James Albert King

James Albert King (December 1864 – November 17, 1933) was the father of Martin Luther King Sr. and paternal grandfather of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., A. D. King, and Christine King Farris.

Early life

James Albert King was born in 1864 to an Irish American father Nathan King, and Malinde, a freed African American slave. Nathan King has been variously recorded to have been born in Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Ireland. In 2010, DNA testing on James's great-grandson, Martin III by 23andMe confirmed that the King's family Y-chromosome lineage originated from Ireland. King married Delia Linsey (1875–1924) in 1895, and they both worked as sharecroppers, in Henry County and Clayton County in Georgia, and then Stockbridge, Georgia where they settled and where their son, Martin Luther King Sr. was born in 1899.

Later life

King struggled with alcoholism, and disapproved of his son and wife attending church. When his son Martin became involved in an altercation with a white property owner the family went into hiding for a period. King died in 1933.

References

Further reading

• King, Alveda (2014). King Rules: Ten Truths for You, Your Family, and Our Nation to Prosper. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 1400205018.
• Nelson, Alondra (2016). The Social Life of DNA. ISBN 978-0-8070-2718-9.

1. Albert King
2. George VI
3. Martin Luther King Sr.
4. Albert I of Belgium
5. Edward VII
6. James King
7. LeBron James
8. James II of England
9. Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale
10. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
11. Philippe of Belgium
12. Christine King Farris
13. George V
14. Albert King (basketball)
15. Descendants of Queen Victoria
16. A. D. King
17. King County, Washington
18. Blues rock
19. Paul Butterfield
20. Kennedy–King College