The emigrant ancestor of the King family of Albany, represented by Dwight King, was John King, who came from England to the American colonies in 1645, and died 1703, aged seventy-four years. He settled at Hartford, Connecticut, later at Northampton. He was deputy, 1679-89, and captain of militia. He married (first) November 18, 1656, Sarah, daughter of William Holton; she died May 8, 1683. Children:
- John, born July, 1657;
- William, March 28, 1660;
- Thomas, see forward;
- Samuel, January 6, 1665;
- Eleazer, March, 1667, died at the age of thirty-two years, unmarried;
- Joseph, died in infancy;
- Sarah, born May 3, 1671;
- Joseph (2), May 8, 1673;
- Benjamin, March 1, 1675;
- Thankful, September, 1679;
- David;
- Jonathan, born April 25, 1683.
He married (second) Sarah, widow of Jacob Mygatt, and daughter of William Whiting.
(II) Thomas, son of John and Sarah (Holton) King, was born July 14, 1662, died December 26, 1731. He was of Hatfield and Hartford. He married (first), November 17, 1683, Abigail, daughter of Jedediah Strong. He married (second), in 1690, Mary, daughter of Robert Webster. He married (third), ————. Children of first wife:
- Thomas, died young;
- Abigail, born 1687;
- Mary, 1691;
- Thomas;
- Robert.
He had children by his second wife.
(III) Timothy, son of Thomas and Mary (Webster) King, died 1812. He married and had issue.
(IV) George, son of Timothy King, was born in 1754, died November 31, 1831. He was from Windsor, Connecticut. In 1784 he was connected with the commissary department of the Connecticut revolutionary army, and after the war closed established a mercantile business in Sharon, Connecticut, in connection with Eli Mills. He was a successful merchant, and accumulated a large and valuable estate. He married and had issue.
(V) William H., son of George King, was born at Sharon, Connecticut, 1792, died August 31, 1864. He settled at Seneca Falls, New York, where he was a prosperous merchant. He was an old-time Whig, but later a Democrat. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and a man of high standing in his community. He married (first) a Miss Gay; children:
- Augusta Gay, married Josiah T. Miller, of Seneca Falls, New York, where she resides; had six children;
- William H., died in 1864, unmarried.
He married (second), May 21, 1832, Lucy Ann Camp, born at Sharon, Connecticut, in 1809, died 1869 (see Smith VIII). Children: George, Dwight and Robert.
(VI) Dwight, son of William H. and Lucy Ann (Camp) King, was born at Seneca Falls, Seneca county, New York, July 13, 1836. His early education was obtained in the public school and the academy. He entered Union College, graduating in 1855 from the engineering department. He decided upon the legal profession and entered Albany Law School; was graduated in 1861; was admitted to the bar, and began practice in Albany the same year as senior of the firm of King & Smith. After practicing for two years the firm dissolved, and he continued his legal business without a partner until 1868. In that year he was appointed correspondent for the New York legislature, and was connected in a like capacity with several New York papers, among them the Herald, Post, Sun and New York Express. In 1875 he was stricken with partial paralysis, and has since lived a retired life. He married, August 14, 1862, Helen Mary, daughter of James and Mary (Wells) Morrell, and granddaughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Van Deusen) Morrell. Dwight and Helen Mary (Morrell) King had one son, Barrington, born June 19, 1863, died February 22, 1908. He was educated in the Albany schools, leaving a few days prior to graduation. He embraced the profession of law and had the best of legal training under the personal instruction and influence of Henry Smith, Nathaniel C. Moak, the elder Bancroft and Charles J. Buchanan. He won and retained the respect of these eminent lawyers of the Albany bar and became their trusted managing clerk and assistant. He was admitted to the bar and left his preceptors to engage in private practice for himself. He had the reputation of being an accomplished practitioner and excellent office attorney. He had no taste for court work and devoted himself to the quiet work of the solicitor, conveyancer and business adviser. He was very expert in deed conveyancing, and was a safe counselor. He numbered among his clients men of the highest standing, and was a hard and faithful worker in behalf of all interests committed to his care. He was well known and universally liked. He was "Barry" to hundreds in all walks and occupations. Singularly unmercenary, he shrank from presenting a bill, and often returned from a collecting trip to smilingly acknowledge that his client had taken advantage of the visit to borrow money from him. He was genial, kindly, and in the highest sense, charitable. At the time of his death the Albany County bar gave expression to their deep sorrow at the sudden death and spoke of their high regard for his ability as a lawyer, his high sense of honor, his profundity of thought, his kindness and tenderness of heart and other ennobling traits of character.
