This biography was edited and/or possibly augmented by PRS staff. Permission to use is granted by the authors Gary King and Craig Isaacson. 

Samuel King was born about 1746 in Ireland and was Scottish by ancestry, as proven by Y-DNA testing. Like many others at that time, his family was possibly indentured servants in the Colony of Virginia before the Revolutionary War.

He married Mrs. Elizabeth (Underwood) Davenport in 1769 after her husband, Matthew, died, leaving her with two sons. The couple then had several known children, including: 

• Joseph was born on 11 January 1770 and married Laodice Parks Morgan.
• Samuel was born about 1772 and married Mary "Polly" Ashe Kelly.
• Jonathan was born on 14 December 1774 and married Sarah Taylor.
• Benjamin was born on 1 February 1777 and married Rebecca [surname unknown].
• Elizabeth was born on 9 April 1779.

The family lived on a 221-acre farm on the Blackwater River near Bedford, Virginia. That was land granted to Elizabeth's father, Joseph Underwood. Samuel raised Elizabeth's sons, John and Glover, as his own. 

Samuel's first recorded service in the Revolutionary War was as one of the first Long Riflemen in military history. The "rifle gun" was a little-known invention brought to the Colony of Pennsylvania by German and Belgian gunsmiths. Samuel served in Captain James Calderwood's Company in the Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment. Captain Calderwood was injured during the Battle of Fort Washington on 16 November 1776. Private King then became one of the first members of Colonel Daniel Morgan's 11th Virginia Regiment, recruited by Morgan's Ensign, Captain Peter Brian Bruin, on 9 December 1776. Initially, Samuel served in Captain Bruin's Company. However, when his previous commander recovered sufficiently, he again served under Captain James Calderwood.  

The Long Riflemen of the 11th Virginia Regiment were the first snipers in history, and many consider them the first-ever Special Forces unit. They were initially called "Morgan's Riflemen." However, General George Washington was so enamored with the unit he referred to them as his "rangers." Therefore, the 11th Virginia Regiment was often referred to as "Washington's Rangers."

The Regiment played a major role in the victories at Saratoga. However, Captain Calderwood's Company was not there. General Washington ordered Captain Calderwood's Company to help his army defend Philadelphia. During the Battle of Brandywine Creek, Captain Calderwood died, and Samuel was wounded and taken prisoner. When he was freed and recovered from his injuries, he returned to the 11th Virginia Regiment at Valley Forge on 17 February 1778.

After Valley Forge, Samuel returned to his young family near Bedford, Virginia. They then joined other families and migrated to the North Carolina Colony via The Great Wagon Road. However, Samuel went west to the Blue Ridge Mountains and settled in what was still the Cherokee Nation at that time. The oldest land grant for that region was #503, with an Application Date of 1 August 1778. Those 300 acres of land, from the Mills River to the French Broad River, is where Samuel built his two-story log cabin. Unfortunately, the historical structure was taken down when a water plant was built on the site in the 1990s. The first bridge over the French Broad River in that area was King's Bridge, located initially about fifty yards upstream from the current bridge on Haywood Road. It was preceded by King's Ferry. King's Bridge is shown on a topographic map from the late 1800s.

North Carolina Treasurer documents show Samuel was paid for service during the time of the Battle of King's Mountain and the Battle of Cowpens. The area was Rutherford County at the time, so Samuel King very likely served with the Rutherford County Militia in those two key victories. The Battle of Cowpens was commanded by Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, King's former Commanding Officer.

The Patriot died in 1828 and is buried at Flat Rock, Henderson County, North Carolina.