Francis King was likely born in Maryland in about 1740. He may have married in about 1758, but his wife Mary has not been identified. In Maryland before 1760, at least two children, James King and Azariah King, were born to Francis King and his wife Mary. Before or during the Revolutionary War, a son Francis King, Jr. was born to Francis King, Sr. and his wife Mary.
During the American Revolutionary War, Francis King, Sr. served as a Private in the Second Virginia State Regiment over a period of at least five and one-half years (1743, Page 176). Francis appears on a Mar 1777 muster roll for Captain Peter Bernards Company of the Second Virginia State Regiment commanded by Colonel Gregory Smith (1738) and on a 10 Sep 1782 muster roll for Major Finley’s Detachment (1745). During this period, Francis King appears regularly on muster rolls and pay rolls of the Second Virginia State Regiment and related units.
The Aug 1778 pay roll for the Captain Barnard’s unit of the Second Virginia State Regiment lists both Francis King, Sr. and his son Francis King, Jr. as Privates (1750).
The Francis King family likely migrated from Maryland to Spotsylvania County, Virginia before Francis acquired land from James Head on 6 Jun 1781. Francis King acquired 290 acres of land in Spotsylvania County, Virginia from James Head and his wife, Sarah for £1,595 currency (492, Page 359). Thomas Terry, Thomas Turner, and Francis’s son James King witnessed the deed that was recorded on 16 Aug 1781. Also on 16 Aug 1781, Thomas Libscomb and his wife Mary of Spotsylvania County sold 400 acres of land in Spotsylvania County to Francis King of the State of Maryland for £4,000 currency (528, Page 359).
On 7 Aug 1787, Francis King and his wife Mary of Maryland sold 290 acres of land to Ezeriah King of Orange County, Virginia for £95 currency (529). Ezeriah King was almost certainly Azariah King, a son of Francis and Mary King. Francis King appears on a 1787 personal property tax list for Spotsylvania County (1587).
Following the Revolutionary War and establishment of the United States of America, Francis King, Sr. continued to trade land in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. On 6 Jan 1795, William Estes and his wife Frances of Spotsylvania County, Virginia conveyed 7 and 1/2 acres of land in the Berkeley Parish of Spotsylvania County to Francis King of same for £4.10s (530; 33, Page 472). Also on 6 Jan 1795, Francis King purchased 100 acres of land from Thomas Lipscomb for £74.10s (531). John King witnessed the deed. This land was in the Berkeley Parish of Spotsylvania County, on north side of road leading to the church.
On 25 Dec 1798, Francis King and his wife Mary King of Spotsylvania County, Virginia sold 107 acres of land in Spotsylvania County to Reuben Moore of Culpeper County for £107 currency (546). Presumably, this was the same 107 acres in Spotsylvania County that Francis and Mary King acquired on 6 Jan 1795 from William Estes and his wife. Dabney Lipscomb, David Bronaugh, and Edward Hyde witnessed the deed that was recorded on 2 Jul 1799.
On 26 Dec 1804, Francis King, Sr. of Spotsylvania County, Virginia conveyed the 300 acre tract of land on which he was living as well as all personal property in his possession to his children: James King, Francis King, Jr., Azariah King, Elijah King, and Susanna King (1741). All children lived in Spotsylvania County. Francis King, Sr. retained the right to use the land. John A. Billings, John Chewning, and James King witnessed the indenture.
On 27 Dec 1804, Francis King, Sr. granted power of attorney to his son James King to transact all business of every description (1740). Additionally, Francis King, Sr. conveyed the 400 acre tract of land in Spotsylvania County where he lived and all of his personal property to James King. John A. Billings, John Chewning, and James King witnessed the execution of the power of attorney that was recorded on 1 Jan 1804. On 4 Aug 1809, James King relinquished power of attorney granted and returned all property transferred by Francis King, Sr. (1742).
Francis King, Sr. died after 5 Aug 1809, likely in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
Notes and Comments
Two deeds by Francis King, Sr., made on 6 Jun 1781 (492) and 16 Aug 1781 (528), refer to Francis King as “of Maryland”. The approximate date Francis King’s birth assumes that he was about 18 years old at the birth of his son Azariah King. A deed by Francis King and his wife Mary to Ruben Moore for 107 acres of land in Spotsylvania County, Virginia documents the given name of Francis King’s wife as Mary (546).
A 26 Dec 1804 deed by Francis King, Sr. of Spotsylvania County, Virginia names his children as James King, Francis King, Jr., Azariah King, Elijah King, and Susanna King (1741).
On 1 Apr 1728, Elisabeth Burton made a will in Somerset County, Maryland (1592). Among the heirs to her estate, Elisabeth named a son Francis King and a grandson Francis King.
Apparently, Francis King, Sr. died intestate.
Geographic Boundaries
Spotsylvania County, Virginia was created on 1 May 1721 from parts of Essex, King and Queen, and King William counties.
On 1 Jan 1735, Spotsylvania County, Virginia lost land to the creation of Orange County.
