Thomas B. (possibly Buchanan) King has been a mystery in our family for longer than we know. My great grandmother, Mazie Mae King (daughter of Thomas’ son John William King) told me as a child that he had been adopted, taking the King surname as his own.
Today though, it seems that the parentage of Thomas Buchanan King may be closer to being solved.
The supposed birthdate for Thomas is March 1850-2, according to census records following his marriage – always the same age as his wife – which leads me to think that since he was illiterate and possibly adopted, he may have not known his exact age or birthdate. I knew that Thomas B. King was married on November 12, 1880 to Eliza Jane Starkey in Gallia County, Ohio. And that the King family left behind records of moves to multiple counties including Jackson, Lawrence, Ross, Fayette, Pike, and Greene. Unfortunately, both Thomas and Eliza Jane continue to evade me where the 1880 Federal Census is concerned, so after having no luck there I tried searching for Thomas King in the area of Gallia County in 1870.
After clicking through several pages and nearly throwing in the towel, I located a Thomas B. King in Bloom, Scioto, Ohio – but his age was 13, giving him a birth year of about 1857. Seemingly way too far off for my Thomas, but his mother’s name struck me. Sandalan King. A very unique name that is eerily similar to one of Thomas’ daughters names, Sandaline “Ann” King, born in Cabell County, West Virginia.
Marriage record of Thomas B. King’s daughter Standalone “Ann” King.
Sandalan was living with the following children in 1870: Alexander (17), Nancy (14), Thomas B. King (13), and Rebecca J. King (4). Sandalan was 50 at this point, so Rebecca may have been a granddaughter.
I located Sandalan on the 1860 census under the name “Sandall Keeton” living in the home of John King and his children; Viletta (13), Alexander (10), Nancy (5), and Mary (3). At this point the family is living in Bloomfield, Jackson, Ohio. This time, Sandalan had a son named Buchanan Keeton, 5. This is the same family she was living with in 1870, but there is no evidence that she and John King were married.
In 1850, “Sandal Keyton” is living in Cabell, West Virginia, USA with her husband George Keyton and children Mack Harriet 23, Nancy 20, Roxy 19, Emmaletta 16, Mary C. 15, and John 13. Sandalan King (maiden name?) married George Keyton June 4, 1848 in Putnam County, West Virginia, so the children were probably from his previous wife.
Although I do wish there was more recorded evidence to attach Thomas Buchanan Keyton King and Sandalan Keyton to our family tree, I do think that the circumstantial evidence is pointing to this being the answer so many people in our family thought we would never receive.
Resurrecting Memories 