Barrington King

rice planter, merchant, and manufacturer, pioneer settler of Cobb County, co-founder of the village of Lebanon and Roswell - Myers

Barrington King (1798-1866), the son of Roswell King, was a major force in establishing the town of Roswell and its textile mills. He served as president of the Roswell Manufacturing Company for twenty-seven years, from its incorporation in 1839 until his death in 1866.

Photo in "media" section: Barrington Hall, built in 1842.

Barrington King built his mansion, Barrington Hall, on the square in Roswell. It was designed by Willis Ball in 1839. At Roswell Manufacturing Company, King continued to depend on the skills and labor of enslaved African Americans as he built the business. According to the 1850 Census Slave Schedules, King personally held 70 slaves, and he controlled another 13 slaves held in the name of Roswell Manufacturing Company. In 1860, King still held 47 slaves. He may have sold some when the heavy construction work was finished.

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Barrington King was born in 1798. He was the son of Roswell King and Catherine Barrington. He, along with his father, founded the Roswell Manufacturing Company, a cotton mill in Cobb County, Georgia. Barrington served as the president of the company for 27 years, until his death in 1866.

Barrington married Catherine Margaret Nephew on January 30, 1822 in McIntosh County, Georgia.

In 1836, Barrington went with his father to Cobb County, Georgia to lay out plans for the new mill and the town. However, he did not move his family away from McIntosh County to eastern Cobb County until 1838. The mill, named the Roswell Manufacturing Company was completed in March of 1839.

Barrington and his family, along with his parents, initially lived in an makeshift log cabin known as "the Castle" or "the Labyrinth" in Cobb County. Barrington selected the highest point in the area for his new home, which became known as Barrington Hall. The home was built by Willis Ball and was completed in 1842.

The 1850 census shows Barrington and his wife Catherine living in Roswell District, Cobb County, Georgia. Their 6 sons and a daughter were also living in the home. In 1860, Barrington and his wife were still living in the same area. 3 of their sons were also still living at home.

Barrington died on January 17, 1866 in Roswell. He was buried in the Roswell Presbyterian Church Cemetery.