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Thomas Letcher "Tom" King (aka T. L. King) was born on April 30, 1881 in an area of Whitley County that is now part of McCreary Co., Kentucky. He was the son of Jackson H. "Jack" King (1842-1919) and Mary Ann "Polly" Stephens (1845-1910), and was the youngest of their six known children.
Tom was born on his parent's small farm, located about 2-3 miles above the Otter Creek Baptist Church (now 1st Otter Creek Regular Baptist Church) in Whitley Co., Kentucky. The rural and hilly area where he was raised became part of McCreary County in 1912, the last county to be created in Kentucky.
Tom was not born in Marsh Creek or in Whitley City as shown in some King family trees. Those were post office addresses. Also, he was not born in Kingtown as shown in others family trees. That little community, located a few miles from his father's farm, was not called Kingtown until the mid-1910s. In 1880, less that a year before Tom's birth, his father owned a farm, land that he obtained from his father, located on/off present day Ross Rd (Hwy 1470).
Thomas, usually known as "Tom", was named after his great-grandfather, Thomas Murray "Tom" King (1790-1880), who during his latter years lived close to Tom's parents and grandparents on present day Ross Road. "Old Tom", as called by many at that time, died just 14 months prior to young Tom's birth. At the time of his death in 1880, "Old Tom" was 90 years old while "Young Tom" would live to be 91.
In 1880, "Old Tom" (90) and his wife, Mary (80), where living with their 43 year old son, Elisha King. He had a farm adjacent to his much older brother, 63 year old Enos King, on/off Ross Road. Enos' farm was next to the small farm of his son, Jackson "Jack" King (37). The brothers, Enos and Elisha, had obtained their land from their father in 1860. No doubt Jack had received his land from his father, Enos.
Tom's father, Jack, was born 1842 in Campbell Co., TN, however, his parents soon moved to the Marsh Creek area of lower Whitley Co. (now part of McCreary Co.), KY. Although located in different states, Campbell Co. (TN) and Whitley Co. (KY) were adjoining counties. Jack was raised in Kentucky not far from his grandparents, Thomas Murray "Tom" King and Mary Rebecca "Polly" Cox (1880-1889), and thus Jack knew them for about 35 years. As mentioned above, Jack's son, young Tom, was born on and grew up on land that his great-grandfather, Thomas Murray King, had once owned.
Jack's parents (Tom's paternal GPs) were Enos King (1816-bet 1892/1900) and Nancy Ann Angel (abt 1820-bet 1892/1900). They are buried in the King Cemetery (aka Laurel Creek Cemetery & Perry-King Cemetery) located near Revelo, McCreary Co., KY. Their burial sites in this little family cemetery were marked with just field stones. Enos' marker is now unreadable or is missing. Jack's mother's field stone marker simply has Nancy A. carved on it. The writing on her stone is now faint but still readable.
Jack's mother, Nancy Ann Angel, was the daughter of Archibald Andrew "Arch" Angel (1775-1847) and Nancy Ann Trammell (1782-1829). Jack's maternal grandparents are buried in the Angel Cemetery in Angel Valley, near Ketchen, in Scott Co., TN, not far from the present day Capuchin where Tom's father, Enos, was born. Jack's mother, Nancy Ann Angel, was born and raised on a large farm in present day Angel Valley. She was named after her mother, Nancy Ann Trammell.
Tom's mother was Mary Ann "Polly" Stephens (1845-1910). Polly, an old time nickname for Mary, was born in Mississippi when her family lived there for a couple of years in the mid 1840s. She was the daughter of Whitmill Stephens (abt 1809-abt 1866) and Elizabeth Waters (abt 1897-bet 1871/80). Tom's maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Waters, is thought to have been 1/4 or possibly 1/2 Native American (probably Cherokee) and to have been raised by an currently unknown Waters family. Her biological parents are unknown.
Tom's youngest son (my father), Mitchell, said that he had heard his father mention his Indian ancestry on several occasions. Tom always said that his mother was "part Indian". Tom was not a man to make up stories or tell untruths so he either knew for sure or honestly believed that his grandmother, Elizabeth, was part Native American. He would have been told this by his mother, Polly Stephens.
Tom's parents, Jack King and Polly Stephens, are buried next to each other in the Stephens Family Cemetery located in Isham, Scott Co., TN, close to McCreary County (KY) and the KY/TN state line. The cemetery lies on what used to be a part of Whitmill Stephens' farm. Polly has a small rock marker with the initials "P.K." carved on it, initials that are now faint. Jack once had a rock marker that had "Jac" carved on it. Unfortunately, his marker was one of several field stones (burial markers) that were unknowingly discarded several decades earlier during a much needed cemetery clean up.
Tom's paternal great-grandparents were Thomas Murray "Tom" King (1790-1880) and Mary Rebecca "Polly" Cox (1800-1881). Thomas Murray King was the patriarch of the King family in McCreary Co. KY having migrated about 1819 (some say about 1825) to the Marsh Creek area of lower Whitley Co., (now McCreary Co.). KY, from Campbell Co., TN. His parents were Kirby King (abt 1752/55?-1795/96) and Uroth Murray (abt 1752/55?-abt 1806?). Kirby is thought to have been of Scottish or English descent. Uroth was of definite Scottish descent as her ancestors had immigrated to America from Scotland about 1676.
