Samuel King settled in Sargeant Township in 1869 in section 13. There were 30 acres broken and a log house and a granary on the place, which constituted the improvements.

He improved 200 acres of the land and weather boarded and painted the house, built a good granary and lived there until 1875 when he purchased a half section in 23 and 26 and moved there, here he has since resided. He has built a frame house on a knoll, on the edge of a natural grove. He was engaged in raising wheat until the failure of the crop and has since turned his attention to raising stock and dairying.

He was born in the town of Burwas, Sussex County, England, November 11, 1822, and there grew to manhood. In 1840 he left his native land and came to America. He first located in Buffalo, New York where he found work in a brickyard. After a few years he purchased land and engaged in the manufactory of brick. In 1855 he bought a farm in the town of Evans, Erie County, New York. In 1858 he traded the farm for 320acres of land in the town of High Forest, Olmsted County, Minnesota. In the fall of 1858 he started for the west with his wife and seven children. With a pair of horses and a wagon he drove to Buffalo and there took passage on a steamer for Chicago, and then his team started overland and after a journey of 32 days arrived at his destination.

His neighbors assisted him to build a small log house, into which the family moved before there was any floor. He made a table of a dry goods box and some stools to use in place of chairs. The bedsteads he made of poles. He raised his first crop of wheat in 1859 when he sowed three bushels and harvested six and drove five miles to have it threshed. In 1860 he had a good crop which he marketed at Winona, a distance of 35 miles, and sold it from 40 to 60 cents a bushel.

In 1860 he built a good stone house, drawing the lumber from Winona to finish it with.

In 1869 he traded his farm for land in Mower County and moved there in 1869.

He was married in 1847 to Caroline H. Miller. She was born in Germany, March 20th, 1825 and came to America with her parents when twelve years of age.

They have seven children; Lewis F., Catherine L., Charles E., Samuel H., Jessie A., George W., and Benjamin F.

History of Mower County, 1884

Transcribed and submitted to MnGenWeb by Kathy Pike, January 10, 2007