Jesse King

Jesse King was born in New Jersey around 1778. It has not been determined whom his parents were, nor how he came to be in Adams County, Mississippi Territory, when he married Sofia James (Jacoby) in Natchez in the year 1801. There were Kings among the Jersey Settlers of Kingston near Natchez in the late 1700's, but none of the books or genealogy charts of those families claim any connection to Jesse.

The U. S. Census reports of 1840, 1850, and 1860 that record his children, list the birthplace of their father, Jesse, as New Jersey.

Jesse was listed as an infant under age with Charles King on three separate occasions in Natchez District court records jointly in 1791, and then again on July 24, 1810, Charles King purchased Bartholomew James (father-in-law of Jesse King) homeplace, 100 acres, four miles south of Bayou St. Catherine, and about seven miles from the Fort of Natchez. I could assume that Jesse is the son of Charles--nowhere else can I find a direct connection to any other King until we find Jesse listed as a land owner with other Kings and his father-in-law in Pike County, Mississippi near Holmesville on the Homa Chita River. This is around 1810--the same time that Charles King bought the James home place. Charles King died in Kingston, Adams County, MS, and was the son of Joseph King, b. 13 December 1735 in Southold, LI, NY, Died 19 May 1794 in Chester, NJ. Joseph was married to Prudence Howell, b. 1730 in Southampton, LI, NY and she died 02 February 1764; she was the daughter of Ebenezer Howell. Charles was the grandson of Constant King, b. 9 February 1712, d. 16 Mar 1780 in Chester, NJ. Constant was married to Phebe Horton, b. 3 June 1711 and she died 19 May 1789 in Chester, NJ. They married 13 February 1735. Phebe was the daughter of David and Mary Horton.

As mentioned earlier, around 1810, Jesse and Sofie moved to Pike County, Mississippi, near Holmesville on the Homa Chita river. There they lived and reared their family. Jesse King was evidently an educated man. He served as a Notary Public and a Justice of the Peace for a number of years. The legal documents of record composed by him indicated a good control of the English language, and that he was versed in legal terminology. Sofia was probably not literate in the english language, being reared in Pennsylvania of German descent, and was unable to sign her name, but used a witnessed "X" on legal documents.

Jesse King was active in the civic affairs of Pike County. Records show a number of petitions to the federal government signed by him, along with other citizens.

Jessee King was listed as a private in the 13th Regiment (Nixon's) of Mississippi Militia (Source: Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Volume IV, edited by Dunbar Rowland, LL.D., 1921, chapter entitled "Rolls of Mississippi Commands in the War of 1812," pages 200-205) (All of Marion and Pike Counties).

In the year 1836 Jesse and Sofie King and their children moved to St. Helena Parish, Louisiana. It is not known just where they settled in St. Helena, but is was likely near what is now the present boundary of Tangipahoa parish. In 1837 Jesse purchases some government land in St. Helena Parish. This property, according to the record, was just west of Amite, La., but in St. Helena Parish, and lay on both sides of the present state Route 16. Part of the property was drained by Coon Branch.

Jesse immediately sold the property to two of his sons, jointly, James Harvey and Washington. He died soon after this, and as he was not listed in the U.S. Census of 1840; however Sofia was listed as head of a household, with three other females living in her household, ages under twenty. Sofia was between 50 and 60 years of age in 1840, probably near 60. She most likely died before 1850, as she was not found in the census of that year.

It is not yet known just how many children there were in this family. Five have been positively identified, and possibly a sixth. They are John C., Washington, James Harvey, Ketura, Catherine, and possibly Elizabeth.