As mentioned above, Tom's maternal grandparents were Whitmill Stephens and Elizabeth Waters. His maternal G-GPs were Solomon Stephens Sr. (abt 1781-1870) and Sarah "Sary" Meadors (abt 1784-bet 1870/80). His maternal 2G-GPs were Moses Stephens II (abt 1762-1853) and Margaret Miller Williams (abt 1762-1807)and his maternal 3G-GPs were Moses Stephens I (abt 1743-abt 1801) and Martha MNU (abt 1740-abt 1824).
Let's get back to Tom's father, Jack King. To put it mildly Jack was a hard man. Due of his rough treatment of his wife and children Tom's childhood was definitely not a happy one. His father was known to be downright mean at times and consequently, some people were afraid of him. He had a reputation for being a dangerous man and deservedly so. It's a wonder he wasn't killed by someone (sniper) in the area where he lived. He was known to be physically abusive to his wife and children and was definitely not a good provider. His family and his livestock would often not get enough to eat. Jack, who always carried two loaded pistols, was described by a now deceased Stephens cousin (by marriage) as having long stringy hair and who wore an overcoat the year round. He used to say "What keeps the heat in during the winter can keep the heat out during the summer." Wrong.
In his younger years, Jack would leave his family and his Whitley County farm for days (even weeks) at a time to bounty hunt. Putting a bounty on someone that you perceived to have done you or your family wrong or who had even done a relative or friend wrong was quite common in those days, especially in the mountains. During the time Jack was gone his family had to fend for themselves, often with not enough food and no money, keeping the little family farm going as best they could. Needless to say, their farm wasn't much and their home was not much more than a shack, especially by today's standards.
For some unknown reason Jack had a strong dislike for both schools and churches. Neither he or his wife were literate (able to read & write). Jack believed that schooling and "church going" was simply a waste of time. Consequently, Tom, nor his older siblings, were allowed to attend school or on a regular basis. Despite his irregular attendance, Tom managed to obtain a 4th grade education (sort of).
During his younger years in Whitley County Tom was considered rather wild, "the son of Jack King". He survived with the help of his mother. Tom was an intelligent man but not an educated man (only 4 sporadic years). Despite his lack of formal education, as an adult he was able to improve his limited reading and writing skills, "with the Lord's help", he would say.
Tom's mother, Polly, attended church as often as she could (especially when Jack was gone) and would take her children with her knowing that her husband would make it extra hard on her for having done so. Tom's mother, Polly, was a good woman who loved her children. Tom thought the world of his mother but understandably, did not have much use for his father. His future wife , Minna "Minnie" Gooch, also disliked Tom's father but had a genuine fondness for his mother.
Tom's mother, Polly, died in 1910 at the age of 65. She is buried in the Stephens Cemetery in Isham, Scott Co., TN. To say the least, she led a hard life.
After his wife's death, Jack continued to live in the same family house (shack). He died there alone in 1919. His lifeless body was found in the old house in which his family had lived. Jack, who had been dead for several days, is though to have died on Nov. 12, 1919. He was 77. It is said that he had been so abusive to his children and their mother that his children (now adults) would not even claim his body for burial. The Stephens family, who also disliked him, finally claimed his body and buried him in their family cemetery next to his wife, Polly Stephens. This was done only out of respect for her, not for Jack. Most likely, there was no funeral service, just a quick burial.
On June 2, 1901, Tom married Minna Susan "Minnie" Gooch (1884-1971) at her home located in Whitley County, near the KY/TN state line and the little town of Winfield, TN. Her nickname was pronounced "My-nee". Tom was 20 years of age, Minnie 17. Like Tom, she too, had little formal education, having completed only the 4th grade, also with poor attendance. For all practical purposes she was really unable to read and write. She could sign her name.
Minnie was the daughter of James Ellison Gooch (1855-1914) and Mary Ann "Polly" Williams (1854-1926). Married in 1876, they are thought to have divorced in the early to mid-1890s. Minnie was born in a very rural area just inside Knox Co., KY, not far from the little Whitley Co. (KY) community of Woodbine. Today, Woodbine is only three miles from Corbin. In the 1880s, however, Corbin was just a village and was known as Lynn Camp Station. In 1905, the little town incorporated as "Corbin". Needless to say, present day Corbin is much larger that it was back in the 1880s.
Minnie's father, James, developed mental issues in the early 1900s after his house burned killing his second wife, Sarah C. Payne (1861-1901). He was able to rescue his two children but not his wife. James lived with his daughter, Mittie Gooch (1881-1962), wife of Rev. Burel King (1875-1945), for a while but eventually had to be institutionalized (Lakeland Hospital near Louisville) for 24/7 care. He is said to have tried to set his daughter's house on fire on at least two occasions.
James died in 1914 and is buried in the Lakeland (Central State) Hospital Cemetery just outside Louisville, KY. His death certificate shows that he died from Pellagra. His grave is in the hospital cemetery. His site, however, like all the others there, is no longer known as the hospital used only wooden crosses for markers. Also, there are no longer any burial records.
