Historical and Genealogical Research

The paternal grandfather of Martin Luther King Jr. was James King. According to the King Online Encyclopedia, his full name was James Albert King. A number of websites identify the father of James King as Nathan King – here, here, here, and here (PDF). Nathan was from Putnam county and was enumerated as Nathan “Brannum” on the 1870 census.

The link from James to Nathan is tenuous at best. Nathan had a son named James, about the right age to be MLK’s grandfather. Nathan also had a son Luther who was born in 1879. Both of these points of evidence are extremely circumstantial. To correct this deficiency, I set out to find direct evidence to link James and Nathan. I thought that, if Nathan really was the father of James, there should be no problems finding documentation.

My hope for a concise blog post was quickly dispelled. This was not going to be a simple process. What follows is my effort to document the ancestry of James King. I hope that others will join in and offer suggestions and research assistance. I will return to this subject regularly as more information is acquired.

And so it begins….

When beginning a genealogical inquiry, start with what you know. In this case, we learn from the King Encyclopedia that James died in 1933. That fact led to his death certificate (found using the Georgia Deaths index on Ancestry.com). It was originally filed at the Georgia Office of Vital Records but is now at the Georgia Archives.

Citation: James King, death certificate #1933-25861, Death Certificates, Vital Records, Public Health, RG 26-5-95, Georgia Archives. (Click image for full size.)

James died in College Park, Fulton County, on 17 November 1933 from bronchopneumonia. King’s parents are both listed as “Dont Know.” The informant was Rev. M. L. King of 502 Auburne Ave, NE. He is Martin Luther King, Sr., the son of James and the father of Martin Luther King, Jr. Having James’s parents listed on the death certificate would make this exercise much easier.

The King Encyclopedia entry also states that James married Delia Lindsey on 20 August 1895. That fact was confirmed by obtaining the couple’s marriage certificate.

Citation: Henry Co., Ga., Ordinary Court, Marriages (Colored), 1885-1916:115, King to Lindsey; Georgia Archives microfilm, drawer 8, box 38.

Between his marriage and death, James can be found on U.S. census enumerations in 1900, 1910, and 1920. Please help me find him in 1930.

The most interesting thing about the census records is what James offered as his origin. In 1900, he claims that he and his mother were born in Ohio. His father was supposedly born in Pennsylvania. See the census image on FamilySearch.

In 1910, James claims again that he and his mother were born in Ohio. His father’s birthplace is listed as Ireland. See the census image on Ancestry.com (subscription required).

In 1920, the birth location of James and both his parents is given as Georgia. See the census image on Ancestry.com.

What should we make of this? Was James really born in Ohio? We will hold off trying to answer that question. For now we will concentrate on learning about James in the areas of Henry and Clayton counties where he lived.

Tax Digests

One of the most useful records for researching African Americans living in Georgia is the tax digest. Because taxes were paid yearly, it is possible to track a person’s movements between census enumerations. However, because they are not indexed and most are not microfilmed, it is a time-consuming process to work through them.

I started with Ellenwood District of Clayton County in 1900, because that was where he was enumerated. Sure enough, James was there, paying his poll tax along with taxes on $10 in furniture and $10 in other property. (Citation: Clayton Co., Ga., Tax Digest, 1900, Returns of Colored Tax Payers, Ellenwood District, GMD 1406, entry for James King; County Property Tax Digests, RG 36-4-1, Georgia Archives.).

Because James married in Henry County in 1895, I jumped back to the 1895 and 1896 tax digests for both Henry and Clayton counties, assuming I would find him there. I did not. No man named James or Jim King was listed in the Returns of Colored Tax Payers in either county in either year.

The only “King” men I found were two people, both named Henry. One was taxed in Locust Grove District (GMD 576) of Henry County. The other was taxed in Jonesboro District (GMD 1088) of Clayton County. The Henry in Locust Grove can be found on the 1900 census with his wife Ada. The Henry in Jonesboro District can be found on the same census with his wife Leola.

(A note for future reference: Henry King of Jonesboro District lived in closer proximity to James King than Henry King of Locust Grove.)

To help everyone understand the geographic layout of militia districts in Clayton and Henry counties, I have created this map showing the areas James was enumerated in 1900, 1910, and 1920.

This concludes the first stage of research. The next steps need to be in two directions. I will continue looking for James King in tax digests. He should first appear around 1885, meaning there will be ten years of digest entries prior to his marriage. The other step is to gather a list of boys from the 1870 and 1880 censuses named James or Jim King who could be the same person.