MAFRANKL-L Archives

From: Daniel David Lewis Frommherz<>
Subject: James Russell King
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 19:39:59 -0700

Hi there list members, Concerning the name James Russel(l) King. This
name is of my second great grandfather's older brother. It has been
giving me fits for years. One of my cousins is sure that the middle
name Russell had some connection to one of our ancestors wives. Up
until recently we did not have a Russell surname possible in our
lineup. This King family has been extensively researched until it gets
rubbed raw. As of now it is well established that my William King born
1710 and is the son of Jonathan and Sarah (Cooke) King of Salem. Salem
vital records connect him in papers filed in June 1719 as proof. It
might possibly be by some mere chance that we might have a second
marriage of William King to a Russell. It is William's grandson who
named their son James Russell King. The James we are certain could be
to honor his maternal grandfather James Alexander Norton of Canaan,
Columbia county, New York and Madison County, Ohio. Or maybe not that
is still a question unanswered at this time. I could be mistaken as I
wasn't around to ask and neither was anyone else that I know. My grand
aunt once upon a time had Nahum King's family bible. James Russel(l)
King is the only child of 16 live births with a middle name male or
female children that they raised.

Historically we know that our William King married first Hannah
Mitchell. Someone believes that she was an older woman in 1741 and they
had two children. By the time that Hannah could have added more
children who started with our Amos Nahum King born 1756 in New Salem,
Hamilton County, Massachusetts she would have been more than 50 years
old. Knowing this fact I figure that William must have married a second
time but we don't know who that woman in a second marriage would be.
The underlying reason is that for many years there was a William King,
thought to be our William, who married about that time to Mary Andrews
daughter of Captain Nathaniel and Mary (Higginson) Andrews of Salem.
However recently I discovered that the Mary Andrews who married William
had to be another William King who turns out to be the son of Samuel and
Elizabeth King of Salem. Still he is a first cousin to my William. The
reason that he is missed is possibly due to the fact that Samuel married
a second woman named Elizabeth and she is a widow but Samuel King had
children by both women. Their marriage is missed on most records except
for the vital records of Salem MA. Mary Andrews King died in 1759 and
did not have children with our King names.

In 1756 Hannah King wrote a letter to the city fathers of New Salem
saying that her father moved his family to New Salem. In 1756 Amos
Nahum was born to them. We believe that Amos was named to honor Amos
Nahum Foster his brother in law husband of Abigail King. In 1759 Sarah
joined the King family followed by Jonathan in 1761. The family moved
after this to Shutesbury where Stephen was born into the family. Stephen
is not previously a King given name either in this lies another
possibility that certainly points to the name in the wife's family.
About 1781 William is then a widower living once again with the Foster
family in New Salem. Abigail has died previously. Neither William or
his wife's place of death or internment has been located.

I am looking to find if it is possible that the missing second wife of
William who might somehow be connected to the Russell family through
marriage possibly about 1755. This might answer the question of the
naming of James with a middle name when all his siblings did not have a
middle name. All this is just grasping at intelligent straws that may
bear fruit some day.

Thank you for listening to this query. I have tried to cover all the
angles that one might ask in this situation.

Daniel

This thread:

• James Russell King by Daniel David Lewis Frommherz<>