Tom's mother, Polly, married again, in 1897, marrying Civil War veteran, John N. Faulkner (1848-1911). The 1920 census shows the widowed Polly living in Parksville with Tom and her daughter, Minnie. Polly eventually moved back to Kingtown to live with her other daughter, Mittie. She died there in 1926 at the age of 71.
Polly is buried next to her second husband, John Faulkner, in the Kingtown Cemetery. Minnie's mother, Polly (Gooch) Williams, Minnie's grandmother Margaret (Hail) Williams, had been the cemetery's first adult burial in 1897. She was buried under her maiden name, Margaret Hail. Minnie's sister Mittie (Gooch) King, and Minnie's granddaughter, Gertie King (Minnie's first child,) are also buried there, as are numerous other relatives..
Tom and Minnie were married for nearly 70 years and had ten children. Their first child, Girtie (Gertrude?) Elizabeth King (1901-1903), died three months prior to her second birthday. She is buried in the Kingtown Cemetery located in Kingtown, near her maternal grandmother, Mary Ann "Polly" (Williams) Gooch Faulkner and her maternal great-grandmother, Margaret (Hail) Williams. The cause of her death is unknown.
The little family graveyard, now known as the Kingtown Cemetery, was started in 1891 by Emby King, Sr. who furnished the land and lived next to the cemetery. His three year old son, Franklin Asberry King (1887-1891), was the graveyard's first burial. As mentioned earlier, Minnie's grandmother, Margaret, was the first adult to be buried there. She died in 1897 when Minnie was 13. Margaret had been living in Minnie's household for a number of years. Minnie was 42 when her mother, Polly, died in 1926 at the age of 71.
Tom and Minnie's other nine children lived to adulthood. In order of their birth, their known children were Gertie Elizabeth King (1902-1903), Virgil Lee King (1906-1965), Ezra Luster "Ezrie" King (1906-1878), Luther Ray King (1907-2000), Oscar Elvy King (1910-2003), Clarence Edward King (1912-1978), Ernest Herstle King (1915-2001), Elsie King (1917-2001), Eva "Evie" King (1920-1999) and my father, Mitchell Raymond "Mitch" King (1923-1995). Most were not well educated but were highly intelligent.
All but the last three of Tom and Minnie's ten children were born in Whitley County. The three youngest children were born near Parksville, Boyle Co., KY on Tennessee Ridge. Minnie's sister, Mittie Alice (Gooch) King (1881-1962), was probably the midwife for her first seven children and possibly the last three, as well. She was known to have been with her sister at the birth of her youngest child, Mitchell. Mittie served as the midwife for the Kingtown area.
In 1916, with encouragement from his friend, William Whitmill Stephens (1869-1956), Tom and his wife, Minnie, left the little Kentucky community of Kingtown and moved their growing family of eight (seven children) to Parksville in Boyle Co., KY. William Stephens and his friend, Joseph Martin "Jo Mart" Abbott (1868-1931), had moved their families to the area about 1912 from Scott Co., TN where they also had lived near the KY/TN line. Whitmill lived in/near Isham and Jo Mart in/near Winfield. Today the little communities are still near the county line and are about three miles apart. The story is that in Boyle County they lived in a partitioned barn until they could build their houses.
Tom and his family loaded their belongings on to a train boxcar in Winfield, TN (about 3 miles from his home) and made the trip (82 miles today) to Junction City, Boyle Co., KY. They then used wagons to get to the Parksville area, which was just 6 miles from the Junction City railroad depot. In Parksville, they would eventually settle in a hilly area that became known as Tennessee Ridge due the number of families moved there from around the KY/TN state line in the 1910s and 1920s. Tom and Minnie lived on Tennessee Ridge for over 50 years.
While living in Whitley County (the area became part of newly created McCreary County in 1912) Tom had been a coal miner and farmer. He disliked mining and was injured twice on the job, once receiving a serious head injury. That may have been one of the factors that influenced his decision to give up mining and leave the place where he had been born and raised. His father's bad reputation, as well as that of his own growing up, however, may also have been reasons for his relocating in Central Kentucky
In Parksville (located in the Knobs Region of KY)Tom worked for his cousin, William, until he could save up enough money to make it on his own. His family is thought to have lived (free) for a while in an old log cabin with a dirt floor that was located on Williams's property just below what is now called Tennessee Ridge. It was located just a short walk from where the Wilson Cemetery was established in 1922.
Tom later (late 1910s ?) rented a farm with an old house that was located off the same ridge and dirt road that his cousin's property was located on, about a mile apart. Years later he would later purchase that property from his son, Luther. My father, Mitchell King, was born (1923) there in that old three room house , located in a hollow off Tennessee Ridge. His older brother, Luther King (1907-2000) and his wife Clara Honaker (1913-2011), later lived in that old house for several years (1928-42) before moving to Chester, Pennsylvania in 1942 to be a ship welder as a part of the WWII effort. Luther moved there with his brothers, Oscar King and Clarence King, along with cousin, Ernest "Steve" Stephens. Over the years Tom bought a few small farms (hillside farms) on Tennessee Ridge, "rock farms", as my Dad would later call them.
