JOHN S. KING & REBECCA SHANNON -- married 1855 in New Castle, Lawrence Co., PA According to a notice in the Lawrence Journal, 6-23-1855: "Married. On Thursday morning last, by Rev. Horatio N. Stearns, Capt. John S. King and Miss Rebecca Shannon, both of New Castle." According to the census, this couple was apparently living in Trumbull County, OH, in 1860. 1860 Weatherfield Twp., Trumbull Co., OH [just n. of Youngstown, OH] hh 988 991 Jno. S. King WM 29 Clerk PA Rebecca WF 22 PA Annie WF 4 PA Dr. S. Devlin WM 24 Allop Physician PA Thereafter this family becomes mysterious. There are several Rebecca Shannons in the 1850 census who could fit here. Similarly, there is no great shortage of John Kings, as every King researcher is sure to know! This is my closest candidate family, and I would almost be willing to bet I'm right. Not quite, but almost! 1830 Reading Twp., Adams Co., PA [all on the same page] Abraham King 0010100000000 - 2001100000000 Abraham King/of ?? 1200000100000 - 0001100100000 Jacob King 0110001000000 - 1000010000000 Christian King 0000000100000 - 0000000100000 John King 1010100000000 - 1000100000000 Joseph King 3000001000000 - 0100010000000 1840 Reading Twp., Adams Co., PA [all on the same page] John King 1210010010000 - 1010010010000 Jacob King 1003000100000 - 0010001000000 Christian King jr 0201001000000 - 0001010000000 1850 Reading Twp., Adams Co., PA hh 30 30 John King WM 47 Farmer PA (a blank line, then continues next page) William King WM 17 Farmer PA John " WM 15 PA Edward " WM 10 PA Aaron T " WM 7 PA Margaret " WF 34 PA Sarah " WF 22 PA Maria " WF 12 PA Elmira " WF 8 PA The elder John is still in Adams Co. in 1860, but son John has vanished. The closest I can come to matching him is Jno. S. of Trumbull Co., OH. 1860 Reading Twp., Adams Co., PA hh 8 9 Jno. King WM 59 Farmer PA Margaret " WF 50 PA Sarah " WF 29 PA Maria " WF 20 PA Elmira " WF 16 PA Aaron " WM 13 PA hh 8 10 Wm. King WM 26 Carpenter PA Elizah. " WF 25 PA Alise J. " WF 1/12 PA Lucy A. Fissel WF 10 PA I neglected to check to see if John and Margaret were still present in 1870, but John Jr. with his wife Rebecca is back. His children don't quite fit, and he has an 11-yr-old son Henry that should have been in the 1860 census if this age is correct. Therefore, it is either not correct, or the 1860 census was inaccurate, or this is not the correct couple. I can find no other John King with a 1-yr-old son Henry in 1860, b. in PA. 1870 Reading Twp., Adams Co., PA hh 62 64 King, John WM 35 Farmer PA ----, Rebecca WF 34 Keeping House PA ----, Sarah WF 13 at Home PA [is this Annie of 1860?] ----, Henry WM 11 at Home PA [where was he in 1860?] ----, Amanda WF 10 at Home PA ----, Margaret WF 8 at Home PA ----, Ida WF 4 at Home PA ----, Emma WF 1 at Home PA By 1880 they had made their way to Illinois. 1880 Woodland, Fulton Co., IL hh 33 33 King, John WM 45 Farmer PA PA PA ----, Rebecca WF 42 wife Keeping house PA PA PA ----, Henry WM 21 son At home PA PA PA ----, Margaret WF 18 dau. At home PA PA PA ----, Ida WF 16 dau. At home PA PA PA ----, Emma WF 11 dau. At home PA PA PA ----, Silvester WM 7 son --[a line]-- PA PA PA Burgard, Martha WF 9 servant Servant IL PA PA By 1900 Rebecca was a widow. 1900 Vermont Twp., Fulton Co., IL hh 62 62 [26 26 crossed out] King, Rebecca head WF 64 b. Apr 1836 Wd Farmer PA IL PA ----, [Ui]sttey son WM 27 b. Oct 1872 S Farm labor PA IL PA Suratt, Alice boarder WF 11 b. May 1889 S At school IL PA IL Rebecca King was also missing from the census by 1910. The following from the Lawerence Co., PA, histories may be relevant to John King... There was a battalion review held in New Castle, on the 14th of May [1855]. The organizations which participated were the Ringgold Guards, of Princeton, Captain Hall; the Harlansburg Infantry, Captain Emery; the New Castle Light Artillery, Captain Shaw, and the Lawrence Guards, Captain King. