Person:Frank King (5)

parents born in OH FRANK P. KING is the sole proprietor of an extensive livery establishment in Prairie Depot, and one of the leading men in his line in Wood CO. Thorough and systematic in the management of his interests, he has made his way to success, and he early won recognition of his ability in business.

Samuel King, his grandfather, was born early in this century in New York State, of Yankee parentage, and, when a young man, became a pioneer farmer of Sandusky CO, OH. He was married there, in 1828, to Miss Mahala Imes, by whom he had seven children : William, our subject's father; Sarah, who married Addison Lansdale, and died in Prairie Depot, in December, 1895; Jasper, a resident of Chicago, Ill.; Hugh, who died in infancy; Mary, Mrs. Samuel Whitmore, of Constantine, Mich. ; Harriet, Mrs. Daniel Garn, of Three Rivers, Mich. ; and Jackson (deceased), formerly a resident of Jackson township, Sandusky CO. The mother of this family died in 1845, and Samuel King was married, the second time, in Woodville township, Sandusky CO, to Mrs. Mary Bixler, nee Moore, the widow of Adam Bixler. She had two children by her first marriage: Minerva, now Mrs. Howard Carmon, of Prairie Depot, and Cary, of Three Rivers, Mich. Eight children were born to the second union: John S., who lives in San Jose, Cal. ; James P., in Gratiot CO, Mich. ; Laura P., who died in infancy; Charles C., who is prominent in Isabella and Midland counties, Mich., has been sheriff of his CO, and is an active worker in the Republican party; Edward H., an artist, in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Ella R., who married Charles Saunders, a minister of the Adventist Church, at Battle Creek, Mich. (she teaches in the college of that denomination); and Franklin and Emma, who died in infancy. Samuel King was a fine specimen of physical manhood, over six feet in height, and weighing at one time 240 pounds. He was a capable business man, industrious and systematic, and was a leader among the early settlers in his vicinity. Previous to the war he was a Democrat, but he loved the Union, and became a strong Republican. Starting in the woods as a poor boy, he was obliged to make the best of the inconveniences of primitive life for himself, and he often used strips of hickory bark for traces on his harness, burying them while he went to dinner in order to keep them moist. He succeeded in life, and was worth $20, 000 at the time of his death, which occurred in April, 1865, at the age of sixty, after a lingering illness of two years which puzzled the medical fraternity and baffled their skill. ' He was laid to rest in the cemetery at Clyde, OH. After living at the old home three years, his widow removed to Clyde, but in 1895 she went to Battle Creek to reside with her daughter.

William King was born in Jackson township, Sandusky CO, in 1829, and was reared as a farmer boy. He attended the schools of the neighborhood at times, but, being the eldest son, he was put in the harness at an early age, his father finding a plentiful supply of work for him, and he developed into a stout, robust young man, of practical ideas. He adhered to the principles of the Old-line Democratic party. In 1851 he

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was married, in Sandusky CO, to Miss Susan Lesher, a native of the same locality, who was born February 27, 1830, the daughter of Daniel and Fanny (Cain) Lesher. They settled upon an estate near the old home, the " Brindel Farm," which Mr. King agreed to purchase from the heirs, but an attack of typhoid fever caused his death in December, 1854, after a brief illness, cutting short a career which had promised to be unusually successful. His remains were interred at Clyde, and his widow returned to her own relatives, who had removed in the meantime to Prairie Depot. There she lived until her marriage to John M. Adams, of Montgomery township. Of the two sons born to her first marriage, our subject is the eldest, and the other, William, born in October, 1854, is now a liveryman in Pemberville, OH.

Frank P. King was born January 27, 1853. He lived with his grandfather, Daniel Lesher, until the age of seventeen, when he began to work on his own account at such labor as his youth would permit. He showed great aptitude in the management of horses, and finally secured employment in the livery barn of an uncle, James Lesher, at Toledo, receiving a good salary. On October 10, 1874, he married Miss Lucy Sage, daughter of Edward R. Sage, a well-known resident of Montgomery township, and four children were born of this union: Eddie, who died at the age of four years; Bert H., Charles and Carrie S. For one year after his marriage, Mr. King remained at the home of his father-in-law, and then bought a home in Prairie Depot, to which he removed. For five years he followed teaming, at the end of that time renting a farm near Prairie Depot belonging to E. R. Sage. After a short residence there he purchased a one-half interest in a livery stock with J. O. Hess, and embarked in the enterprise which he now conducts with such gratifying results. Mr. Hess- sold his interest three years later to A. Lesher, who, in 189o, sold out to Mr. King, leaving him the sole owner. The business has shown constant increase from the time Mr. King became interested in it, and in 1895 he bought the property, which is near the business center of the village, and measures 8x 16 rods. His barn is large and well arranged, and he keeps an average of fourteen head of horses.

Mr. King is regarded as one of the substantial citizens of his locality, and while he is no officeseeker, he has served as constable of Montgomery township, supervisor in the corporation of Prairie Depot, and for two years as 'a member of the village council. On State and National questions he is an unwavering Republican, but in local politics he at times supports a good man of another party. Socially he belongs to the I. O. O. F,, and he is a charter member of Petroleum Lodge No. 499, at Prairie Depot.