In the mid-1920s, Tom moved his family to an old four( 3 ?, room added later ?) room house that was located on the one lane dirt road that ran the top of the ridge. There, he and his wife, Minnie, would live the rest of their lives. That road, then known known as Maple Grove Road, was also called Tennessee Ridge Road by 1930, again, due to the number of families who had migrated there from near or just across the TN/KY state line.
Tom, a full-time farmer, was blessed to have seven strong sons over the years to help him with the farm work. In addition, he had two daughters who worked the fields and also helped their mother with the never ending daily chores of hoeing, gardening, cooking, washing and housework that came with raising a large family. Putting up (canning and drying) enough food for the winter was also a big job.
Tom served as a layman supply preacher (preaching as needed) in near-by churches. An old-time Baptist preacher, he was known to be quite strict and rather long-winded, often preaching up to two hours or longer. He loved to talk about the Bible with friends and relatives who would stop by to see him. I can remember my grandfather (Tom) and my Dad (Mitchell) having many long discussions on the Bible and it's teachings.
Tom was plagued with rheumatoid arthritis during the last several decades of his life. Fortunately, his son, Herstle King (1915-1997) and wife, Polly Hillard (1915-1992), lived just a short walk down the road. Usually, Herstle or his sister, Eva, had one of their teenage children spend the night/week with their parents when they were up in years.. They would handle the chores (bringing in wood, keeping the stove fire going, bringing water in from the pump, etc.) and anything else that needed doing. They would also be there if any physical problems should develop with their elderly grandparents.
Herstle, with the help of his children (3 sons & 4 daughters) and later two hard working son-in-laws, Les Caldwell (1929-1998) and Norman Ferrell (1939-2013), kept the family farm going for many years. Herstle's youngest son, Gary Thomas King (1955- ), a professional farrier (one who shoes horses), now owns much of the land that was once part of Tom's farm. Herstle's youngest daughter, Dorothy Gail (King) Hogue (1961-2021 ) lived behind the site of her grandparent's home until her death. The old house that her grandparents lived in was razed many years ago.
In his latter years (1960s-70s) Tom did not see well and was very hard of hearing. He loved to listen to Sunday morning preaching and would sit next to his old tube radio, his hand cupped to it with the volume turned up as high as it would go. He would often shake his head "yes" when he heard something he strongly agreed with.
Many Sundays, when I was growing up, we made the 75 miles trip from our home just outside Louisville to Parksville, after Sunday School of course, to visit with my grandparents. On warm days when the house windows were open we could hear the radio just as soon as we pulled in the old gravel/dirt driveway. One Sunday around noon, my grandmother was sitting in the corner of the front room while my grandfather was listening to some radio preaching. I still remember her saying "Pa, Pa, Pa, every Sunday it's the same old thing. You turn that old radio up as loud as it will go and just blast me out of here." My grandfather, of course, could not hear a single word of what she had said.
"Pa", that's what all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren called him, was a stern man and as mentioned earlier, in his younger years definitely not a man to be messed with. Born and raised in the mountains, Tom had that old time "mountain mentality". You didn't mess with him, his family, his relatives or his friends. If you did you were going to have to deal with him. When he was young he was very limber and could actually kick you in the head. It is unknown when he became a Christian. However, there was no doubt that my father, Mitchell, a devout Christian himself and the youngest of their 10 children, was appreciative of his parent's strict Christian upbringing and loved both of his parents dearly.
Tom's wife, Minnie, died on Feb. 2, 1971, at her home on Tennessee Ridge (Parksville) at the age of 87. Several people were sitting in the front room where she lay in the bed near the stove. Although her worn out body was very weak, she somehow managed to raise up in the bed just before she died and and said "Well, I'm going to go now". She then laid back down and died. In an instant, she had left this world and was in Heaven.
I still remember seeing the old worn out body of my grandmother as it lay in the casket at the church. I also remember kissing her good-by, just as I had done so many times before leaving after a Sat. or Sunday visit. Her funeral was held in the Parksville Baptist Church and she is buried in the Parksville Cemetery located just across the road from the church.
Tom suffered from physical feebleness and dementia the last few years of his life. He died on Apr. 12, 1973 at the age of 91 in the Ephraim McDowell Hospital in Danville, Boyle Co., KY. I was a pallbearer at his funeral, which was held at the Coyle (Wilder) Funeral Home in Perryville, Boyle Co., KY. Tom is buried in the Parksville Cemetery, next to his wife, Minnie. The inscription on their headstone reads "TOGETHER FOREVER".
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Information contained in this memorial for Thomas Letcher "Tom" King, his wife, family members, ancestors and descendants, is thought to be correct. It should be noted, however, that this memorial has been revised & corrected numerous times and will continue to be revised as new information becomes available.
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NOTE: Many thanks to Boyle County resident, Mike Dennis, for the transfer of the memorials for my paternal grandparents, Thomas L. King and Minnie S. (Gooch) King.
