Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/80

50 one of the Spanish donnas. She is well read. has much talent for conversation. and is highly popu- lar. ller excellent taste in dress preserves the sub— dued though elegant costume that characterizes the lady." Mrs. Polk became a connnutiicant of the Presbyterian church in 1N3-l. and maintained her connection with that denomination until the close of her career. After the death of her hus- band she resided in Nashville. in the house seen in the illustration. and known as “Folk Place.” In the foreground is seen the tomb of her husband. —President Polk's brother. William Hawkins lawyer. b. in Maury county. Tcnn.. 2-1 May. 151.); d. in Nashville. Tenn.. 16 Dec.. 1562. was gradu- ated at the liniversity of Tennessee. admitted to the bar in 1H3”. and began to practise at Colum- bia. Maury co.. Tenn. lle was elected to the legis- lature in 1H41 and again in 18-13. In 1-‘3‘45 he was appointed minister to Naples. holding the ofﬁce from 13 March of that year till 31 Aug.. 1N-t7. when he was commissioned major of the 3d dragoons. and saw ser\ ice in Mexico. He resigned. 20 July. 1545. lle was a delegate to the Naslnille comention of 1550. and was chosen a member of the. 32:1 congress as a Democrat. serving from 1 Dec.. 1S5l. till 3 March. N53. Maj. Polk was a strongr opponent of secession iu 1M3].

'''PULK. Thomas'''. patriot. b. about 1732: d. in Charlotte. N. ('.. in 1793. llc was the great-grand- son of ltobert l’olk. or Pollock. who emigrated to this country from Ireland and settled in . aryland. Thomas's father. William. removed from Maryland to Pennsylvania. while the former. in 1753. left his parents. and. travelling through Maryland and Vir- ginia. made his home in Mcckleuburg county. N. C. By enterprise aml industry he. acquired a large tract of land. which enabled him to keep his family in comfort l’ersonal qualities made l’olk a leader in the Scotch—Irish settlement in which he lived. and in 1713!) he was chosen a member of the pro- vincial assembly. where he proenred the passage of all act to establish Queen's college in the town of Charlotte. In 1771 he was again a member of the assembly. and thenceforward he took an active part in the movements that resulted in the Revolu- tion. At the date of the Mecklenburg convention in May. 1775. he was delegated to issue a call for the convention w believer. in his opinion. such ac- tion was necessary. After the resolutions had been adopted. l’olk read them from the steps of the court—house to the people. Ile was subsequently a member of the committee that on 2 Aug.. 1775. prepared a plan for securing the internal peace and safety of the provinces. .\ few months later he was appointed colonel of the second of two bat- talions of minute—men ill the Salisbury district. Soon afterward the South (‘arolina Tories attacked (ien. Andrew Williamson and drove him into a stockade fort at Ninety-Six. but were def -ated. with the assistance of 7t)" militia from North ('aro- lina under ('ol. l'olk aml Col. Hriﬂith-Rutherford. By the Provincial congress held at Halifax. N. (Z. 4 April. 1776. Polk was made colonel of the 4th regiment. which formed part of a force that under Brig—(ten. Nash joined the army under Washing- ton. In November. 1779. the North t'arolina troops were sent to t'c—cnt'orce the southern army under (tell. lieniamin Lincoln at ('harleston. Af- ter the fall of the latter city Gen. lloratio Hates otterml l’olk the double ntlice ofcommissary-geueral for North (‘arolina and conuuissary of purchase for the army. “ltich he accepted. llis duties as cnmmissary brought hitn into antagonism with Gates. on a question of supplying the militia with rations. Gen. (iates suggested that he be ordered to Salisbury to answer for his conduct. Polk of- fered his resignation. but it was not at ﬁrst accepted. Afterward he became distlict commissary. After the action at (,‘owan's Ford. Gen. Greene otfered the command of the militia of Salisbury district to (‘01. Folk. with the commission of brigadier-general. hut. in spite of a personal request by Gen. Greene. the latter was not conﬁrmed by the governor and council. and ('ol. I’olk was superseded in May, 1751. After the Revolution he engaged in the purchase. from the disbanded soldiers. of land warrants that had been issued to them by the state for their services. and died possessed of " princely estates." which his sons inherited but did not. im- prove.—Ilis son. William. patriot. b. in Meeklen- ltlll'g county. N. L'.. 9 July. 1758: d. in Raleigh. N. (2. 4 Jau.. 152 . entered Queen‘s college. Charlotte, N. t'.. \\ here he. remained until the beginning of the Revolutionary war. In April. 17 . while he was yet a student. he was appointed a 2d lieuten— ant and asserted to the 3d South Carolina regi- ment. His company and another were at once or- dcred to South Carolina to keep the Tories in check. atid Polk afterward commanded several ex- peditious. During one of these he made Col. Thomas Fletcher. a noted Tory leader. a prisoner. and subsequently. in attempting to capture a party of loyalists in December. 1775. he was severely wounded. (tn 26 Nov.. 1776. he was elected major of the 9th regiment of North Carolina troops. with which he joined the army under Washington. Maj. I’olk was in the battles of the Brandywine and Germantown. Near the close of the latter ac- tion. October. 1777. he was again wounded. The following March. through the consolidation of the nine North Carolina regiments into four. I’olk lost his command. Returning to the south. he was given a position on the staff of Gen. Richard ('aswell. and was present at the battle of Camden. lle next fought under Gen. “'illiam Davidson. and was sent as an envoy to Gov. Thomas .letferson. of Virginia. 011 his return he joined tien. Andrew Pickcns. was prouiotcd lieutenant—colonel of the 4th South (‘arolina cavalry. attached to the com- mand of Gen. Thomas Sumter. and saw much active service. notably at. the battle of Eutaw’ Springs. He remained on duty in that section until the end of the war. In 1783 Col. Polk was appointed by the legislature surveyor-general of the “ tniddle district." now a part of Tennessee. and took up his residence at French Lick fort. which occupied the site of the city of Nashville. Ile re- ntaincd there until 1756. and was twice chosen a member of the house of commons from Davidson county. During this period all ﬁeld operations by the surveyors were rendered impracticable by the hostile attitude of the Indians. The following year he was elected to the general assembly from his native county. which he continued to represent until he became supervisor for the district of North ( 'arolina. This otlice he retained for seventeen years. until the internal revenue laws were repealed. From 1811 till 1N1!) he served ﬁrst as director and subsequently as president of the State bank of North Carolina. and then resigned in order to de- vo’tc more of his time and personal attention to his lands in Tennessee. which comprised an area of 100.01!" acres. Mn ‘25 March. 1512. he was ap- pointed by I’rcsident Madison. with the consent of the senate. a lu‘igadicr—general in the regular army. This commission he declined on personal and politi- cal grounds. being a. Federalist and not approving the policy of the :ulministration. “'heu Lafayette returned to the United States in 13424. Polk was named one of the counnissioueis to receive him in