Mrs. Helen Mary (Morrell) King is a great-granddaughter of Thomas Morrell, who was a merchant of Schenectady, New York. In 1794 he owned a lot on the north side of State street. He married Engeltje Van Deusen. Children:
- Thomas, baptized March 20, 1783;
- Abraham, graduated from Union College, died March, 1864;
- John, born January 24, 1788;
- Neeltje, December 8, 1789;
- Esther, August 23, 1795.
Thomas, son of Thomas Morrell, married Elizabeth Van Deusen. James, son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Van Deusen) Morrell, married Mary Wells. Helen Mary, daughter of James and Mary (Wells) Morrell, married Dwight King.
(The Smith Line)
Rev. Henry Smith, an ordained clergyman, came from Yorkshire, England, to the Massachusetts colony in 1636. He was the first minister of the church in Wethersfield, Connecticut. He died in 1648.
(II) Samuel, son of Rev. Henry Smith, was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, January 27, 1639. He married, in 1662, Mary Ensign.
(III) Ichabod, son of Samuel and Mary (Ensign) Smith, was born January 6, 1670.
(IV) Samuel, son of Ichabod Smith, was born November 5, 1700. He married, in 1725, Jerusha, daughter of Atherton Mather, who was a cousin of the noted minister, Rev. Cotton Mather. She was a great-granddaughter of Rev. Richard Mather, who fled from England for conscience sake, came to America where he was the first minister over the Dorchester church. Children: Cotton Mather, Simeon and Paul. The most noted of these sons was Cotton Mather Smith. He was graduated at Yale (1751), and was a distinguished scholar. He prepared for the ministry under the instruction of Rev. Mr. Woodbridge, of Hatfield, Massachusetts. Fifteen years after the settlement of Sharon, Connecticut, he became pastor of the church in that town. He was a most useful and popular minister. He had some knowledge of medicine and confined his ministrations to prayers and religious counsel. During an epidemic of smallpox, this godly man went about among his people for nineteen days and nights without removing his clothing or taking rest, save by short naps at long intervals. During the revolution he was heartily in sympathy with the colonies, announced victories from his pulpit, and finally entered the army as chaplain. He was settled over the Sharon church for fifty-one years. He preached his sixth semi-annual centennial sermon from the text, "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen thy salvation." He died November 27, 1806. It is said he preached four thousand public discourses, besides fifteen hundred at funerals and other special occasions. He married the second daughter of Rev. William Worthington, of Saybrook. Their only son to reach maturity was John Cotton Smith, a graduate of Yale, 1783, lawyer, member of the legislature, speaker of the house, congressman 1800-06, again legislator and speaker, member of the council, judge of the supreme court, lieutenant-governor, and in 1813 elected governor of Connecticut.
(V) Paul, youngest son of Samuel and Jerusha (Mather) Smith, was born September 15, 1736. He married, October 30, 1760, Jerusha, daughter of Ichabod Smith; children:
- Anna, see forward, and
- Paul, born October 28, 1763.
(VI) Anna, only daughter of Paul and Jerusha (Smith) Smith, was born April 1, 1762. She married, December 2, 1779, Samuel Canfield. Children:
- Anna Maria, born January 6, 1784;
- Cornelia, see forward;
- Samuel Jay, January 26, 1796.
(VII) Cornelia, daughter of Samuel and Anna (Smith) Canfield, was born July 21, 1787. She married Israel Camp.
(VIII) Lucy Ann, daughter of Israel and Cornelia (Canfield) Camp, married, May 21, 1832, William H. King.
(IX) Dwight, son of William H. and Lucy Ann (Camp) King, married, August 14, 1862, Helen Mary Morrell.
(X) Barrington, son of Dwight and Helen Mary (Morrell) King, was born June 19, 1863, died February 22, 1908.