Richard Louis King (1824 - 1885)

Born 10 Jul 1824 in New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Henrietta Maria Morse (Chamberlain) King — married 10 Dec 1854 in Brownsville, Cameron Co., Texas

Descendants

Died 14 Apr 1885 at age 60 in San Antonio Bexar, Texas, USA

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Biography

ENTREPRENEUR, INVESTOR, KING RANCH OWNER

Capt. Richard King served with the Gen. Zachary Taylor, United States of America during the Mexican-American War
Service Started: 1845
Unit(s): Steam Ship Pilot
Service Ended: 1848

Capt. Richard King served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: 1861
Mustered out: 1865
Side: CSA
Regiment(s): Texas Blockade Runner

Richard King, was born July 10, 1824 in Orange County, New York^[1] He was apprenticed to a New York City jeweler about the age of nine. ^[2][3]

Steam boat and Mexican American War

Richard stowed away on a steamboat bound for Mobile, Alabama. When the captain found Richard hiding away, the understanding man taught Richard piloting of steamboats. Richard then piloted steam boats on the Alabama rivers 1835-1841. In 1845 he and Miflin Kenedy joined the Mexican-American War service as pilots of steam ships (he was commanding the Colonel Cross). His first fortune was made by running American soldiers and supplies up and down the Rio Grande River during the Mexican War for General Zachary Taylor. After the Mexican-American War, King stayed in South Texas, they bought a total of 26 surplus Army steamboats.

Steam boat

Following the War, Richard was even able to buy his old steam boat "Colonel Cross" for $750, ^[4]Don Graham says King and Kenedy dominated the Rio Grande river trade: firms: Kenedy and Company (1850-66) and King, Kenedy and Company (1866-74). ^[5]

King with his business partner Gideon “Legs” Lewis purchased the 15,500-acre Mexican land grant then known as the Rincon de Santa Gertrudis. This was the first part of the King Ranch as related in Kings of Texas,^[6] the first foothold of what would become the legendary King Ranch of Texas.^[7] https://www.historynet.com/king-ranch-texas-dynasty.htm South Texas Land and Cattle

Richard could see opportunities for investment in Land and Cattle in South Texas. ^[8]The steamboat business capital fueled his expansion in land and livestock. One of first was the Nueces Strip in 1853, when he purchased the 15,500-acre Rincón de Santa Gertrudis grant from Mendiola heirs for $300 with partner Gideon Legs Lewis. He sold half interest to Lewis who later sold half interest in land that he owned to Richard. ^[5] One day he stopped by a creek for rest and water. He looked at the waving grasses and herds of mustangs which gave the area its name, "Wild Horse Desert". He said to himself, " this is perfect" and proceeded to buy up as much acreage as he could. ^[5]In 1854 King and Lewis bought the 53,000-acre Santa Gertrudis de la Garza grant,^[9] for $1,800 from Uribe, ^[3], who held title under a 1808 grant from crown of Spain. Thus Capt. Richard King's first claim of ownership for his rancho, Rincon de Santa Gertrudis, located on the old Spanish land grant, in the center of the King ranch became the envy of South Texas and the world. This was on wild, untenanted and vacant land. ^[4]The nucleus of King Ranch formed around 2 irregularly shaped pieces of wilderness of 614,000-Acre (abt 60 major land purchases) King Ranch (today ~1,000,000-Acres).

South Texas Ranching.

After Legs Lewis' company of Texas rangers were disbanded in 1853, King and Lewis hired friend James J Richardson of the Mexican War as ranch manager to defend their holdings from Indians, cattle thieves. ^{[8] [4]}Lewis was killed by an irate husband. ^[10][11] Gideon Lewis, Texas Handbook.

Another partner, Chapman bought half interest in Santa Gertrudis, was then transferred. Whether Chapman received compensation for the interest from King resulted in a lawsuit and more books of speculation. With partners, Walworth and Kenedy, King next worked on the livestock. Before and during the Civil war, there were no fences around the ranch to keep the cattle on his ranch. ^[5]

He employed James J Richardson, gr grandfather of Mary Richardson, who managed the Ranch and round-up the cattle. James J Richardson paid the land taxes for Richard King to Nueces County, Texas. (Copies may be seen at Corpus Christi, Texas Library digital archives in the Blucher papers collection). ^[12] show one of the land purchases he made: Patentee: Richard King, Patent Date: 1 Jul 1873; 382 Acres, (San Patricio dist, Kleberg, co, File: 144, Patent #: 216, vol 20; Class: San Pat. Scrip.) James J Richardson also worked during the Civil war to guard the ranch.

Marriage and Ranch

Richard married Henrietta Maria Morse Chamberlain in Dec 1854.^[13] Henrietta was in Brownsville teaching at the Rio Grande Female Institute and living with her father, Hiram Chamberlain. ^[11]

Children by Henrietta M Chamberlain were five

Henrietta Maria King Atwood 1856–1918
^[14]

Ella Morse King Welton 1858–1900
^[14]

Richard King 1860–1922
^[14]

Alice Gertrudis King Kleberg 1862–1944
^[14]

Robert E. Lee King 1864–1883
^[14]

King concentrated on developing the ranching/cattle business. Their first house was called a "jackal". They had 5 children and his heirs eventually expanded the King Ranch to some 1,000,000 acres. Santa Gertrudis, Texas Census of 1850-1880 listed Richard King simply as "stock and sheep raiser" in the 1850-1880 Texas census ^[15] He moved off the Rio Grande to concentrate on ranching/cattle business at the Nueces rancho. From the beginning his rancho was built on the hacienda system.

