King's Creek, Northampton County, Virginia.

This location [King's Creek] was a favorite residential one with the early settlers of this section, it was likewise so with the Indians, if one may judge by the arrow heads and various relics, together with deeply imbedded shells, too deep to have been of recent occurrence on this creek.

The "Laughing King" of Accawmacke doubtless had residences here. This sub-ruler under Powhatan was a royal fellow -- bon homme to the backbone -- such is said of him on several occasions.

In "ye olden times" two brothers (Greys) vied with [each] other in building fine residences on this creek. The one fronting the creek on a hill; the other just over (north) a branch of this creek. This latter was a very large brick building situated also on a hill, the grounds were terraced from the water's edge up to the residence, and plainly show up to this day. The bricks were imported from England. The halls and stairways were wide, the cellar was arranged in compartments.

After the death of the owners (the Greys) it was used as a church. The Greys are buried there. At a later day it became the property of the Kendalls, finally belonging to the late William H. Kendall who got tired of so large a house and pulled it down rather than repair it, and built a small frame dwelling near the site of this old one, very much against the advice of his friends, one, especially, Wm. T. Floyd, of Townfields, who said: "William, you have done so wrong in not repairing the old brick dwelling; as to the money required, if you had need of it you could have gotten any amount you wanted." The place is still the property of his children.

During the War of 1812 a British warship anchored on "the grass" (a deep hole nearly opposite the creek where large ships could anchor in safety) and sent an armed cutter ashore, landing at the residence at the head of the creek. The crew went up the hill and in the house, the lady of the house had taken the precaution to gather the valuables she could get her hands on and put them where they were not likely to find them. Some she put under the cushion of her chair and sat on them.

On their return down the creek to their ship a man concealed in a clump of cedars near the water, with his rifle dropped one of them overboard, he was quickly hauled in and the boat proceeded.

At the mouth of the creek (north side) is Townfields, the residence of the Floyds in early times. This plantation was called "big and little" Townfields, and, at a comparative late day, was full of tenant houses situated on the creek.

In the dwelling at Townfields during the September gust, the writer of this has heard his father say, were Wm. S. Floyd, Ann Floyd and himself -- all little children -- and amused themselves catching crabs with sticks from the windows by leaning out. The little girl became the wife of John S. Parker, of Old Castle, as estimable and intelligent a lady as there was in the country.

Large schooners traded to the West Indies from Townfields, the Seaford for one.

Speaking of the "grass" where there used to be plenty of water for large vessels, it was the favorite place to catch hog fish and roaches. The old fishermen knew very well what was there, and the epicures of that day appreciated their tact to the highest degree. Here the canvas back duck luxuriated on the celery in this deep water. These salt water luxuries at home, together with foreign vintage, et cetera, went a long way towards making the jolly fellows of "ye olden times," whose whole-souled hospitality was as indigenous to this clime as are the Magothy bay bean and the Myrtle.

The happy and hospitable "laughing king of Accawmacke" was but a prototype then of the psychic nature of the Eastern Shore as verified by his successors and so predicted by the first white man to put foot on its soil.