Martin Bemis

Birth: 2 Dec 1804, Spencer, Worcester Co, MA

• Spencer Vital Records to 1850
• Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841 to 1910, Spencer Death Record, Vol 33, Pg 211 (From original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014.); Martin Bemis died 7 Aug 1847, aged 42y 8m 5d.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22952586/martin-bemis: accessed April 19, 2024), gravestone photo for Martin Bemis (d. 7 Aug 1847, aged 43), Find a Grave Memorial ID 22952586, Old Spencer Cemetery, Spencer, Worcester Co, MA, maintained by Star Rhodes (contributor 46878998).

Death: 7 Aug 1847, Spencer, Worcester Co, MA

• Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841 to 1910, Spencer Death Record, Vol 33, Pg 211 (From original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014.)
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22952586/martin-bemis: accessed April 19, 2024), gravestone photo for Martin Bemis (d. 7 Aug 1847, aged 43), Find a Grave Memorial ID 22952586, Old Spencer Cemetery, Spencer, Worcester Co, MA, maintained by Star Rhodes (contributor 46878998).

Burial: Old Spencer Cemetery, Spencer, Worcester Co, MA

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22952586/martin-bemis: accessed April 19, 2024), gravestone photo for Martin Bemis (d. 7 Aug 1847, aged 43), Find a Grave Memorial ID 22952586, Old Spencer Cemetery, Spencer, Worcester Co, MA, maintained by Star Rhodes (contributor 46878998).

Father: Joshua Bemis
Mother: Phebe Bemis

Spouse: Pamelia D. King
Intention: 26 Jan 1834, Oxford, Worcester Co, MA

• Oxford Vital Records to 1850; Martin Bemis of Spencer, and Pamelia D. King.

Marriage: 26 Feb 1834, Spencer, Worcester Co, MA

• Spencer Vital Records to 1850

Spouse: Lucy Garfield
Marriage: 3 Nov 1842, Spencer, Worcester Co, MA

• Spencer Vital Records to 1850

Eli Bowker

Birth: 11 Nov 1786, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA

• Hopkinton Vital Records to 1850

Father: John Bowker
Mother: Esther Wedge

Ethan Bowker

Birth: 6 Dec 1789, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA

• Hopkinton Vital Records to 1850

Father: John Bowker
Mother: Esther Wedge

John Bowker

Death: 20 Dec 1843, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA

• Hopkinton Vital Records to 1850

Spouse: Esther Wedge
Intention: Feb 1782, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA

• Hopkinton Vital Records to 1850

1. Melitia Bowker, born 31 Mar 1782, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
2. Ralph Bowker, born 8 Apr 1784, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
3. Eli Bowker, born 11 Nov 1786, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
4. Ethan Bowker, born 6 Dec 1789, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
5. James Bowker, born about 1792, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
6. Charlotte Bowker, born calculated 2 Oct 1794, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
7. Nahum Bowker, born about 1797, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA

Notes:

Age 82 at death, implying a birth date circa 1761.

His Middlesex County will (Worcester probate case 27764), written 28 Oct 1833, mentions wife Esther, sons Nahum Bowker, James Bowker, Eli Bowker, grandsons Elli and Adams Bowker, daughters Milli Underwood, wife of Daniel Underwood, Charlotte Wheelock, wife of Ephraim Wheelock, Charlotte Bowker and Sally Bowker, daughters of Nahum Bowker, son Ralph Bowker, and (relation not specified, but probably son) Ethan Bowker deceased.

Nahum Bowker of Hopkinton, yeoman, James Bowker, and William Wheelock posted bond as surety on 20 Feb 1844. Moses Phipps, Robert Wood, and Uriah Bowker were the appraisers.

Melitia Bowker

Birth: 31 Mar 1782, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA

• Hopkinton Vital Records to 1850

Father: John Bowker
Mother: Esther Wedge

Joseph Brown

Death: 4 Mar 1849, Oxford, Worcester Co, MA

• Oxford Vital Records to 1850; Joseph Brown died 4 Mar 1849, age 86.

