Mary Lois King (1925 - 1937)

Born 24 Feb 1925 in Rusk, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Died 18 Mar 1937 at age 12 in New London, Rusk, Texas, United States

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Biography

12 year old Mary was killed in an explosion at her school. Her best friend, Dale May York, also died. The "Texas Ranger Dispatch" published an article that details the experiences of the Yorks after the explosion. Mary Lois and her mother are mentioned in the article.

Daughter of Irion King & Ora Cooper.

The New London School explosion occurred on March 18, 1937, when a natural gas leak caused an explosion, destroying the London School of New London, Texas, a community in Rusk County previously known as "London". The disaster killed more than 295 students and teachers. As of 2017, the event is the third deadliest disaster in the history of Texas, after the 1900 Galveston hurricane and the 1947 Texas City disaster.

London School did not publish a yearbook in 1937, instead substituting a memorial book that recognized all of the students and teachers who had died during the disaster.

Sources

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11144746/mary-lois-king

• 1930 US census

• Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982

• https://www.findagrave.com/virtual-cemetery/367568?page=3#sr-13698618

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_London_School_explosion

• http://nlsd.net/Cenotaph.htm

• https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/1936-london-school-yearbook

• https://www.texasranger.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/History-Texas-Rangers-and-the-New-London-School-Disaster.pdf

• https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1921&context=ethj

• https://www.facebook.com/newlondonmuseum/posts/1663298043772338