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Thomas Letcher "Tom" King (aka T. L. King) was born on April 30, 1881 in an area of Whitley County that is now part of McCreary Co., Kentucky. He was the son of Jackson H. "Jack" King (1842-1919) and Mary Ann "Polly" Stephens (1845-1910), and was the youngest of their six known children.
Tom was born on his parent's small farm, located about 2-3 miles above the Otter Creek Baptist Church (now 1st Otter Creek Regular Baptist Church) in Whitley Co., Kentucky. The rural and hilly area where he was raised became part of McCreary County in 1912, the last county to be created in Kentucky.
Tom was not born in Marsh Creek or in Whitley City as shown in some King family trees. Those were post office addresses. Also, he was not born in Kingtown as shown in others family trees. That little community, located a few miles from his father's farm, was not called Kingtown until the mid-1910s. In 1880, less that a year before Tom's birth, his father owned a farm, land that he obtained from his father, located on/off present day Ross Rd (Hwy 1470).
Thomas, usually known as "Tom", was named after his great-grandfather, Thomas Murray "Tom" King (1790-1880), who during his latter years lived close to Tom's parents and grandparents on present day Ross Road. "Old Tom", as called by many at that time, died just 14 months prior to young Tom's birth. At the time of his death in 1880, "Old Tom" was 90 years old while "Young Tom" would live to be 91.
In 1880, "Old Tom" (90) and his wife, Mary (80), where living with their 43 year old son, Elisha King. He had a farm adjacent to his much older brother, 63 year old Enos King, on/off Ross Road. Enos' farm was next to the small farm of his son, Jackson "Jack" King (37). The brothers, Enos and Elisha, had obtained their land from their father in 1860. No doubt Jack had received his land from his father, Enos.
Tom's father, Jack, was born 1842 in Campbell Co., TN, however, his parents soon moved to the Marsh Creek area of lower Whitley Co. (now part of McCreary Co.), KY. Although located in different states, Campbell Co. (TN) and Whitley Co. (KY) were adjoining counties. Jack was raised in Kentucky not far from his grandparents, Thomas Murray "Tom" King and Mary Rebecca "Polly" Cox (1880-1889), and thus Jack knew them for about 35 years. As mentioned above, Jack's son, young Tom, was born on and grew up on land that his great-grandfather, Thomas Murray King, had once owned.
Jack's parents (Tom's paternal GPs) were Enos King (1816-bet 1892/1900) and Nancy Ann Angel (abt 1820-bet 1892/1900). They are buried in the King Cemetery (aka Laurel Creek Cemetery & Perry-King Cemetery) located near Revelo, McCreary Co., KY. Their burial sites in this little family cemetery were marked with just field stones. Enos' marker is now unreadable or is missing. Jack's mother's field stone marker simply has Nancy A. carved on it. The writing on her stone is now faint but still readable.
Jack's mother, Nancy Ann Angel, was the daughter of Archibald Andrew "Arch" Angel (1775-1847) and Nancy Ann Trammell (1782-1829). Jack's maternal grandparents are buried in the Angel Cemetery in Angel Valley, near Ketchen, in Scott Co., TN, not far from the present day Capuchin where Tom's father, Enos, was born. Jack's mother, Nancy Ann Angel, was born and raised on a large farm in present day Angel Valley. She was named after her mother, Nancy Ann Trammell.
Tom's mother was Mary Ann "Polly" Stephens (1845-1910). Polly, an old time nickname for Mary, was born in Mississippi when her family lived there for a couple of years in the mid 1840s. She was the daughter of Whitmill Stephens (abt 1809-abt 1866) and Elizabeth Waters (abt 1897-bet 1871/80). Tom's maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Waters, is thought to have been 1/4 or possibly 1/2 Native American (probably Cherokee) and to have been raised by an currently unknown Waters family. Her biological parents are unknown.
Tom's youngest son (my father), Mitchell, said that he had heard his father mention his Indian ancestry on several occasions. Tom always said that his mother was "part Indian". Tom was not a man to make up stories or tell untruths so he either knew for sure or honestly believed that his grandmother, Elizabeth, was part Native American. He would have been told this by his mother, Polly Stephens.
Tom's parents, Jack King and Polly Stephens, are buried next to each other in the Stephens Family Cemetery located in Isham, Scott Co., TN, close to McCreary County (KY) and the KY/TN state line. The cemetery lies on what used to be a part of Whitmill Stephens' farm. Polly has a small rock marker with the initials "P.K." carved on it, initials that are now faint. Jack once had a rock marker that had "Jac" carved on it. Unfortunately, his marker was one of several field stones (burial markers) that were unknowingly discarded several decades earlier during a much needed cemetery clean up.
Tom's paternal great-grandparents were Thomas Murray "Tom" King (1790-1880) and Mary Rebecca "Polly" Cox (1800-1881). Thomas Murray King was the patriarch of the King family in McCreary Co. KY having migrated about 1819 (some say about 1825) to the Marsh Creek area of lower Whitley Co., (now McCreary Co.). KY, from Campbell Co., TN. His parents were Kirby King (abt 1752/55?-1795/96) and Uroth Murray (abt 1752/55?-abt 1806?). Kirby is thought to have been of Scottish or English descent. Uroth was of definite Scottish descent as her ancestors had immigrated to America from Scotland about 1676.