King Ranch, courtesy King ranch

His employees were "King's Men" or "kinenos", [1]. One of the employees listed as stockman and manager of this famous King Ranch was James J Richardson from Georgia, USA. the great grandfather of Richardson-7161 21:18, 22 September 2020 (UTC)

Civil War: Blockade Runner

Steamboat.

Richard King had contracts with the Confederacy to supply the European buyers with cotton from Texas.^[1] He put Mexican flags on his river boats, re-listed the steamboats under Mexico and flew a flag indicating the ships were Mexican and ran the cotton past the Union naval blockades to deep water ships anchored offshore of Matamoros on the Mexican side of Rio Grande River: Blockade running.

In return they supplied beef, munitions, medical supplies to the Confederates. Union blockaders could not stop ships with the Mexican flag (neutral). Former employee James J Richardson of the Mexican War and later Civil war with his skill of fighting helped in the defense of the ranch, since there were no fences.

Union forces were not blind to King's activities: in Dec, 1863 they raided King's ranch in 1863, destroyed a lot of it and the cotton, murdered his faithful "Kineno" (vaqueros from Cruillas, Tamaulipas Mexico)^[16] King heard about the town of Cruillas, Tamaulipas who had suffered from drought. He bought their cattle and halfway between his ranch and Mexico he realized he created another problem by buying the town's future ability to sustain itself so he went back to Cruillas and offered employment to the vaqueros and their families who were then called kinenos King's Men^[16] , and scared his pregnant wife. King was away from rancho with James J Richardson inspecting stolen cattle. The Union army also captured Brownsville in late 1863. ^[17]

Pardon for Richard King

King returned from Mexico after end of war, after securing his pardon from President Andrew Johnson in late 1865. ^[18] King resumed to business after the Civil War. 1881 this Road was used on the King Ranch and eventually became part of the ranch. Old Alice Road

While Captain King was involved in some lawsuits, he noted the efficiency with the work done by an opposing council, Robert Justus King II. He soon had the young man handling legal work for the ranch and rancher.. Eventually this young man, :Robert Justus King II would marry Alice Gertrudis, the youngest daughter. Following this :Robert Justus King II assisted Henrietta King in the King Ranch matters. ^[19]

See:King Ranch: The History of the King Ranch Quarter Horses

Death - April 14, 1885 Menger Hotel, San Antonio, Bexar, Texas, USA

Stomach cancer

Richard King passed away in 1885 in the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. King had with ~60 major purchases of land, 614,000 acres. ^[8] His last minute note to his lawyers: "Not to let a foot of dear old Santa Gertrudis get away." Today this King Ranch is a continuing business. The ranch is spread over 6 counties. He is buried in Chamberlain Cemetery, Kingsville, Texas, Kingsville, Texas, USA.^[20] Find A Grave: Memorial #18107 Richard King; Burial, Kingsville, Kleberg, Texas, United States of America, Chamberlain Cemetery

Burial - Chamberlain Cemetery Kingsville, Kleberg County, Texas, USA ^[3]

PLOT Section B Lot 1

GPS Latitude: 27.30355, Longitude: -97.52724

Find A Grave: Memorial #18107

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} King, Richard (1824-1885) by Bruce S Cheeseman Texas State Historical Association
2. ↑ Wikipedia Richard King
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Richard King on Famous Texans
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} "Kings of Texas: The 150-Year Saga of an American Ranching Empire” by Don Graham
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} King Ranch's Legacy
6. ↑ https://www.scribd.com/read/264122972/Kings-of-Texas-The-150-Year-Saga-of-an-American-Ranching-Empire
7. ↑ King Ranch
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Wikipedia King Ranch
9. ↑ Texas Land Title Abstracts,1700-2008 about Richard King
10. ↑ https://www.historynet.com/king-ranch-texas-dynasty.htm
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} https://www.historynet.com/king-ranch-texas-dynasty.htm
12. ↑ "Texas, Land Title Abstracts,1700-2008" about Richard King
13. ↑ "Texas Marriages, 1837-1973," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FX3X-5ZG : 5 December 2014), Richard King and Henrietta M. Chamberlain, 10 Dec 1854; citing , Cameron, Texas, reference 2:143715R; FHL microfilm 1,016,185.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4} https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18107/richard-king
15. ↑ Selected U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880 about Richard King enumerated for 1860
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} http://www.king-ranch.com/the-legacy/los-kinenos/]
17. ↑ Captain King of Texas: The man who made the King Ranch", by Tom Lea, 1957, Atlantic Monthly Press.
18. ↑ "Confederate Applications for Presidential Pardons, 1865-1867", NARA"
19. ↑ https://king-ranch.com/about-us/history/
20. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 25 September 2020), memorial page for Richard King (10 Jul 1825–14 Apr 1885), Find A Grave: Memorial #18107 , citing Chamberlain Cemetery, Kingsville, Kleberg County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by CMWJR (contributor 50059520) .

• King Ranch website

See Also:

• "River of Lost Dreams: Navigation on the Rio Grande" by Pat Kelley, (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1986).
• Dick Frost, "The King Ranch Papers" (Chicago: Aquarius Rising Press, 1985).
• Texas, Land Title Abstracts,1700-2008 about Richard King
• History of Richard King
• Richard King
• Captain King of Texas: The man who made the King Ranch", Tom Lea, 1957, Atlantic Monthly Press.
• "Richard King: Texas Cattle Rancher", William R. Sanford, Carl R. Green, 1997, Enslow Publishers. ISBN 0-89490-673-9
• "The Last Empire", William Broyles, Texas Monthly, October 1980

• https://texoso66.com/2017/05/04/yturria-ranch/