Samuel Polk (July 5, 1772 – December 3, 1827) was an American surveyor, slave owner, and the father of U.S. President
James Knox Polk.
His slaves included
Elias Polk
Elias Polk (1806 – December 30, 1886) was a former enslaved African American, most known for being enslaved by President James K. Polk and his family from the time of his birth until emancipation in 1865. After the American Civil War, he became ...
.
Life
Samuel Polk was born in 1772 in
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina (after Wak ...
. He was the son of
Ezekiel Polk
Ezekiel Polk (December 7, 1747 – August 31, 1824) was Americans, American soldier, settler, pioneer and the paternal grandfather of President of the United States, President James K. Polk, James Knox Polk.
Early life
Ezekiel Polk was the n ...
and Mary Jane Winslow Wilson. Polk married Jane Gracey Knox (1776-1852) on Christmas Day 1794 in Hopewell Church in Mecklenburg County. Jane was the daughter of Captain James Knox and Lydia (Gillespie) Knox.
Their first child, James Knox Polk, was born on November 2 of the following year.
Though Polk consented to naming the child after his father-in-law, he opposed having James baptized as Presbyterian, as he himself would have to admit his faith.
During their marriage, the couple participated in debates with neighbors regarding the future of the United States, with the discussions often being held in front of James. Other children included: Jane Maria Polk, Lydia Eliza Polk, Franklin Ezekiel Polk, Marshall Tate Polk, John Lee Polk, Naomi Tate Polk, Ophelia Clarissa Polk, William Hawkins Polk and Samuel Washington Polk. The family moved from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina to
Columbia,
Maury County, Tennessee
Maury County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Middle Tennessee region. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 100,974. Its county seat is Columbia, Tennessee, C ...
in 1806, where both Samuel and Jane died and were buried in the Greenwood Cemetery.
References
1772 births
1827 deaths
People from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
People from Columbia, Tennessee
American surveyors
American slave owners
Fathers of presidents of the United States
Polk family
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