Henry Jasper King

My g-g-granddad was a riverboat capt. out of St. Louis up to Ft. Benton Some of the ships you name I'm pretty sure were at one time or another associated with him, as capt. or pilot, etc.

I'm originally out of Chamberlain, SD and his name was Capt. Henry Jasper King (Koenig when he immigrated in 1837, about three years old).

I think you'll enjoy the info I'll send to you. Unfortunately we're still compiling it ourselves.

You haven't seen or heard where the bell from the Josie L.K. went, have you? My brother really wants to find it. I'd be much more interested in the MILWAUKEE or the FAR WEST or the GENOA or the MOLLIE something or other but I can't remember the full name right now, or the L.R.K. or the like. I know he and his sons and I think brothers were all associated in the business, and his sister married another riverboat man as well out of St. Louis, JACKSON IVERS.

The Kings were Monteford (Montie), Martin (Mart), Fay and of course Capt. H.J., Sr. Jackson Ivers King, his son (named for Jackson L. Ivers, Sr.) was on the river 12 years himself and is my g-grandfather.

I have quite a few photos and I know there's more written on back of them, as well as in H.J.'s obituary.

His wife, Josephine Louise (Lucy) ran the river with him and the kids in the summers, with a winter home for school time in St. Louis. His sister stayed in St. Louis, apparantly more regularly. But Lucy died after complications of childirth in Bismarck, ND in 1878, as did the child. They took her back to St. Louis and put her in Susannah's husband's family's mausoleum, but after Henry J. died in 1905 one of his sons went down and brought her back to bury next to him in Chamberlain's Riverview cemetery, as was fitting since that's where he lived permanently since 1880 or so.

Josephine (Josie) was his daughter.

But the Josie L.K. is for his wife, as I recall and L.R.K. is for the daughter.

He had one boat burn and one explode. (Won and lost a lot of money, I'd wager, in those days)

And at least one of the photos is of the engine room on the Milwaukee, I believe, and it's got the name of the pilot for that boat on the back as I recall.

Anyway, we'd (six kids in my immediate family, three cousins also from the river) love to trace the boats and where they went. And yes, we'd like to see these men of the river get their names included in listings of this type because they do belong there.

Marianne Lindley Girten

Other Tidbits from
The Burle County, S.D. Historical Society
and its publication
Maka Teepee 1880 to Chamberlain 1980

Henry Jasper King was a widower with a large family. 1n 1855 his three eldest sons accompanied him on his first trip, aboard the GENOA, to Burle County , S.D.. He decided this was a better place for his family than the city of St. Louis.

Other King Boats
LAST CHANCE
From The Daily Telegraph
Friday, April 23, 1886
Page 2, Column 2

Capt. Frank Keeling died Monday night at his home, in this city, aged 77 years.

Capt. Keeling commenced steamboating in the thirties as engineer upon the Boneta, Alabama and Columbus. The veteran engineer, G.W. Berry, who is still in active service, was also engineer on the COLUMBUS with Capt. Keeling in 1838 and 1839. During the fifties he owned and commanded the steamers Cora, Bouisa, Paul Jones, Frank Keeling, Jr., and several others in the New Orleans and Camden trade. After the war he steamboated for a few seasons on the steamers Judge Fletcher and Lottawana. He retired from the river in 1878, since which time he has been engaged in no kind of business on account of impaired health. Capt. Keeling was of a kind and generous disposition, and was held in high esteem by al who knew him.

The flags of the steamboats were at half-mast yesterday out of respect to his memory.- N.O. Democrat