As mentioned above, Tom's maternal grandparents were Whitmill Stephens and Elizabeth Waters. His maternal G-GPs were Solomon Stephens Sr. (abt 1781-1870) and Sarah "Sary" Meadors (abt 1784-bet 1870/80). His maternal 2G-GPs were Moses Stephens II (abt 1762-1853) and Margaret Miller Williams (abt 1762-1807)and his maternal 3G-GPs were Moses Stephens I (abt 1743-abt 1801) and Martha MNU (abt 1740-abt 1824).
Let's get back to Tom's father, Jack King. To put it mildly Jack was a hard man. Due of his rough treatment of his wife and children Tom's childhood was definitely not a happy one. His father was known to be downright mean at times and consequently, some people were afraid of him. He had a reputation for being a dangerous man and deservedly so. It's a wonder he wasn't killed by someone (sniper) in the area where he lived. He was known to be physically abusive to his wife and children and was definitely not a good provider. His family and his livestock would often not get enough to eat. Jack, who always carried two loaded pistols, was described by a now deceased Stephens cousin (by marriage) as having long stringy hair and who wore an overcoat the year round. He used to say "What keeps the heat in during the winter can keep the heat out during the summer." Wrong.
In his younger years, Jack would leave his family and his Whitley County farm for days (even weeks) at a time to bounty hunt. Putting a bounty on someone that you perceived to have done you or your family wrong or who had even done a relative or friend wrong was quite common in those days, especially in the mountains. During the time Jack was gone his family had to fend for themselves, often with not enough food and no money, keeping the little family farm going as best they could. Needless to say, their farm wasn't much and their home was not much more than a shack, especially by today's standards.
For some unknown reason Jack had a strong dislike for both schools and churches. Neither he or his wife were literate (able to read & write). Jack believed that schooling and "church going" was simply a waste of time. Consequently, Tom, nor his older siblings, were allowed to attend school or on a regular basis. Despite his irregular attendance, Tom managed to obtain a 4th grade education (sort of).
During his younger years in Whitley County Tom was considered rather wild, "the son of Jack King". He survived with the help of his mother. Tom was an intelligent man but not an educated man (only 4 sporadic years). Despite his lack of formal education, as an adult he was able to improve his limited reading and writing skills, "with the Lord's help", he would say.
Tom's mother, Polly, attended church as often as she could (especially when Jack was gone) and would take her children with her knowing that her husband would make it extra hard on her for having done so. Tom's mother, Polly, was a good woman who loved her children. Tom thought the world of his mother but understandably, did not have much use for his father. His future wife , Minna "Minnie" Gooch, also disliked Tom's father but had a genuine fondness for his mother.
Tom's mother, Polly, died in 1910 at the age of 65. She is buried in the Stephens Cemetery in Isham, Scott Co., TN. To say the least, she led a hard life.
After his wife's death, Jack continued to live in the same family house (shack). He died there alone in 1919. His lifeless body was found in the old house in which his family had lived. Jack, who had been dead for several days, is though to have died on Nov. 12, 1919. He was 77. It is said that he had been so abusive to his children and their mother that his children (now adults) would not even claim his body for burial. The Stephens family, who also disliked him, finally claimed his body and buried him in their family cemetery next to his wife, Polly Stephens. This was done only out of respect for her, not for Jack. Most likely, there was no funeral service, just a quick burial.
On June 2, 1901, Tom married Minna Susan "Minnie" Gooch (1884-1971) at her home located in Whitley County, near the KY/TN state line and the little town of Winfield, TN. Her nickname was pronounced "My-nee". Tom was 20 years of age, Minnie 17. Like Tom, she too, had little formal education, having completed only the 4th grade, also with poor attendance. For all practical purposes she was really unable to read and write. She could sign her name.
Minnie was the daughter of James Ellison Gooch (1855-1914) and Mary Ann "Polly" Williams (1854-1926). Married in 1876, they are thought to have divorced in the early to mid-1890s. Minnie was born in a very rural area just inside Knox Co., KY, not far from the little Whitley Co. (KY) community of Woodbine. Today, Woodbine is only three miles from Corbin. In the 1880s, however, Corbin was just a village and was known as Lynn Camp Station. In 1905, the little town incorporated as "Corbin". Needless to say, present day Corbin is much larger that it was back in the 1880s.
Minnie's father, James, developed mental issues in the early 1900s after his house burned killing his second wife, Sarah C. Payne (1861-1901). He was able to rescue his two children but not his wife. James lived with his daughter, Mittie Gooch (1881-1962), wife of Rev. Burel King (1875-1945), for a while but eventually had to be institutionalized (Lakeland Hospital near Louisville) for 24/7 care. He is said to have tried to set his daughter's house on fire on at least two occasions.
James died in 1914 and is buried in the Lakeland (Central State) Hospital Cemetery just outside Louisville, KY. His death certificate shows that he died from Pellagra. His grave is in the hospital cemetery. His site, however, like all the others there, is no longer known as the hospital used only wooden crosses for markers. Also, there are no longer any burial records.
