INSPIRED A BOOK CHARACTER

In 1846, King met Dr. Lyman Beecher (father of Harriet Beecher Stowe) who was also a guest of Dr. Thomas Chalmers.  Little did either know at that time, King would become the inspiration for an anti-slavery novel written by Beecher's famous daughter.

When King was fund-raising in Andover, Massachusetts in 1853, he accepted an invitation to visit author, Harriet Beecher Stowe.  During their visit he must have shared his personal experiences with Stowe regarding his life in Louisiana and current mission in the Elgin Settlement.

She took these details and created Nina Gordon a southern belle, inspired by King's memories of Mary Phares King and Henry Clayton, fashioned after her impressions of King. 

Published in 1856, the novel, "Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp" addressed the criticisms launched at Stowe in her previous work, "Uncle Tom's Cabin".  In 'Dred' she deals with the potential for violent rebellion in an attempt to channel the African American perspective. The novel is impressively footnoted, giving a glimpse of issues and legal interpretations of the pre-Civil War era.

On page 331, of Volume 2, Stowe writes:

"All these statements are true of the Elgin Settlement, founded by Mr. King, a gentleman who removed and settled his slaves in south of Canada."

King named his home in Buxton "Clayton House".