Samuel Noble King was born on October 22, 1834, in Tarlton, Ohio, to David King and Almena Caldwell. The family moved to Springfield, Ohio, around 1840, and his father died there around 1849. By 1850, the family owned $50,000 of personal property. King grew up and attended school in Springfield before enrolling at Wittenberg College. He moved to Springfield, Illinois, around 1853, and according to one reporter, he “decided to become a farmer rather than follow his father in the mercantile business” because of “his love for horses.” He purchased a farm outside of Springfield around 1854. He married Alice Tenney in 1858, but she died a year later.

 

King enlisted in the Union army on August 17, 1861, and mustered in as a private in Company D of the 26^th Illinois Infantry later that day. According to his service records, he was 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with light hair and blue eyes. The regiment took part in the siege of Corinth, the siege of Vicksburg, the Chattanooga campaign, and the Atlanta campaign. He received a series of promotions: to 2^nd lieutenant on January 12, 1862, 1^st lieutenant on June 3, 1862, and finally to captain on October 1, 1862. He mustered out on October 26, 1864.

 

King settled in Bloomington, Illinois, after the war, purchasing 240 acres of “unfenced prairie” and then another 160 acres sometime later. He married Mary Reid on June 27, 1871. According to one writer, he was “recognized as one of the most progressive farmers in the county,” and by the early 1900s, he was “widely known throughout the state.”

 

Working with the Illinois State Normal University, he “conducted a series of agricultural experiments on his home farm,” and the results were “extensively published.” He served as a director of the State Farmers’ Institute and president of the Illinois Horse Breeders’ Association. He acted as judge of draft horses at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. He was also active in local veterans’ life, joining the Grand Army of the Republic and attending regimental reunions. He died of septicemia on February 3, 1913.

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