Tom's mother, Polly, married again, in 1897, marrying Civil War veteran, John N. Faulkner (1848-1911). The 1920 census shows the widowed Polly living in Parksville with Tom and her daughter, Minnie. Polly eventually moved back to Kingtown to live with her other daughter, Mittie. She died there in 1926 at the age of 71.
Polly is buried next to her second husband, John Faulkner, in the Kingtown Cemetery. Minnie's mother, Polly (Gooch) Williams, Minnie's grandmother Margaret (Hail) Williams, had been the cemetery's first adult burial in 1897. She was buried under her maiden name, Margaret Hail. Minnie's sister Mittie (Gooch) King, and Minnie's granddaughter, Gertie King (Minnie's first child,) are also buried there, as are numerous other relatives..
Tom and Minnie were married for nearly 70 years and had ten children. Their first child, Girtie (Gertrude?) Elizabeth King (1901-1903), died three months prior to her second birthday. She is buried in the Kingtown Cemetery located in Kingtown, near her maternal grandmother, Mary Ann "Polly" (Williams) Gooch Faulkner and her maternal great-grandmother, Margaret (Hail) Williams. The cause of her death is unknown.
The little family graveyard, now known as the Kingtown Cemetery, was started in 1891 by Emby King, Sr. who furnished the land and lived next to the cemetery. His three year old son, Franklin Asberry King (1887-1891), was the graveyard's first burial. As mentioned earlier, Minnie's grandmother, Margaret, was the first adult to be buried there. She died in 1897 when Minnie was 13. Margaret had been living in Minnie's household for a number of years. Minnie was 42 when her mother, Polly, died in 1926 at the age of 71.
Tom and Minnie's other nine children lived to adulthood. In order of their birth, their known children were Gertie Elizabeth King (1902-1903), Virgil Lee King (1906-1965), Ezra Luster "Ezrie" King (1906-1878), Luther Ray King (1907-2000), Oscar Elvy King (1910-2003), Clarence Edward King (1912-1978), Ernest Herstle King (1915-2001), Elsie King (1917-2001), Eva "Evie" King (1920-1999) and my father, Mitchell Raymond "Mitch" King (1923-1995). Most were not well educated but were highly intelligent.
All but the last three of Tom and Minnie's ten children were born in Whitley County. The three youngest children were born near Parksville, Boyle Co., KY on Tennessee Ridge. Minnie's sister, Mittie Alice (Gooch) King (1881-1962), was probably the midwife for her first seven children and possibly the last three, as well. She was known to have been with her sister at the birth of her youngest child, Mitchell. Mittie served as the midwife for the Kingtown area.
In 1916, with encouragement from his friend, William Whitmill Stephens (1869-1956), Tom and his wife, Minnie, left the little Kentucky community of Kingtown and moved their growing family of eight (seven children) to Parksville in Boyle Co., KY. William Stephens and his friend, Joseph Martin "Jo Mart" Abbott (1868-1931), had moved their families to the area about 1912 from Scott Co., TN where they also had lived near the KY/TN line. Whitmill lived in/near Isham and Jo Mart in/near Winfield. Today the little communities are still near the county line and are about three miles apart. The story is that in Boyle County they lived in a partitioned barn until they could build their houses.
Tom and his family loaded their belongings on to a train boxcar in Winfield, TN (about 3 miles from his home) and made the trip (82 miles today) to Junction City, Boyle Co., KY. They then used wagons to get to the Parksville area, which was just 6 miles from the Junction City railroad depot. In Parksville, they would eventually settle in a hilly area that became known as Tennessee Ridge due the number of families moved there from around the KY/TN state line in the 1910s and 1920s. Tom and Minnie lived on Tennessee Ridge for over 50 years.
While living in Whitley County (the area became part of newly created McCreary County in 1912) Tom had been a coal miner and farmer. He disliked mining and was injured twice on the job, once receiving a serious head injury. That may have been one of the factors that influenced his decision to give up mining and leave the place where he had been born and raised. His father's bad reputation, as well as that of his own growing up, however, may also have been reasons for his relocating in Central Kentucky
In Parksville (located in the Knobs Region of KY)Tom worked for his cousin, William, until he could save up enough money to make it on his own. His family is thought to have lived (free) for a while in an old log cabin with a dirt floor that was located on Williams's property just below what is now called Tennessee Ridge. It was located just a short walk from where the Wilson Cemetery was established in 1922.
Tom later (late 1910s ?) rented a farm with an old house that was located off the same ridge and dirt road that his cousin's property was located on, about a mile apart. Years later he would later purchase that property from his son, Luther. My father, Mitchell King, was born (1923) there in that old three room house , located in a hollow off Tennessee Ridge. His older brother, Luther King (1907-2000) and his wife Clara Honaker (1913-2011), later lived in that old house for several years (1928-42) before moving to Chester, Pennsylvania in 1942 to be a ship welder as a part of the WWII effort. Luther moved there with his brothers, Oscar King and Clarence King, along with cousin, Ernest "Steve" Stephens. Over the years Tom bought a few small farms (hillside farms) on Tennessee Ridge, "rock farms", as my Dad would later call them.