Spouse: Jemima Learned
Marriage: 25 Oct 1787, Dudley, Worcester Co, MA

• Oxford Vital Records to 1850

1. Miriam Brown, born 23 Nov 1792

Spouse: Anna Davis
Marriage: 19 Mar 1797, Oxford, Worcester Co, MA

• Oxford Vital Records to 1850

Anna Davis

Spouse: Joseph Brown
Marriage: 19 Mar 1797, Oxford, Worcester Co, MA

• Oxford Vital Records to 1850

Amasa W. King

Birth: about 1816, MA

• Worcester County, MA, probate case file 35333, 2 Oct 1827 guardianship for Amasa W. King (et al), under 14, son of Henry King of Leicester, deceased; Worcester County Probate and Family Court, Worcester, MA; database with images "Worcester County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1731-1881," AmericanAncestors.org (https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/worcester-county-ma-probate-file-papers-1731-1881 : accessed 1 June 2020).
• 1850 U.S. census, Berrien County, Michigan, household of Amasa W. and Jane King.

Father: Henry King
Mother: Abigail Wheelock

Spouse: Jane E. Merritt
Marriage: 15 Apr 1838, Bertrand, Niles Township, Berrien Co, MI

• "Married," Niles Intelligencer (Niles, Michigan), 25 Apr 1838, p. 3, col. 1; Newspapers.com, accessed 20 April 2024.

Notes:

Amasa W. King is identified as a child of Henry King, Jr, under 14 years of age, in a guardianship dated 2 Oct 1827, placing his birth sometime after 2 Oct 1813. He was placed under the care of Abigail King [his mother].¹

On 15 Apr 1838, in Bertrand, Michigan, Mr. Amasa W. King married Jane E. Merritt, both of Bertrand.²

In 1840 an Amasa King, age 20 to 30, was living in Bertrand, Niles Township, Berrien County, Michigan, with a female age 20 to 30, a male 15 to 20, and a female under 5.

In 1850, Amasa W. King, laborer, age 34, born about 1816 in Massachussets, was living in Berrien County, Michigan, with Jane King, 39, born New York, and children Henry, 9, William, 6, Helen, 4, and Josephine, 3, all born in Michigan. Also in the household was Dwight Merrit, 29, shoe maker, born Ohio, and John Fellows, 35, laborer, born Ohio.

A deed dated 13 Apr 1852 shows Amasa W. King and his wife Jane both of Niles, Berrien County, Michigan sold land to William McCurter. The deed also mentions a mortgage Amasa had with William H. King of Cincinnati, Ohio [his brother].³

In 1855, Amasa King, age 39, born Massachusetts, physician, was a boarder in New York City, ward 8. He was married, though his wife was not living with him.

In 1860, A. W. King, upholsterer, was 45, born Massachusetts, living in New York city, with Jane, 48, born New York, Henry L., 19, Hellen, 15, Josephine, 13, and Charles, 10, all born in Michigan.

Amasa W. King is listed in the 1860 New York City Free Academy catalog, physician, living on 225 West 35th Street.⁴

He does not appear with the family in 1870, but Jane King, 60, born New York, was living in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, in the household of Henry King, 28, paper hanger, Josephine King, 23, Charles King 19, blacksmith, and Helen King 25, school teacher, all except Jane born in Michigan.

Amasa probably died between 1860 and 1870, in New York or New Jersey.

Sources:

1. Worcester County probate records, case 35333, guardianship Pamela D. King et al (1827); FHL DGS 100787728, image 574-76 of 1111.
2. "Married," Niles Intelligencer (Niles, Michigan), 25 Apr 1838, p. 3, col. 1; Newspapers.com, accessed 20 April 2024.
3. Berrien County, Michigan, deeds, U:637; FHL 1029450, image 512 of 785.
4. "U.S., School Catalogs, 1765-1935," database with image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2318781:2203 : accessed 20 April 2024), Amasa W. King (1860).

William H. King

Birth: 25 Aug 1818, probably Leicester, Worcester Co, MA

• "Was Pioneer Shoemaker, William King, First Western Manufacturer of Footwear, Passes Away," The Commercial Tribune (Cincinatti, Ohio), 24 Mar 1905, p. 2, col. 2; NewspaperArchive.com, accessed 21 April 2024.
• 1900 U.S. census, Norwood, Hamilton County, Ohio, household of Wm. H. King.
• Worcester County, MA, probate case file 35333, 2 Oct 1827 guardianship for William H. King (et al), under 14, son of Henry King of Leicester, deceased; Worcester County Probate and Family Court, Worcester, MA; database with images "Worcester County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1731-1881," AmericanAncestors.org (https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/worcester-county-ma-probate-file-papers-1731-1881 : accessed 1 June 2020).

Death: 22 Mar 1905, Norwood, Hamilton Co, OH

• "Was Pioneer Shoemaker, William King, First Western Manufacturer of Footwear, Passes Away," The Commercial Tribune (Cincinatti, Ohio), 24 Mar 1905, p. 2, col. 2; NewspaperArchive.com, accessed 21 April 2024.

