In 1836 James King, his wife Ann, and small daughter Eliza left their home in Deptford, England, a borough of London. They hope to arrive in America before the birth of their next child. A storm-tossed journey delayed their arrival and John Outridge King was born on the high seas.

The Kings settled in the village of Washington, Mason County, Ky. where Ann's brother John O. Powling had preceded them several years before. There they reared a family of seven children: Eliza, Sarah, William, Henry, Robert and Charles, before moving to Nicholas County. The family grew up and scattered, some going to distant states. Robert married Mary Ellen Smith and engaged in carriage-making in Carlisle. In 1870 he established a hardware store on the cornor of Main and Elm Sts. The Hardware store remained for 100 years, during most of which time it was owned by members of the King family. It was there that the first "Bluegrass Seed Strippers" were made and shipped to many parts of the country and foreign nations. They are now collector's items.

Of the many descendants of the King family, the ones who remained in Carlisle were: Carrie King Robbins served Nicholas County as a Libratian of the public library for 20 years. A fourth genertion is represented by Louise Potts Young and Amelia King Buckley, who maintains a part-time residence in Carlisle. The family tradition of public service is prepetuated in the person of Wm. Nathan Young of the fifth generation, who is president of the Carlisle Deposit Bank.

by Carrie King Robbins

This information come from the book "History of Nicholas County"

information about the Bluegrass Stripper