Posted by Linda Ciesielski on 2013/6/5 21:02:23

William & Mary Hamilton King. Who is Mary Hamilton married to William King, fleeing from Kentucky with Nancy Jane King (granddaughter) & husband Willaim King? Is Mary Hamilton King the same as Sarah “Sally” Lester? I am so confused.
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I copied & pasted this:

Sarah " Sally" Lester, who was born ca 1779 in Fincastle, Montgomery County, Virginia, was married 1819 to William King of Pike County, Kentucky.

James Dell King, son of William and Sarah was born February 4, 1813 and killed about 1834 for fathering a female child by a young Cherokee by the name of Sarah Hamilton. The child was named Nancy and adopted by William King who brought the child to "Three Forks Sandy," Newton, West Virginia.

Nancy Hamilton King was reared by grandparents as their own child. She came to West Virginia in 1834. In 1849, Nancy married James Keen at Newton, West Virginia.
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I am the great granddaughter of Dora Ellen Tawney Wilson, she was the daughter of John Hamilton Tawney & Elizabeth Jane Keen. Well, another question, the """ Hamilton """ Name; who, where, when, & how?

Thank you,

Linda

Posted by LindaCottrellLiss on 2013/6/12 14:12:39

Nancy Jane [King] Keen 1834-1919, wife of James Madison Keen, was my gt.gt grandmother on my mother's side of the family.
One similar story was told by Philip Jasper Keen [1862-1946] son of the above James & Nancy Jane. Philip liked to travel, had a wanderlust which once took him back to his roots in Kentucky where his mother was born. Upon asking kin in the area, he was told that "Nancy Jane King was not the daughter of William and Mary [Hamilton] King, but was actually their granddaughter." Supposedly Nancy Jane's father was a son of William and Mary [Hamilton] King and a Cherokee Indian maiden. (One must remember that this was about the time-frame that the Federal Government was forcing all Cherokee and other Native Americans to move West). So, it is understandable that the Indian maiden may have feared for her child's life and left the baby in the grandparents care. For safety they fled to the hills of present-day "Forks of Sandy" where they made their home. I don't know how true this tale is, but makes for interesting reading.
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Keen Family Reunion: Sat., July 27, 2013
For descendants of James Madison & Nancy Jane King Keen
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Heritage Park Community Building
Spencer, WV Covered-dish lunch at abt. 12:30
Bring food to share, pictures & other family memorabilia.

Posted by Linda Ciesielski on 2013/6/18 4:14:57

I feel that the Cherokee maiden, Sarah Hamilton, did fear for her child's safety. Many Cherokees did die on "The Trail of Tears" and this being one of the reasons she entrusted her baby to the grandparents. I have difficulty believing that the father, James Dell King, being murdered for fathering a baby girl. Cherokee women were equal to the men and considered the most important relatives to the men. James Dell was killed for reasons we will probably never know. William King, Mary Hamilton King (his wife) with their baby granddaughter fled to present day "Forks of Sandy" for the child's safety.

It has been recorded that William King married Sarah Sally Lester in 1819, but he came to "Forks of Sandy" with his wife Mary Hamilton King. Is Mary Hamilton King his second wife or is she Sarah Sallie Lester with a name change? It is not unusual for the husband to change his wife's name. For example: My grandmother's name was Buena Ogden, but my grandfather called her "Susie". My other grandmother was Lottie Hickel, but Grandpa called her "Maggie".

Sarah Sallie Lester and William King are said to be the parents of James Dell King. James Dell King and Sarah Hamilton are the parents of the baby girl, Nancy Jane King.

I find it interesting that Sarah (the Indian maiden) and Mary King have the "Hamilton" name in common. I have also read two different birth dates for Sarah Sallie Lester (1779 & 1799). Confusion exits since we are all named after someone. Same names generation after generation after generations (a honor that is confusing).