Jesse King was born in Vermont in 1817 and subsequently resided with his wife, Lucretia, and his family near the village of Alexandria in Licking County, Ohio.

They moved to Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois in 1860. He purchased farm land in the area immediately north of Farrington Road and west of New Harmony Road.

Their children were Marcellus, Julius, Mary, Harriett, Victoria, Hezacah, Jeremiah, Sarah, and Ellen.

Jesse King continued to reside on his farm after the death of his wife in 1882. She was buried at West Salem Cemetery.

Jesse King is presumed to have relocated in one of the western states or territories. He disposed of the balance of his land in Webber Township in 1891, and nothing is known of his whereabouts after that date.

Marcellus King, eldest son of Jesse, and his wife Susan Lesher King were the parents of Edwin Robert, Jesse Delbert, William Addison, Emily, Cora, Laura and Jennie. Their birth dates range from 1856 to 1870. Some descendants of these children still reside in Jefferson County.

William Addison King, a son of Marcellus king, together with his wife, the former Mary Lillie Fry and his widowed mother, Susan King, purchased a farm on Farrington Road. Here, William and Mary King raised their children Loman Tilman, Hilliard Hall, and Linnie Leola. William King was a progressive farmer, judged by the standards of nearly a century ago. He advocated crop rotation, the use of fertilizers, and other agricultural methods which were not in common use at that time. As a result, his grain production exceeded that of many neighboring farms.

Educational advantages did not come easily to rural people of the period. Though William A King completed no more than two grades of schooling, he firmly believed in the education of youth. He was elected president of the local rural school board, and at a later date, moved temporarily to Mt Vernon in order that his children might receive a high school education. Subsequently, he encouraged his sons to enroll in the colleges and universities of their choices.

William A King passed away in 1932, followed by his wife, Mary, in 1937. Mrs. Harry A. Bishop (Linnie King) now resides in the old family farm home. Merrill H. King, of Aurora, is the grandson of William A King and the son of Loman Tilman King

Source: Facts and Folks, a History of Jefferson County Illinois c.1978 article by Merrill H King