Burial: Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Hamilton Co, OH

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78972668/william_h-king: accessed April 22, 2024), gravestone photo for William H King (1818–1905), Find a Grave Memorial ID 78972668, Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Hamilton Co, OH, maintained by Tom Perdiew (contributor 47158054).

Father: Henry King
Mother: Abigail Wheelock

Spouse: Harriett Day
Marriage: about 1843

Spouse: Sarah Higbee
Marriage: 22 Nov 1849, Hamilton Co, OH

• "Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/319252:61378 : accessed 21 Apr 2024), William H. King and Sarah H. Higbee (1849).

Notes:

His father died in Leicester, Worcester County, Massachusetts, when he was not quite 10 years old. Per probate documents, dated 2 Oct 1827, William H. King was the son of Henry King, Jr., of Leciester, not yet 14. He, along with his siblings, Pamelia D. and Amasa W., were placed under the care of [their mother] Abigail King.¹

He married his first wife, Harriett Day, sometime before 20 Feb 1845, when their first child, Evelyn, was born in Cincinatti.² Either his first wife died, or the marriage didn't last, and shortly thereafter he married Sarah Higbee.

William H. King of Cincinnati, Ohio, held a mortgage on property owned by Amasa W. King of Miles, Berrien County, Michigan, per Berrien County deed dated 13 Apr 1852.³

He is enumerated in the 1860,1870, and 1880 census living in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife, Sarah, and (at various times) children Evelyn, Dexter S., and Adaline, all but William born in Ohio.

William Henry King of Cincinnati, Ohio, made his will 21 Feb 1900, leaving bequests to his son Dexter S. King, whom he nominated executor, daughters Adaline King, and Evelyne Elizabeth Beach.⁴

In 1900 he was living in Norwood, Ohio (suburb of Cincinnati), with his daughter Adaline King. He was widowed at the time.

He died 22 Mar 1905 in Norwood. Per obit, he was a pioneer shoemaker, born August 25th, 1818 near Haverhill, Massachusetts.⁵ He learned the shoe trade in Massachusetts, then came to Cincinatti in 1847, when he started a shoe factory there.⁶ At the beginning of the Civil War, he sold his interests in shoe manufacturing, and accepted the position of boot and shoe inspector for the United States Army. After the war, he lived in retirement. The obit states his marriage to Sarah Higbee was his second.⁷

Sources:

1. Worcester County probate records, case 35333, guardianship Pamela D. King et al (1827); FHL DGS 100787728, image 574-76 of 1111.
2. "Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1967", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NSWQ-QV2 : accessed 21 April 2024), Evelyn Beach death (1935); FHL 1913136.
3. Berrien County, Michigan, deeds, U:637; FHL 1029450, image 512 of 785.
4. Hamilton County, Ohio, Wills, William Henry King, 94:374; FHL 2195926, image 34 of 797.
5. He was more likely born in Leicester, Massachusetts, where he parents lived at the time.
6. According to her death records, his daughter was born in Cincinnati in 1845, so he must have been there before 1847.
7. "Was Pioneer Shoemaker, William King, First Western Manufacturer of Footwear, Passes Away," The Commercial Tribune (Cincinatti, Ohio), 24 Mar 1905, p. 2, col. 2; NewspaperArchive.com, accessed 21 April 2024.

Jemima Learned

Death: 3 Jun 1796, Oxford, Worcester Co, MA

• Oxford Vital Records to 1850

Spouse: Joseph Brown
Marriage: 25 Oct 1787, Dudley, Worcester Co, MA

• Oxford Vital Records to 1850

1. Miriam Brown, born 23 Nov 1792

Esther Wedge

Death: 5 Oct 1842, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA

• Hopkinton Vital Records to 1850

Spouse: John Bowker
Intention: Feb 1782, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA

• Hopkinton Vital Records to 1850

1. Melitia Bowker, born 31 Mar 1782, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
2. Ralph Bowker, born 8 Apr 1784, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
3. Eli Bowker, born 11 Nov 1786, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
4. Ethan Bowker, born 6 Dec 1789, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
5. James Bowker, born about 1792, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
6. Charlotte Bowker, born calculated 2 Oct 1794, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA
7. Nahum Bowker, born about 1797, Hopkinton, Middlesex Co, MA

Notes:

Marriage record to John Bowker refers to her as "of Milford." She died at age 81.