{"id":12262,"date":"2016-01-18T12:09:22","date_gmt":"2016-01-18T17:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=12262"},"modified":"2023-03-28T15:06:42","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T19:06:42","slug":"dr-martin-luther-king-jr-a-brief-genealogy-family-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-a-brief-genealogy-family-tree.html","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: A Brief Genealogy & Family Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article \u2013 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day \u2013 Scott Phillips searches old newspapers to find out more about Dr. King\u2019s family history. Scott is a genealogical historian and owner of Onward To Our Past\u00ae genealogy services.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

The year was 1968. If you lived it, you know it was a year quite like no other in U.S. history. Certain words and images are indelibly seared into our memories from 1968: Vietnam, Tet Offensive, anti-war riots, Robert F. Kennedy, Apollo, Nixon, \u201cPrague Spring,\u201d and Martin Luther King Jr., to name a few.<\/p>\n

It was on 4 April 1968 that our world lost the legendary civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to an assassin\u2019s bullet, as reported in this 1968 Louisiana newspaper.<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana), 5 April 1968, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The world was in shock and sadness over the assassination of MLK, and our entire nation was on edge. As a country, we tried to come to grips with the murder of one of our most stalwart proponents of peaceful humanitarian change.<\/p>\n

Since today is the national celebration of Dr. King\u2019s life, as well as the 48th<\/sup> anniversary of the year of his untimely death, I thought I would search GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a> to see what I could learn about the genealogy and family history of this truly great American.<\/p>\n

Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s Father, the Reverend King Sr.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first thing we need to recall is that while newspapers often referred to him as Dr. King, his full name was Martin Luther King Jr. His father was Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.<\/p>\n

Rev. King Sr. outlived his son, dying in Atlanta of heart disease in 1984, as reported in this Texas newspaper. This obituary gives us more information about the family of Rev. King Sr., commenting that \u201chis life was stained by repeated tragedy.\u201d He not only lost his son, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1968 assassination, but his only other son, Rev. A. D. King, accidentally drowned in 1969, and his wife, Alberta Williams King, was killed by gunfire while playing the organ during a church service in 1974.<\/p>\n

\"obituary<\/a>
Dallas Morning News (Dallas, Texas), 12 November 1984, page 1A<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rev. King Sr.\u2019s faith and commitment is shown in the last two paragraphs of this obituary:<\/p>\n

But in his last years, King refused to speak with bitterness about his family\u2019s losses. Nor did he swerve from his commitment to non-violence and his faith in the ultimate designs of a loving God.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not hate the man who took the life of my dead son,” he said at a bicentennial ceremony in Dallas in 1976. “I am not going to hate the young man who came and killed my wife. I am every man\u2019s brother. I\u2019m going on with my job.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The murder of Alberta King, wife of Rev. King Sr. and mother of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was reported in this 1974 Massachusetts newspaper.<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Boston Herald (Boston, Massachusetts), 1 July 1974, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MLK\u2019s Personal \u201cPreacher\u2019s Kid\u201d Story & Family Photo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was part of a group called \u201cpreacher\u2019s kids,\u201d as shown in this 2006 Illinois newspaper article. This old newspaper article not only provides a view of what it is like to grow up as a \u201cPK\u201d or preacher\u2019s kid, but also provides us with a photo of the King family in 1963, as well as a very nice biography of Dr. King which lists his wife, Coretta Scott, and his four children, Yolanda, Martin Luther III, Dexter, and Bernice.<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Register Star (Rockford, Illinois), 14 January 2006, page 9<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s Daughter, the Reverend Bernice King<\/strong><\/p>\n

I then discovered an intriguing article from a 1991 South Dakota newspaper about Dr. King\u2019s daughter Bernice. She is the only one of Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s four children to become a minister. The old newspaper article proclaims: \u201cBernice King is seeking her own mission and her own identity.\u201d As with so many of our own families, it seems the passion for a profession followed through the branches and roots of the King family with Rev. Bernice King, who is currently the chief executive officer of The King Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Aberdeen Daily News (Aberdeen, South Dakota), 20 January 1991, page 35<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s Grandfather, the Reverend A. D. Williams<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was also interesting for me to note, when I looked up Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s grave on Findagrave.com<\/a>, that his maternal grandfather, A. D. Williams, was also a Reverend.<\/p>\n

Honoring the Memory of MLK<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. King\u2019s legacy was recognized and respected by the signing of the bill establishing a national holiday in his honor by then-President Ronald Reagan, as reported in this 1983 Washington newspaper article.<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Seattle Daily Times (Seattle, Washington), 2 November 1983, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His legacy was further elevated by the establishment of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C.<\/a>, on 28 August 2011.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. Credit: U.S. National Park Service.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was an article I found in a 1971 Alabama newspaper that really made me nostalgic. This article is all about songwriter Dick Holler and it reports: \u201cHoller considers \u2018Abraham, Martin and John\u2019 his best song to date.\u201d It goes on to say: \u201cHe said it only took about 10 minutes to write the song and that he had no idea it would be such a tremendous success.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Mobile Register (Mobile, Alabama), 30 December 1971, page 30<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While all of the memorials and tributes to Dr. King are wonderful, it is Dick Holler\u2019s that I always carry close in my heart!<\/p>\n

Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
\nCan you tell me where he\u2019s gone?
\nHe freed a lot of people,
\nBut it seems the good they die young.
\nI just looked around and he\u2019s gone.
\n\u2014Dick Holler<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Take some time during today\u2019s Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration to reflect upon this great civil rights leader and his legacy of faith, love, hope, and non-violence.<\/p>\n

Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s Family Tree<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s family tree that contains the names, DOB, and DOD (if applicable) of his parents, grandparents and great grandparents.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/a><\/p>\n

MLK Genealogy Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n

See if you can find out more about Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s ancestry dating back into the 1800s, and fill in some of the unknowns in his family tree. Our African American Newspaper Archives\u00a0<\/a> are a great place to start. Please be sure to share your MLK family history finds with us in the comments!<\/p>\n

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