Thomas Butler King

1800 - 1864  (63 years)

• Name	Thomas Butler King
  Born	27 Aug 1800	Palmer, Hampden County, Massachusetts
  Gender	Male
  Died	10 May 1864	Waresboro, Ware County, Georgia
  Buried	Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery, Saint Simons Island, Glynn County, Georgia,
  Person ID	I21655	My Reynolds Line
  Last Modified	1 Sep 2019

  
  

  Father	Daniel King,   b. 2 Sep 1750, Palmer Center, Hampden Co., Massachusetts ,   d. 15 Mar 1815, Wilkes-Barre Township, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania  (Age 64 years)
  Mother	Hannah Lord,   b. 1748, Lyme, New London County, Connecticut ,   d. 21 May 1813, Palmer, Hampden County, Massachusetts  (Age 65 years)
  Married	1780
  Family ID	F8106	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Anna Matilda Page,   b. 1798, Georgia ,   d. 1859, Saint Simons Island, Glynn Co., Georgia  (Age 61 years)
  Married	1824
  Children	+ 1. Cpt. Mallery Page 'Malley' King,   b. 1836, Saint Simons Island, Glynn County, Georgia ,   d. 20 Jun 1899, Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia  (Age 63 years)
  Last Modified	1 Sep 2019
  Family ID	F8104	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Thomas Butler King p21655ThomasButlerKing.jpg

  
  

• Sources

  [S32] Find-A-Grave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8654159/anna-matilda-king. Anna Matilda Page King Birth 1798 Georgia Death 1859 (aged 60?61) Saint Simons Island, Glynn County, Georgia Burial Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery Saint Simons Island, Glynn County, Georgia Parents William Page, 1764?1827 Hannah Page, 1759?1826 The wife of the frequently absent Thomas Butler King, Anna single-handedly ran their St. Simons Island Plantation, Retreat, caring for their "family, black and white," raising crops, and preparing their children for productive and honorable lives. Anna Matilda Page was raised in the understanding that she would marry a planter, have children, and tend to her family's domestic affairs. Rare for her time, she was also educated by her father in all aspects of plantation management, from seed cultivation to building construction. That grounding would serve her well. By 1842 her husband's properties were seized, owing to debts amassed from crop failures, economic downturns, and extensive investments in land, enslaved workers, and the development of the nearby port town of Brunswick. Anna and her family were sustained, however, by Retreat, the St. Simons Island property left to her in trust by her father. She managed to raise her children, get the crops in, and in her "spare" time, she cultivated a gloriously beautiful garden, the flowers of which, legend has it, ships' captains' could smell several miles out on St. Simons Sound. The Avenue of Oaks, which once led to the "Big House" at Retreat, and the ruins of the slave hospital, still remain as reminders of the former glory of the plantation. The Sea Island Company has changed the old Corn Barn into the Retreat Golf Course Clubhouse. [S130] Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Butler_King. He was born on August 27, 1800 in Palmer, Massachusetts to Daniel King and Hannah Lord. He was of English descent. Among his first ancestors coming to America was John King, of Edwardstone, Suffolk, England, who, in 1715 was the first settler on a tract of land in what was then known as the Colony of Massachusetts. For a generation or more this tract of land was known as Kingstown. Afterwards it was called Palmer.[2] He attended Westfield State University and then studied law under his brother, Henry King in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania State Bar in 1822. In 1823 he traveled with his brother, Stephen Clay King, to practice law in Waynesville, Georgia.[1][3] In 1824 he married Anna Matilda Page (c. 1800 ? 1859). They had ten children who survived to adulthood including a son, John Floyd King. Thomas was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1832 to represent Glynn County, Georgia. He served in that position in 1834, 1835, and again in 1837. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1838 to the 26th United States Congress. He accepted an appointment in California as tax collector for the Port of San Francisco under Millard Fillmore. He then went to work as a lobbyist for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company.[1][3] He also sought, unsuccessfully, to become senator from California.[3] San Francisco's King Street, near the port and major rail yards, is named after him.[4] King died in Waresboro, Georgia on May 10, 1864. He was buried in the churchyard of Christ Church on St. Simons Island.[3] Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's At-large & 1st district In office March 4, 1839 ? March 3, 1843 March 4, 1845 ? March 3, 1850 Preceded by George W. Towns Alexander Stephens Succeeded by John B. Lamar Joseph W. Jackson Member of the Georgia Senate In office 1832 1834?1835 1837 Personal details Born August 27, 1800 Palmer, Massachusetts Died May 10, 1864 (aged 63) Waresboro, Georgia Resting place Churchyard of Christ Church, Frederica, St. Simons, Georgia Political party Whig Spouse(s) Anna Matilda Page (c. 1800 ? 1859) Children John Floyd King