[From "History of Wabash County, Indiana" by Clarkson Weesner, pub. 1914, pp 491-492]
PETER KING. In the early years of Wabash county, probably no name had a greater significance in business and industrial affairs than that of Peter King. If for no other reason, he should be remembered in history for the mills which he built along the Wabash valley in this county, all of which did a good service to the people of the time, and one of which remained a landmark until recently. While a man of rather conspicuous ability and success, it was not his nature to seek prominence in a public way, and he chiefly contributed to the making of Wabash county through his business and through the notable family which has since continued his work in varied and important lines.
Peter King was born in York county, Pennsylvania, in 1805, was reared in that locality, and when a youth learned the milling business at York Haven, near his birthplace. Soon afterward he moved to Johnson's Corners in Summit county, Ohio, where he was engaged to operate a flouring mill on the shares. There he met and in 1830 married Elizabeth Boyer. His next removal took him to Seville in Medina county, where he built and managed a mill.
With his wife and three children (Mary Ann, George N. and Thomas Wellman), he moved to Indiana in August, 1842. His object was to secure land at a less cost than it could be had then in northeastern Ohio. The village of Wabash was his first location, but later he moved out to the farm he had bought near town. The four hundred and twenty acres acquired by him in this vicinity cost him on the average about four dollars an acre.
Subsequently his home was returned to Wabash, and that city was practically his place of residence throughout the rest of his life.
On the Mississinewa river near Vernon he bought a site at which he erected about 1849 a mill which was under his direct management several years. Its machinery continued grinding for a long time, and its framework stood the shock of many years, a venerable landmark, until destroyed by the great flood of March, 1913. While milling was his primary calling, Peter King was one of the ablest business men of his time. He operated extensively in the buying of wheat, which he shipped over canal and railroad to the east. He was also one of the men who made the pork-packing industry valuable before the war. For the time his transactions were on a large scale, and in a good sense of the term he was a man of affairs.
In 1858 he returned to his first vocation, and built at Wabash a steam flouring mill, which began operations in 1859. In 1861, with William Whiteside as partner, this mill was converted into a furniture factory. Two years later Mr. King disposed of his interest in the business, and bought a mill at North Manchester on the Eel river, spending about two and a half years in the operation of that plant. With James McCrea, he later bought the water mill, on the old canal, at Wabash, and that was practically the last enterprise to which he gave his active attention. At the end of about eight years he retired, and lived in the quiet of his home until his death in August, 1891. His wife had passed away in September, 1890, after a happy companionship of sixty years. After they came to Indiana one other son was born to them, Allen W. King.
PETER KING. In the early years of Wabash county, probably no name had a greater significance in business and industrial affairs than that of Peter King. If for no other reason, he should be remembered in history for the mills which he built along the Wabash valley in this county, all of which did a good service to the people of the time, and one of which remained a landmark until recently. While a man of rather conspicuous ability and success, it was not his nature to seek prominence in a public way, and he chiefly contributed to the making of Wabash county through his business and through the notable family which has since continued his work in varied and important lines.
Peter King was born in York county, Pennsylvania, in 1805, was reared in that locality, and when a youth learned the milling business at York Haven, near his birthplace. Soon afterward he moved to Johnson's Corners in Summit county, Ohio, where he was engaged to operate a flouring mill on the shares. There he met and in 1830 married Elizabeth Boyer. His next removal took him to Seville in Medina county, where he built and managed a mill.
With his wife and three children (Mary Ann, George N. and Thomas Wellman), he moved to Indiana in August, 1842. His object was to secure land at a less cost than it could be had then in northeastern Ohio. The village of Wabash was his first location, but later he moved out to the farm he had bought near town. The four hundred and twenty acres acquired by him in this vicinity cost him on the average about four dollars an acre.
Subsequently his home was returned to Wabash, and that city was practically his place of residence throughout the rest of his life.
On the Mississinewa river near Vernon he bought a site at which he erected about 1849 a mill which was under his direct management several years. Its machinery continued grinding for a long time, and its framework stood the shock of many years, a venerable landmark, until destroyed by the great flood of March, 1913. While milling was his primary calling, Peter King was one of the ablest business men of his time. He operated extensively in the buying of wheat, which he shipped over canal and railroad to the east. He was also one of the men who made the pork-packing industry valuable before the war. For the time his transactions were on a large scale, and in a good sense of the term he was a man of affairs.
In 1858 he returned to his first vocation, and built at Wabash a steam flouring mill, which began operations in 1859. In 1861, with William Whiteside as partner, this mill was converted into a furniture factory. Two years later Mr. King disposed of his interest in the business, and bought a mill at North Manchester on the Eel river, spending about two and a half years in the operation of that plant. With James McCrea, he later bought the water mill, on the old canal, at Wabash, and that was practically the last enterprise to which he gave his active attention. At the end of about eight years he retired, and lived in the quiet of his home until his death in August, 1891. His wife had passed away in September, 1890, after a happy companionship of sixty years. After they came to Indiana one other son was born to them, Allen W. King.
