King was born on a farm near Hannibal, Monroe County, Ohio, USA, on 10 October 1878 (claimed 26 October), the eldest child born to parents John N. Black (1858–1929) and Emma Belle Rist (1860–1935). She had four siblings, including Charles Elmer Black (1881–1975), Minnie Clark Schnell (1887–1962), and Roy Isaac Black (1893–1979). Both her paternal and maternal grandparents were born in Germany. The family’s surname was originally Schwartz but was changed to Black after they moved to the United States.

In 1899, she married Thomas Harvey King (1857–1930), and the two moved to a farm. The couple had seven children: Delcie Gheen (1901–1984), Harry (1903–1938), Emma Florence West (1905–1999), Brady Marion King (1910–2002), Marshall Elmer (1913–2000), and Robert Edward (1919–1921). They resided on the farm until 1915 when the house burned down, resulting in the loss of all their possessions. The family purchased an abandoned schoolhouse nearby, remodeled it, and lived there until 1918, when they moved back to Ohio. They settled on a farm with a 12-room house in the Buckhill community near Hannibal.

Upon her husband’s death in 1930, their son Marshal stayed on the farm to help with its care. Marshal lived there with his family until the farm was sold for industrial development in 1955, at which point they all moved to New Martinsville. She lived there until 1975, when she suffered a fractured hip, making it necessary for her to receive nursing home care, and she moved to Parkersburg. Around that time, she moved into Parkview Health Care Center in Parkersburg, where she spent the remainder of her life.

King was a member of St. John’s United Methodist Church of New Martinsville, West Virginia, and the United Methodist Women of Hannibal United Methodist Church.

At the age of 105, she was still writing letters, reading, watching television, strolling about the center with her walker, and visiting other residents.

King passed away at Parkview Health Care Center in Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA, on 1 January 1991, at the age of 112 years, 83 days. She was survived by three children, 14 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, and 16 great-great-grandchildren.