1821] = John King

One male 10 to 14 [b. 1820-1816] =

One male 50 to 59 [b. 1780-1771] = Richard King Sr.

One female 5 to 9 [b. 1825-1821] = 

One female 10 to 14 [b. 1820-1816] = Asenath King

One female 15 to 19 [b. 1815-1811] =

One female 50 to 59 [b. 1780-1771] = Rachel King

In 1853 or 1854, John Chapman presented the will of Richard King to the court. The court, however, determined that it was invalid because Richard King was not of disposing mind when it was written. The court ordered that a copy of it be entered in the court of ordinary. If that will could be found in the records, it might contain a list of Richard King's children. This issue also suggests the possibility that there could have been a lawsuit over the estate among the heirs, but so far, it has not been found. 

Rachel King wrote her own will, dated 9 June 1854, in which she named her son-in-law Jackson Henry and daughter Elvy King. She specified that the balance of her estate was to be divided among "all of my children," but they were unnamed. She named Jackson Henry and John Chapman as her executors. Her will was proven on 6 November 1865.

The following are the known children of Richard and Rachel King, based on documentation for each:

William D. King, the eldest child as named in Rachel King's Revolutionary War widow's pension. He was born c. 1798 and married Mary Ann Bryan in Wilkes County, Georgia on 21 September 1819.

Elvy King, the only child named in Rachel King's will, dated 9 June 1843. Elvina King married Jackson Henry, named as Rachel King's son-in-law in her will, on 8 January 1839 in Taliaferro County, Georgia. She was born in 1817 or 1818.

Sallie B. King, named as a daughter of Richard and Rachel King of Taliaferro County, Georgia, in her obituary. Sallie B. King married Thomas Pittman in Taliaferro County, Georgia, on 15 June 1826. She was born 28 July 1809.

Rodicie King, named in the autobiography of Rev. Amos Hadaway as the daughter of Richard and Rachel King of Taliaferro County, Georgia. In that autobiography, Amos Hadaway stated, "In the year 1818, I was married Rodicy King, daughter of Richard and Rachel King of Taliaferro county; and the fruits of our marriage were twelve children - six sons and six daughters." Rodicie (King) Hadaway died in 1863 and is buried in the Old Hog Mountain Church Cemetery. Her tombstone states that she was "a sister of John King." It is in the same style as Asenath (King) Wilson's tombstone. She was born on 3 Nov 1799.

John King, resided in the home of his parents Richard and Rachel King on the 1850 census. He was born on 21 October 1822 in Georgia. On 5 February 1845, he married Nancy Sanford, in Taliaferro County, Georgia. Like his sisters Rodicie and Asenath, he was buried in the Old Hog Mountain Church Cemetery in Gwinnett County, Georgia. John King appeared on the same Taliaferro County, Georgia tax list as Richard King Sr. for the first time in 1844. This is consistent with his birth in 1822. 

Asenath "Seny" King, named as a sister of John King on her tombstone which matches that of her sister Rodicie (King) Hadaway. Asenath King married William Alfred Wilson on 12 December 1843 in Taliaferro County, Georgia. She died on 23 October 1868 and is buried in the Old Hog Mountain Church Cemetery. She has two tombstones, and the newer states that she was "a sister of John King." It is in the same style as Rodicie (King) Hadaway's. She was born 10 November 1820 and would not have included on the 1820 census in Richard King's household.

Likely children of Richard King:

Aley King, referenced in Rev. Amos Hadaway's autobiography.  Amos Hadaway stated that his brother "Wilson married Aley King, who had one child. Wilson died in 1812 in Taliaferro County, Georgia, a souldiar of the Indian War of 1812 - 1813." He did not state that Aley King was also a daughter of Richard King, but Aley Hadaway can be found living next door to Richard King in 1820. In 1821 Aley Hadaway married James Huckaby. Their bible reveals that Aley King was born March 1794, which is clearly prior to the marriage of Richard and Rachel King, so if she was Richard King's daughter, she was not a daughter of Rachel's. 

Elizabeth King, married John Chapman in Wilkes County, Georgia on 10 January 1822. She is estimated to have been born in 1800. Their children were Susan Melvina Chapman married to John T. Allen, Elizabeth Adelia Chapman, and Sarah Ann Jane Chapman married to Joseph Franklin Nelson. John Chapman was the executor for Richard King's invalid will and an executor for Rachel King's will. John Chapman's own will stated that his daughter Susan M. Allen had already inherited from her grandfather King's estate. This suggests the possibility of the existence of more detailed probate records than I have found so far. If Elizabeth was Richard King's daughter, she would have still been in his household in 1820. 

Frances King, married James Brantley on 13 December 1827 in Taliaferro County, Georgia. James Brantley provided evidence in Rachel King's Revolutionary War application. He was also a next-door neighbor to Richard King Sr. on the 1830 census. Frances was born c. 1806. If she was a daughter of Richard King's, she would have still been in his household in 1820. 

Richard King, Jr., appeared next to Richard King Sr. for the first time on the 1826 tax list for Taliaferro County, Georgia. He had one slave, but no land. If he was a son of Richard King, he had just turned 21, and he would have still been in Richard King Sr's household in 1820. Richard King Jr's birthday was roughly 1805. 

Sanford King, appeared in the same Taliaferro County, Georgia tax district as Richard King by 1839. He first married Susan Henry on 26 November 1835 in Taliaferro County, Georgia. She might have been related to Jackson Henry who married Elvey King. He married, second, Nancy Reynolds, on 3 June 1866 in Taliaferro County, Georgia. 

Other Kings of interest in connection to Richard King:

Drury King of Wilkes County, Georgia, married, first, Elizabeth Taylor in Wilkes County, Georgia on 2 July 1823. He married, second, Martha Taylor on 11 April 1830. Both his name and location suggest that he could be the son of Richard King. 

Martha King married Vincent Meadows in Taliaferro County, Georgia on 9 August 1827. Given the number of unidentified females in Richard King's household, it is possible that she is a daughter of Richard and Rachel King.