[From "History of Wabash County, Indiana" by Clarkson Weesner, pub. 1914, pp 491-492]
PETER KING. In the early years of Wabash county, probably no name had a greater significance in business and industrial affairs than that of Peter King. If for no other reason, he should be remembered in history for the mills which he built along the Wabash valley in this county, all of which did a good service to the people of the time, and one of which remained a landmark until recently. While a man of rather conspicuous ability and success, it was not his nature to seek prominence in a public way, and he chiefly contributed to the making of Wabash county through his business and through the notable family which has since continued his work in varied and important lines.
Peter King was born in York county, Pennsylvania, in 1805, was reared in that locality, and when a youth learned the milling business at York Haven, near his birthplace. Soon afterward he moved to Johnson's Corners in Summit county, Ohio, where he was engaged to operate a flouring mill on the shares. There he met and in 1830 married Elizabeth Boyer. His next removal took him to Seville in Medina county, where he built and managed a mill.
With his wife and three children (Mary Ann, George N. and Thomas Wellman), he moved to Indiana in August, 1842. His object was to secure land at a less cost than it could be had then in northeastern Ohio. The village of Wabash was his first location, but later he moved out to the farm he had bought near town. The four hundred and twenty acres acquired by him in this vicinity cost him on the average about four dollars an acre.
Subsequently his home was returned to Wabash, and that city was practically his place of residence throughout the rest of his life.
On the Mississinewa river near Vernon he bought a site at which he erected about 1849 a mill which was under his direct management several years. Its machinery continued grinding for a long time, and its framework stood the shock of many years, a venerable landmark, until destroyed by the great flood of March, 1913. While milling was his primary calling, Peter King was one of the ablest business men of his time. He operated extensively in the buying of wheat, which he shipped over canal and railroad to the east. He was also one of the men who made the pork-packing industry valuable before the war. For the time his transactions were on a large scale, and in a good sense of the term he was a man of affairs.
In 1858 he returned to his first vocation, and built at Wabash a steam flouring mill, which began operations in 1859. In 1861, with William Whiteside as partner, this mill was converted into a furniture factory. Two years later Mr. King disposed of his interest in the business, and bought a mill at North Manchester on the Eel river, spending about two and a half years in the operation of that plant. With James McCrea, he later bought the water mill, on the old canal, at Wabash, and that was practically the last enterprise to which he gave his active attention. At the end of about eight years he retired, and lived in the quiet of his home until his death in August, 1891. His wife had passed away in September, 1890, after a happy companionship of sixty years. After they came to Indiana one other son was born to them, Allen W. King.
PETER KING. In the early years of Wabash county, probably no name had a greater significance in business and industrial affairs than that of Peter King. If for no other reason, he should be remembered in history for the mills which he built along the Wabash valley in this county, all of which did a good service to the people of the time, and one of which remained a landmark until recently. While a man of rather conspicuous ability and success, it was not his nature to seek prominence in a public way, and he chiefly contributed to the making of Wabash county through his business and through the notable family which has since continued his work in varied and important lines.
Peter King was born in York county, Pennsylvania, in 1805, was reared in that locality, and when a youth learned the milling business at York Haven, near his birthplace. Soon afterward he moved to Johnson's Corners in Summit county, Ohio, where he was engaged to operate a flouring mill on the shares. There he met and in 1830 married Elizabeth Boyer. His next removal took him to Seville in Medina county, where he built and managed a mill.
With his wife and three children (Mary Ann, George N. and Thomas Wellman), he moved to Indiana in August, 1842. His object was to secure land at a less cost than it could be had then in northeastern Ohio. The village of Wabash was his first location, but later he moved out to the farm he had bought near town. The four hundred and twenty acres acquired by him in this vicinity cost him on the average about four dollars an acre.
Subsequently his home was returned to Wabash, and that city was practically his place of residence throughout the rest of his life.
On the Mississinewa river near Vernon he bought a site at which he erected about 1849 a mill which was under his direct management several years. Its machinery continued grinding for a long time, and its framework stood the shock of many years, a venerable landmark, until destroyed by the great flood of March, 1913. While milling was his primary calling, Peter King was one of the ablest business men of his time. He operated extensively in the buying of wheat, which he shipped over canal and railroad to the east. He was also one of the men who made the pork-packing industry valuable before the war. For the time his transactions were on a large scale, and in a good sense of the term he was a man of affairs.
In 1858 he returned to his first vocation, and built at Wabash a steam flouring mill, which began operations in 1859. In 1861, with William Whiteside as partner, this mill was converted into a furniture factory. Two years later Mr. King disposed of his interest in the business, and bought a mill at North Manchester on the Eel river, spending about two and a half years in the operation of that plant. With James McCrea, he later bought the water mill, on the old canal, at Wabash, and that was practically the last enterprise to which he gave his active attention. At the end of about eight years he retired, and lived in the quiet of his home until his death in August, 1891. His wife had passed away in September, 1890, after a happy companionship of sixty years. After they came to Indiana one other son was born to them, Allen W. King.
Bio by: Friends of Falls Cemetery
Family Members
Advertisement
Advertisement
