McDonough ILGenWeb

KING, Richard Tilton (deceased), formerly a prominent farmer in various sections of Illinois and Missouri, who died in St. Clair County, Mo., in October, 1894, and whose widow resides in Macomb, McDonough County, Ill., was born in East Tennessee, November 28, 1818, and there attended the common schools and a collegiate institute. His parents, James and Lydia (Tilton) King, were natives of Kentucky. After his marriage, Mr. King bought a farm of 160 acres in Walnut Grove Township, Warren County, Ill., where he lived ten years. He then sold out and moved to Northwestern Missouri, but not liking that country, returned to Warren County and purchased three quarter-sections of land. There he lived until 1879, when he went to St. Clair County, Mo., where he purchased land and also city property, and remained until his death.

Mr. King was married November 28, 1838, to Martha M. Holden, who was born July 2, 1822, in Hamilton County, Ohio, where she received her schooling. Her parents, Jonathan and Phoebe (Rogers) Holden, were born in Vermont and New Jersey, respectively. They moved to Park County, Ind., and six years later to McDonough County, Ill., where they settled on a farm. The first Methodist Episcopal minister of their circuit preached at their house. At that period Indians were numerous around them. Her father first came to the locality on horseback, and. selling his horses, returned to his home in Indiana on foot, a distance of two hundred miles. He consumed ten days in walking back. The family settled where Colmar village now is, and there the father entered 160 acres of land and bought 160 acres more. While the family lived in Warren County, in 1857, they had a new two-story house, which, with other buildings, was destroyed by a cyclone. All had a narrow escape from death, but were unharmed except Mrs. King, who was badly injured. But two of their old neighbors in McDonough County still survive. The children of Mr. and Mrs. King were as follows: Phoebe (Mrs. George Stice), of Monmouth, Ill.; William, of Kansas City, Mo.; James, of Joplin, Mo.; Jonathan, of Macomb; Myra (Mrs. David Stice), of Youngstown, Ill.; Isabelle (Mrs. A. A. Cornell), of St. Louis; Frank, of Windsor, Mo., and Charles, of Kansas City, Mo. In politics, Mr. King was a Democrat. He served as Supervisor of his township, and also as Justice of the Peace. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

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Source: The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of McDonough County, compiled by Dr. Newton Bateman, and Paul Shelby, 1907, volume 2, pages 925-926, extracted 11 May 2019 by Norma Hass.