On his death certificate, Otho’s place of birth is given as Brownsville, Tennessee. It is likely that Otho always thought he was born there, since his mother took him there when he was about two years old.

1880 Census of District 8, Haywood, TN

King, Mary J., w, f, 55, Farming, MS, NC, NC
King, Otho, w, m, 18, son, MS, Tenn, MS
Dawson, Florence, w, f, 25, daughter, MS, Tenn, MS
Dawson, Eliza, w, f, 7, gr daughter, Tenn, Tenn, Tenn
Dawson, John, w,m. 6, gr son, Tenn, Tenn, Tenn

1900 Census of Wilson Co TX

Name Age
Otha King 38 head, married 1884, MS TN TX
Adelia R King 33 wife, married 1884, TX IN TN
Leslie L King 15 (male), divorced, TX MS TX
Dora B King 12
Cora King 10
Bascom M King 8
Mary C King 2

1910 Census of Wilson Co TX

Name Age
Oiho King 48
Adelia R King 43
Leslie E King 25
Cara King 20
Bascom M King 18
Mary C King 12
Thelma King 9

1920 Census of Wilsn Co TX

Name Age
Oto King 59
Adelia R King 54
Cara King 30
Velma King 18

1930 Census Pct 4, Wilson Co TX

Name Age
Otho King 68
Adlia King 64
Cora King 40
Thelma King 29

Events in Papa King's Life as told by daughter Dora276

These events were originally recorded by Velma Bruns, granddaughter of Otho King and daughter of Dora King Hastings in July/August 1976.

As mother told me these things, I wrote them down-some sentences are incomplete.

Papa King was born in Mississippi.  In 1877, when Papa was 16 years old, he came from Ripley, Tenn. with his  mother Mary Jane King and his widowed sister, Florence King Dawson, and her two children, Elias and Eva.  They came by train, and probably brought the wagon and team by train also. [Note by Clayton Heathcock, 27 March 2010: This must be wrong as Mary Jane and Otho were still living in Haywood Co TN at the time of the 1880 census.]

They stopped at Prairie Lea, near Luling, where he, Otho, made a crop.  He went into Walker's Mercantile and asked for credit to make the crop.  Even though he was so young, they gave him credit, and when he made his crop, he went in and paid his debts.

They moved to Wilson County.  Pleasant Howe Hobbs (Mama King's father) married Florence Dawson, and they had 2 children, one died at birth-buried by Grandpa and Aunt Florence.  Another child, Molly Hobbs, married a Heathcock-buried at Stockdale cemetery. (Florence Dawson's first husband had gotten drunk, laid in the snow and died.  This before she came to Texas.)

Elias Dawson married Nora Alston. (Nora's mother later married a Hobbs.)  They (Elias and Nora) had 4 children, Eloise, Guy, Ola Mae, and Preston (called Buck-Died in Sept or Oct of 1976)  Mother told me when we were there on Oct 17, that he had died and that Eloise and Ola Mae are the only of their children left.

Eva Dawson married Joe Aiken, father of Alton and Lester Aiken of Stockdale.  (Note by Cathy Williams:  Alton and Lester ran a service station in Stockdale when I was a child, and we would always stop to visit when we went through there.  I knew they were some kind of kin.)

Papa King had sisters and brothers in Stockdale area when he came to Texas-Aunt Frone and Uncle Will.

Mama King (Adelia Hobbs) married when she was 15 years old-one month before her 16th birthday.  Her father had one of two buggies in that area.  He took her to San Antonio to buy material for her wedding dress.  Mother doesn't know who made the dress, but she remembers that it was pretty-a beige basque waist with a skirt that had ruffles, and lots of buttons.  She remembers that Mama King burned the dress one day-(maybe mad at Papa King.)

When they first married they lived near Stockdale.  When Grandpa Hobbs gave them 300 acres, they moved to where the present house is, about a mile from where she was born.  Lived there all their lives.

After Grandpa Hobbs died, property was sold to Peter Rose, where Wileys now live, and they bought the 300 acres from Thomas Leach in 1903-the property that Mother now owns.  Year of a poor cotton crop because of too much rain and boll weevils.  Paid $3 per acre.  Later bought the 86 acres where Mother's house is for $7.50 an acre.  Traded in an old house on one of the land deals.

When property at Sutherland Springs was sold to Felix Flowers after Grandpa Hobbs' death, Mama King got the money, kept it in her separate account at Stockdale Bank.  It went broke during the depression and she lost her money.  Mother thinks she may have gotten a few hundred dollars back when the bank reopened. 

When Mother was 6, they added on to the house.  A Mr. Ed Farver helped do the work.  Papa King gave him a horse and some cash for doing the work.

Mama King's mother died when she was 12-Uncle Arch was about 6.

Uncle Ned and Aunt Etta married the same day as Mama K and Papa K-not a double ceremony.

Uncle Ollie Hobbs-her grandfather's brother-made the Hobbs Chairs that Mama King and Papa King used many years.  (Cathy's note: I think these were the chairs with the cowhide seats that I remember.)