Ralph Lane Polk (1849–1923) was an American compiler of facts and
publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
Logan County, Ohio
Logan County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,150. The county seat is Bellefontaine. The county is named for Benjamin Logan, who fought Native America ...
, to Rev. David Polk Jr. (b. Maryland, d. 15 April 1857 Brookville, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania) and his wife Mary Charlotte Warner (b. New Jersey), daughter of Jacob Warner. In 1860 Polk, four of his siblings and their widowed mother were living with his maternal grandfather in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Ralph Polk in the 1860 United States Federal Census Accessed via ancestry.com subscription on 1 June 2023. Ralph Lane Polk's siblings included: Margaret Polk (b. 1839/40), Mary Polk (1841–1902). David R Polk (1844 - May 1871), Susan Polk (September 1846 - 12 May 1918), Louisa Polk (b. 12 May 1847 - 7 May 1916), and Charles Polk (b. 1853/54).
Polk was educated at the
Pennington School
The Pennington School is a private (independent), coeducational college preparatory school for day and boarding students in sixth through twelfth grades, located in Pennington, New Jersey, a small community in the northeastern United States mid ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
.
American Civil War
At the beginning of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
, people generally thought the war could be short with a settlement quickly reached. After years of carnage with the largest number of dead, diseased and maimed soldiers ever witnessed on the continent, large bounties were being paid to attract new recruits to what would become the last New Jersey Infantry Regiment formed for the war. About 25% of New Jersey soldiers died during the war. Polk volunteered at the age of 16, mustered in 16 February 1865 in Trenton, and left the state on 17 February. He became a Union Army drummer boy during the
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...
, at the
Third Battle of Petersburg
The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was fought on April 2, 1865, south and southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, at the end of the 292-day Richmond–Petersburg Campaign (sometimes ...
on 2 April 1865, and at the
Battle of Appomattox Court House
The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last battles of the American Civil War (1861–1865). It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief, Rober ...
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
with wife Amelia, working as a directory clerk, while paying for adopted daughter Frances to be a boarding pupil at the Ursuline Convent of the Sacred Heart's St. Ursula Academy in
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnat ...
.
Polk became a successful Detroit publisher and president of R.L. Polk & Co., directory publishers. He belonged to the Association of North American Directory Publishers. His grandson, Ralph Lane Polk, III (July 21, 1911 - February 9, 1984), was a later president of the company which was acquired by IHS Inc. on July 15, 2013.
Marriage and family
Ralph Polk married Amelia Francis, widow of John Henry Hopkins. Polk adopted her daughter as his own. Born Frances Hopkins (28 January 1873 Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan – 2 August 1944 Detroit), she used the name Frances Hopkins Polk through her youth, and when married used the name Francis Polk Kemp. Her husband, Second Lieutenant Ulysses Grant Kemp, died as a result of injuries from a fall during a practice company cavalry charge, leaving her to return to Detroit with two-year old daughter Amy Polk Kemp (1897–1981), and seven months pregnant with daughter Dorothy Grant Kemp (25 October 1898 Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan – 22 July 1985 Birmingham, Oakland County, Michigan; political activist, concert pianist, second wife of Hall Roosevelt and mother of three daughters, sister-in-law of
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
Dorothy Kemp Roosevelt Papers, 1922-1985 University of Michigan Library. Accessed 1 June 2023.). As a result of their tragedy, daughter and granddaughters were welcomed within Ralph and Amelia's Detroit home for the following decades, as Ralph's grandfather had provided for him in his mother's time of need.
Ralph and Amelia had one son, Ralph Lane Polk, Jr. (10 September 1882 Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan – 5 August 1949 Bloomfield Hills, Oakland County, Michigan). He was an executive and eventually a president of R.L. Polk & Co., and had a wife and son.
Death
Polk died on 21 August 1923 in Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota, during a business trip. His body was returned to Detroit for memorial services and burial.