Samuel Polk (July 5, 1772 – December 3, 1827) was an American surveyor, slave owner, and the father of U.S. President

James Knox Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (18 ...

. 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 American soldier, pioneer and the paternal grandfather of President James Knox Polk. Early life Ezekiel Polk was the next youngest of five boys and three girls born to William Polk an ...

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 Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

Maury County, Tennessee Maury County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Middle Tennessee region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 100,974. Its county seat is Columbia. Maury County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesbor ...

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 {{US-bio-stub