Sources
33. Crozier, William Armstrong, ed. Spotsylvania County Records 1721–1800. Volume 1. Baltimore, Maryland: Southern Book Company, 1955. (PDF file on file.)
492. Deed by James Head and Sarah, his Wife to Francis King of Maryland. Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 6 Jun 1781. Spotsylvania County, Virginia Deed Book J 1774–1782. Crozier, William Armstrong, ed. Spotsylvania County Records 1721–1800. Vol. I. Baltimore, Maryland: Southern Book Company, 1955. Page 359. (Database: Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639–1850, Ancestry.com)
528. Deed by Thomas Lipscomb and Mary, his wife, of Spotsylvania County, Virginia to Francis King of the State of Maryland. Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 16 Aug 1781, 400 acres. Spotsylvania County, Virginia Deed Book J 1774–1782. Crozier, William Armstrong, Ed. Virginia County Records: Spotsylvania County 1721–1800. Fox, Duffield, and Co., New York, New York, 1905. Page 359. (Database: Spotsylvania, Virginia County Records, 1721–1800, Ancestry.com. Print on file.)
529. Deed by Francis King and Mary, his wife, of Maryland for 290 acres in Spotsylvania County to Ezeriah King of Orange County, Virginia, 7 Aug 1787. Spotsylvania County, Virginia Deed Book J 1744–1782, Page 408. (Images: FamilySearch. Images on file.) Crozier, William Armstrong, Ed. Virginia County Records: Spotsylvania County 1721–1800. Fox, Duffield, and Co., New York, New York, 1905. (Database: Spotsylvania, Virginia County Records, 1721–1800, Ancestry.com)
530. Deed by William Estes and Frances, his wife, of Spotsylvania County, Virginia to Francis King of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 7 and 1/2 acres, 6 Jan 1795. Spotsylvania County, Virginia Deed Book O 1794–1797, Page 472. Crozier, William Armstrong, Ed. Virginia County Records: Spotsylvania County 1721–1800. Fox, Duffield, and Co., New York, New York, 1905. (Database: Spotsylvania, Virginia County Records, 1721–1800, Ancestry.com)
531. Deed by Thomas Lipscomb to Francis King, Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 100 acres, 6 Jan 1795. Spotsylvania County, Virginia Deed Book O 1794–1797, Page 472. Crozier, William Armstrong, Ed. Virginia County Records: Spotsylvania County 1721–1800. Fox, Duffield, and Co., New York, New York, 1905. (Database: Spotsylvania, Virginia County Records, 1721–1800, Ancestry.com)
546. Deed by Francis King and his wife Mary King of Spotsylvania County, Virginia to Reuben Moore of Culpeper County, Virginia, 107 acres for £107 currency, 25 Dec 1798. Spotsylvania County, Virginia Deed Book P 1797–1800. Crozier, William Armstrong, Ed. Virginia County Records: Spotsylvania County 1721–1800. Fox, Duffield, and Co., New York, New York, 1905. Page 507. (Database: Spotsylvania, Virginia County Records, 1721–1800, Ancestry.com. Print on file.)
1587. Francis King, Personal Property Tax List. Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 1787. Schreiner-Yantis, Netti, and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable over 21 Years. Springfield, Virginia: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. (Image on file. Courtesy of Jefferson Library, Albemarle County, Virginia.)
1738. Francis King, Muster Roll, 2nd Virginia State Regiment, Mar 1777. 1775–1783 Revolutionary War Rolls. War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records. Record Group 93, NARA Film M246. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
1740. Grant of Power of Attorney to James King by Francis King, Sr. Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 27 Dec 1804. Spotsylvania County Deed Book Q, 1802–1804, Pages 404. FamilySearch Film 34075, Image Group 8423005. (Images: FamilySearch. Images on file.)
1741. Francis King, Sr. Conveyed 300 acre Tract to his Children. Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 26 Dec 1804. Spotsylvania County Deed Book Q, 1802–1804, Pages 402–403. FamilySearch Film 34075, Image Group 8423005. (Images: FamilySearch. Images on file.)
1742. James King Relinquishes Power of Attorney. Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 4 Aug 1809. Spotsylvania County Deed Book S, 1809–1815. FamilySearch Film 34076, Image Group Number 856243. (Images: FamilySearch. Images on file.)
1743. Eckenrode, H. J. List of the Revolutionary Soldiers of Virginia (Supplement). Richmond, Virginia: Superintendent of Public Printing, 1913. Page 176. (PDF file: Internet Archive. PDF file on file.)
1745. Francis King, Muster Roll, 2nd Virginia State Regiment, Major Finley’s Detachment. Virginia, 10 May 1783. 1775–1783 Revolutionary War Rolls. War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records. Record Group 93, NARA Film M246. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)
1750. Francis King, Sr. and Francis King, Jr., Payroll. 2nd Virginia State Regiment. Virginia, Aug 1778. U.S. Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775–1783, War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records. NARA Film M246, Record Group 93, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. (Images: Ancestry.com. Image on file.)