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/lawrence/1877/ncastle2.htm In another place he is called J. I. King, but I believe this is incorrect based on other research and should be John S. King. About this time [April 1861] the Lawrence Guards volunteered for three months. They numbered 167 men, and were officered as follows: Captain, Dr. Daniel Leasure; First Lieutenant, Edward O'Brien; Second Lieutenant, J. J. Cook; Third Lieutenant, John S. King. They were subsequently divided into two companies. [same source] The following is a list of officers chosen by the Eagle Fire Company, in April, 1851: President, B. B. Pickett; Vice-President, S. Dunn; Secretary, P. Dunn; Assistant Secretary, John R. Richardson; Treasurer, Wm. Lutton; Captain, P. Miller; Lieutenants: J. McGown, first; S. Dunn, second; Engineers:J. R. Richardson, first; R. Craven, second; W. R. Madge, third; W. G. Scott, fourth; Assistant Engineers: Wm. Love, Wm. Gaston; Hose Directors: D. Diamond, J. S. King, G. Riddle, J. S. Pomeroy, J. R. Emery, Wm. Douds; Assistant Hose Directors: D. Craig, R. P. Marshall, J. R. Moore, J. Crips, J. A. Addis, J. H. Emery, R. Emery, J. Pile, H. Stanson, H. Hall, G. V. Boyles, Wm. Emery, Wm. Lutton, U. Cubbison; Hose Engineers, J. B. Du Shane, J. H. Orr; Ladder Men, B. B. Pickett, J. B McKee, G. Moore, R. Wright; Hook Men, J. B. Moore, John H. Spencer; Axe Men, D. Stewart, Sr., S. Bussinger. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/lawrence/1877/ncastle3.htm On Tuesday evening, the 2d of November, 1858, a new fire company was organized under the name and title of "The Relief Fire Company," The following officers were elected to serve during the ensuing year; President, D. S. Morris; Vice President, H. J. Levis; Secretary, Crawford W. Stewart; Assistant Secretary, Noble Holton; Treasurer, O. G. Hazen; Captain, John R. Richardson; Lieutenants: John S. King, first; Chester L. White, second; Engineers: Wilkes Waddington, first; Wm. Emery, second; John R. Pattison, third; James W. Trimble, fourth; Hose Directors: John Young, Jr., first; David Allen, second; Wm. S. Emery, third; James W. Scott, fourth; Harvy L. Mell, fifth; Wm. C. Christy, sixth; Assistant Hose Directors: David Gill, first; John N. Emery, second; Henry Ferguson, third; Maurice Cox, fourth; Milo White, fifth; Samuel C. Nicklin, sixth. Hose Engineers: Wm. Vogan, first; Albert Cox, second; Laddermen, Walter D. Clarke, Samuel Cook, W. Perry Book, R. Randolph; Hookmen, R. B. McComb, James Hoover; Axemen, John S. Wallace, Charles P. McKillip. [same source] JOHN S. KING was born in Cambria county; studied law in Gettysburg, Adams county; removed to Lawrence county in 1859, and associated himself with R. B. McComb. In 1861 he received an appointment as captain in the regular army. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/lawrence/1877/medleg.htm [Inaccurate if we are concerned with the same person. In any event there is no such person in the census, so he must have been living out of the county. The association with Adams Co. is at least suggestive. The birthplace may be incorrect if my census work is to be trusted.] These quotations are from: History of Lawrence County Pennsylvania, 1770 - 1877, by S.W. and P.A. Durant. Online at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/lawrence/1877/ [Note to myself: Sampson S. King, admitted to the bar in Beaver Co. c.1804, was also from Gettysburg, Adams Co., PA. What is the significance of this if any?]