An American Family History

Thomas King

Washington County, Tennessee,was established in 1777 as Washington County, North Carolina. From 1784 to 1788,it was part of the State of Franklin.

Thomas King was born March 17, 1754, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

He married Susan Ann Sharp. She was the daughter of John Sharp and Jane Hamilton. She was born March 22, 1756 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Their children included:
James Harvey King (1784, married Jane Gregg),
Julia Annis King (1786, maried John Gregg, Sr.),
William A. King (1787),
Elizabeth King (1788, married Edward Hunter),
Mary King (1790, married Alexander Dyer),
Ellener King Berry (1792 married Thomas Berry),
Llewallen King (1795, Susan Crouch, daughter of Jesse Crouch),
Lavinia King (1799).

Thomas entered the service in Paxton Township, Lancaster County, in August, 1776, and served under Captains James Cranch and James Morrow, and Colonel Thomas Morrow.

In 1777 moved his family to what later became Sullivan County, Tennessee, where he enlisted in August, 1778 and served in Captain John Duncan's North Carolina company.

Thomas King signed the 1777 petition of men living on the north Holston River complaining about the division of Fincastle County. They felt the line was not equitable and the court house was too far away.

In 1779 he served in Kentucky building a fort. In 1780 he served two months in Captain Andrew Cowan's company, Colonel Arthur Campbell's North Carolina regiment. He was in a skirmish with Cherokee and burned their towns. In 1781 he served two months as a substitute for William King in Captain Thomas Wallace's company, regiment of Colonel Isaac Shelby.

In 1784 and 1788 Thomas received warrants for land in Sullivan County, Tennessee. At that time it was in North Carolina.

In 1793, James was in James Gregg's Company of the Sullivan County Militia.

Susan King died on April 3, 1822.

Thomas King died on June 18, 1857. They were buried at New Bethel Cemetery in Piney Flats.

A militia is a military unit composed of citizens who are called up in time of need.

Fincastle County, Virginia was created in 1772 from Botetourt County and abolished in 1776. It was divided into Montgomery, Washington and Kentucky Counties.

Watauga Pioneer Neighbors
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The Cherokee were indigenous people who lived in the southern Appalachian mountains. European Americans called their towns in eastern Tennessee, the Overhill Towns. The towns included Chota, Tellico and Tanasi.

In 1776, the Cherokee planned to drive settlers out of the Washington District. The settlers were warned and stopped the first attack at Heaton's Station. The second attack was stopped at Fort Watauga. In response to these attacks, the militia burned Tuskegee and Citico.

In 1780, while the militia was away at the Battle of Kings Mountain, the Cherokee raided the setttlements. When the militia returned, Colonel John Sevier's men defeated the Cherokee at Boyd's Creek and destroyed most of the remaining towns.

from Mountain Memories by Gene Morrell

Thomas King (b. March 17, 1754; d. June 13, 1847) emigrated to this county in 1777 from Lancaster County, Pa. He was the son of Edward King and Elizabeth Nichols King.

In 1783, Thomas King married Susan Ann Sharp (b. March 22, 1756; d. April 3, 1822), the daughter of John Sharp Sr. (b. 1720 in Scotland) and Jane Hamilton Sharp. Thomas King was a member of the Presbyterian church, and he and his wife are buried in New Bethel Cemetery near Piney Flats.

He participated in the Revolutionary War and enlisted in August 1776 in Paxton Township, Lancaster, Pa.

He served in Pennsylvania under the command of Col. Thomas Morrow and in campaigns with Gen. George Washington’s forces in New York and New Jersey.

According to the King family history, on Dec. 25, 1776, King crossed the Delaware River with units of Washington’s army and helped defeat the Hessians in the Battle of Trenton, N.J.

In 1778, after relocating to Sullivan County, King served under Capt. John Duncan in the North Carolina Company. He also served several other short-term enlistments, including a two- month stint as a private in Capt. Thomas Wallace’s company in Col. Isaac Shelby’s regiment.

King also participated in the Battle of Cowpens near Spartanburg, S.C., in 1781 and also fought under the command of Gen. Francis Marion, the legendary “Swamp Fox.”

After the Revolutionary War, King again participated in military action. In 1786, he served under John Sevier in campaigns against the Cherokee and Creek Indians in Tennessee.

On Feb. 18, 1833, King was awarded a Revolutionary War pension of $50 per year.

Thomas King and Susan Ann King were the parents of eight children. James Harvey King, the eldest child (b. 1784; d. 1869), married Jane Gregg (b. 1792; d. 1861), and Julia Annis King (b. 1786; d. 1865) married John Gregg Sr. (b. 1785; d. 1848).

Elizabeth King (b. 1788) married Edward C. Hunter (b. 1782), and
Mary King (b. 1789; d. after 1883) married Alexander Dyer.
Ellener King (b. 1792; d. 1888) married Thomas Berry (b. 1793; d. 1856), and
Llewallen King (b. 1795; d. 1869) married Susan Crouch (b. 1800; d. 1884).

William I. King (b. Nov. 27, 1796; d.1868) married Martha Crouch (b. 1797; d. 1841), and Livinia King (b. 1799; d. 1852) was unmarried.

James Harvey King served in the War of 1812 under Gen. Coffee in campaigns in northern Alabama.

George Washington ( 1731/32 – 1799) was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and first president of the United States (1789–1797).

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©Roberta Tuller 2019
tuller.roberta@gmail.com
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