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