In the mid-1920s, Tom moved his family to an old four( 3 ?, room added later ?) room house that was located on the one lane dirt road that ran the top of the ridge. There, he and his wife, Minnie, would live the rest of their lives. That road, then known known as Maple Grove Road, was also called Tennessee Ridge Road by 1930, again, due to the number of families who had migrated there from near or just across the TN/KY state line.
Tom, a full-time farmer, was blessed to have seven strong sons over the years to help him with the farm work. In addition, he had two daughters who worked the fields and also helped their mother with the never ending daily chores of hoeing, gardening, cooking, washing and housework that came with raising a large family. Putting up (canning and drying) enough food for the winter was also a big job.
Tom served as a layman supply preacher (preaching as needed) in near-by churches. An old-time Baptist preacher, he was known to be quite strict and rather long-winded, often preaching up to two hours or longer. He loved to talk about the Bible with friends and relatives who would stop by to see him. I can remember my grandfather (Tom) and my Dad (Mitchell) having many long discussions on the Bible and it's teachings.
Tom was plagued with rheumatoid arthritis during the last several decades of his life. Fortunately, his son, Herstle King (1915-1997) and wife, Polly Hillard (1915-1992), lived just a short walk down the road. Usually, Herstle or his sister, Eva, had one of their teenage children spend the night/week with their parents when they were up in years.. They would handle the chores (bringing in wood, keeping the stove fire going, bringing water in from the pump, etc.) and anything else that needed doing. They would also be there if any physical problems should develop with their elderly grandparents.
Herstle, with the help of his children (3 sons & 4 daughters) and later two hard working son-in-laws, Les Caldwell (1929-1998) and Norman Ferrell (1939-2013), kept the family farm going for many years. Herstle's youngest son, Gary Thomas King (1955- ), a professional farrier (one who shoes horses), now owns much of the land that was once part of Tom's farm. Herstle's youngest daughter, Dorothy Gail (King) Hogue (1961-2021 ) lived behind the site of her grandparent's home until her death. The old house that her grandparents lived in was razed many years ago.
In his latter years (1960s-70s) Tom did not see well and was very hard of hearing. He loved to listen to Sunday morning preaching and would sit next to his old tube radio, his hand cupped to it with the volume turned up as high as it would go. He would often shake his head "yes" when he heard something he strongly agreed with.
Many Sundays, when I was growing up, we made the 75 miles trip from our home just outside Louisville to Parksville, after Sunday School of course, to visit with my grandparents. On warm days when the house windows were open we could hear the radio just as soon as we pulled in the old gravel/dirt driveway. One Sunday around noon, my grandmother was sitting in the corner of the front room while my grandfather was listening to some radio preaching. I still remember her saying "Pa, Pa, Pa, every Sunday it's the same old thing. You turn that old radio up as loud as it will go and just blast me out of here." My grandfather, of course, could not hear a single word of what she had said.
"Pa", that's what all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren called him, was a stern man and as mentioned earlier, in his younger years definitely not a man to be messed with. Born and raised in the mountains, Tom had that old time "mountain mentality". You didn't mess with him, his family, his relatives or his friends. If you did you were going to have to deal with him. When he was young he was very limber and could actually kick you in the head. It is unknown when he became a Christian. However, there was no doubt that my father, Mitchell, a devout Christian himself and the youngest of their 10 children, was appreciative of his parent's strict Christian upbringing and loved both of his parents dearly.
Tom's wife, Minnie, died on Feb. 2, 1971, at her home on Tennessee Ridge (Parksville) at the age of 87. Several people were sitting in the front room where she lay in the bed near the stove. Although her worn out body was very weak, she somehow managed to raise up in the bed just before she died and and said "Well, I'm going to go now". She then laid back down and died. In an instant, she had left this world and was in Heaven.
I still remember seeing the old worn out body of my grandmother as it lay in the casket at the church. I also remember kissing her good-by, just as I had done so many times before leaving after a Sat. or Sunday visit. Her funeral was held in the Parksville Baptist Church and she is buried in the Parksville Cemetery located just across the road from the church.
Tom suffered from physical feebleness and dementia the last few years of his life. He died on Apr. 12, 1973 at the age of 91 in the Ephraim McDowell Hospital in Danville, Boyle Co., KY. I was a pallbearer at his funeral, which was held at the Coyle (Wilder) Funeral Home in Perryville, Boyle Co., KY. Tom is buried in the Parksville Cemetery, next to his wife, Minnie. The inscription on their headstone reads "TOGETHER FOREVER".
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Information contained in this memorial for Thomas Letcher "Tom" King, his wife, family members, ancestors and descendants, is thought to be correct. It should be noted, however, that this memorial has been revised & corrected numerous times and will continue to be revised as new information becomes available.
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NOTE: Many thanks to Boyle County resident, Mike Dennis, for the transfer of the memorials for my paternal grandparents, Thomas L. King and Minnie S. (Gooch) King.
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Inscription
"TOGETHER FOREVER"
