William V. King

As printed in 1910

WILLIAM V. KING (1866). One of the best known residents of the county is William V. King, a pioneer of forty-three years standing, who now lives a retired life in the county scat village, after living spent many active years in public life.

In Oldham, England, on September 26, 1831, our subject was born, the son of John and Hannah (Hilton) King. On the first day of April, 1835, the family set sail for the new world and upon their arrival located near Utica, New York. There until he was ten years old William lived with his parents, attending school and working for a short time in a factory. In 1841 he went to Walworth county, Wisconsin, and that was his home until his thirtieth year. During these years he was engaged in farm work, and teaching school. Moving to Crawford county in 1861, he engaged in farming, and the same year, upon the outbreak of the civil war, he took a position with the government as enrolling officer. In 1864 he enlisted in the 43rd Wisconsin volunteer infantry and served as first sergeant of his company until his discharge from the army, which occurred at Nashville, Tennessee, in July, 1865.

In the fall of 1865, soon after leaving the army, Mr. King took up his residence at Austin, Minnesota, and in May, of the following year, became a resident of Jackson county. He located in what is now organized as Wisconsin township and took as a homestead the southwest quarter of section 28, upon which he lived until 1873. Having been elected to the office of county auditor that fall, he moved to Jackson to assume the duties of the office. With the exception of two years spent in Hunter township, Jackson has been the home of Mr. King ever since.

During thirty-one years of his residence in the county Mr. King has held county office — a record held by no other man. Prior to his removal to Jackson he held the office of judge of probate six years; he was superintendent of schools two years; was county attorney two years; and held the office of county auditor twenty-one years. He owns property in the village of Jackson and eighty acres of land in section 24, Hunter township. Fraternally he is associated with the Masonic and Grand Army of the Republic organizations.

Mr. King was married in Walworth comity, Wisconsin, March 27, 1856, to Antonette L. Porter, who died in Jackson March 26, 1896. To this union were born the following named children: William P., NelUe G. (Davies), S. S. and John L. The second marriage of Mr. King occurred June 22, 1898, when he wedded Leonora E. Chittenden at Fairmont, Minnesota.

As printed in An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.