Josiah King    

JOSIAH KING. In the year 1816, George King, with his wife and children, moved into Fayette County, and in the township of Perry bought the fulling-mills which are now known as the Strickler mill property. It was a part of the General Washington tract. George was the son of Michael King, who was of German descent, and was born in York County, Pa. After his marriage to Susan Husbands he moved to Somerset County, where he bought a farm, on which he passed the remainder of his days. He was a local Methodist preacher, and his descendants have nearly all been of the same religious faith.

George was born July 4, 1774, on the home-farm in Somerset County, and, as set forth above, emigrated to Fayette County in 1816. He was a carpenter, and at intervals followed that calling for many years, quitting it finally for the farm. In 1794 he was joined in marriage to Miss Catherine Stickle. The result of this union was nine children, two of whom died in infancy; the others were Susan, Josiah, Enos, Caroline, Rachel, Mary, and William. He operated the fulling-mills a few years, then sold out and bought the farm now owned by James Carson. In 1840 he built a house near Perryopolis, in which he resided till his death, Nov. 7, 1844; his wife died July 24, 1838. Both were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Josiah King, of whom this brief sketch is written, was born Dec. 18, 1801, on Laurel Hill, in Somerset Co., Pa. His chances for an education were limited to a few months’ attendance at a country school, and completed in the school of life by observation and remembering what he saw, making his judgment on any subject desirable. From the age of sixteen to nineteen years he served as an apprentice as a cloth-dresser with Myers & McClay. He was then for three years a partner of William Searight in woolen cloth dressing, when the building of woolen-factories made their business unprofitable. We now for a few years find him building boats on the Youghiogheny River, and shipping sand and stone to Cincinnati and other points. This business proved remunerative, and he obtained a start in life. In 1835 he went on the farm he with others had bought in 1828 in Jefferson township. There he remained until 1845, when he rented of Robert Lynch the farm which he now owns (bought in 1848), and where he intends to pass the remainder of his long and upright life. The farm now consists of 180 acres of well-improved land, the result of industry and good management. On the 3d day of July, 1823, he was married to Nancy Lynch, daughter of Robert and Mercilla (Martin) Lynch. She was born May 27, 1804, on the farm where they now reside. Their children are L. R., born Aug. 11, 1824, married to Rebecca Shepherd. He emigrated to Winona County, of which he was three terms sheriff; died Nov. 8, 1868. Elizabeth, born March 5, 1826, married Dec. 25, 1845, to S. B. Chalfant. Catherine, born Jan. 28, 1828, married Michael C. Cramer; died May 21, 1855. E. L. King, born Feb. 17, 1830, married March 21, 1854, to Miss Mary M. Sanborn. He is a physician of Ashtabula, Ohio, of which place he is now mayor. Enos King, born June 12, 1834, married June 12, 1856, to Polly C. Stephens. Mary Jane, born March 19, 1836, married to Rev. John McIntyre, March 15, 1860. Mercilla Ann, born Aug. 17, 1838, married Aug. 18, 1864, to John H. Martin. She died May 6, 1870. And George F., born Feb. 11, 1841, died May 17, 1851.

History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co., 1882, page 722. View the image of this page online - Free Trial  Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com.