The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-04-14

a direct descendant OF the grim rcd !,
skin warrior Ppwhaian and his sad
faced daughter.
Like ali the Virginia Presidents. !
Iohn Tyler numbered among his an
cestors the most substantial men Of !
those who had made the province the
richest agricultural scctinn OF The New !
World. The TyIcrs had be IN leaders IN /
virginia public and social life for many !
years before the tenth President was I
porn. Both John Tyler, his father, and
Mary .hrmistead, his mother, were If
English descent. John Tyler the elder
was Speaker OF the House OF Delegates,
judge Of the supreme Court and Gov
cnnor OF the state.
In 1855, near tho southwest .rn from
tier of North Carolina, now known as
Mcck!enburg county, n Scotch-Iris
oand OF pioneers formed settlement.
| In the company were two brothers.
Thomas and Ezekiel Polk men OF en-
cellcnt character and influential. When
the news reached this distant; rcgicn
that the British were making them
! seiEes obnoxious in 1915, a convention
was called 10 discuss the matter. and
while IL was in session the news came
that the hrst blood of the Rev olution
! had been shcd Al Lexington. Patriotic
resolutions were adopted unanimously
and Colonel Thomas Polk read them
| from the courthouse steps at Charlotte
| One OF these resolutions declared that
we. the citizens OF Mecklcnburg Co..
! do hereby dissolve the political bands
which have connected us 10 the mother
| country and hereby absolve ourselves
/ from all allegiance to the British
| Crown, and We do hereby declare our
selves free and independent people"
! The Folks Were Sterling Patriots.
! OF Ezekiel Polk, the grandfather of
the eleventh President, little is known
| beyond the fact that he was warm
supporter Of the patriot cause and con-
tributed literally to the movement to
drive Lord CORVALLIS out of the Caro-
| linas When the British ravagcd the
Carolinas the Folks lost most OF their
property and the Presidents father,
Samuel Polk, began life as a compara-
| lively poor man. With his young family
| ne emisrated vast about three hundred
| miles and made new home in the
wilderness, in time becoming exceed
ingly well TO do; so that. by the time
the future President arrived at Adde'S
ccnce. his father was regarded as the
richest man in Maury county.
Colonel Richard Taylor, father OF our
twelfth President was a Virginian OF
note. distinguished patriot and SOL
der OF the Revolution. Both he and his
wife, Sarah ShroIher. were descendants
OF the earliest English settlers. and
both families had been prominent in
the building OF the commonwealth.
Soon after Zachary was born, Colonel
Taylor met with financial revcrscs, and
cmigratcd 10 Kentucky, then an uncN-
plorcd wilderness, and settled near the
present city of Louisville. There he
divided his attention about equally be-
tween developing the big estate which
no had mapped out for himself and de-
Tending himself and his family from
the active opposition of the original
Indian owners Of the tract.
Nathaniel Fillmore, the father OF the
man who stepped from tho Vice Presi-
deney into tho Write House at the death
OF General Taylor. was @ farmer in
humble circumstances, working piece
OF land on shares. in Cayuga county,
New York, but owning no real estate Of
his own. Both the Filimorcs and the
Miilards were Of English origin, as
were also tho ancestors OF Franklin
Pierce, who succeeded the New York
man. The latter's father was a Rev
olntionary soldier, man of infexible
Integrity, although mentally unculti
waited During. the administration of
John Adams. scheme was set on foot
TO draw the United States into an al
lance with England in her war with
the French republic and Major Pierce
was offered high position in the army i
which was 70 be drafted Unto service. {
mo. gentlemen he replied Poor
as am. would rather 20 10 yonder
mountains, dig me cave and live ON |
rfoast potatoes than be instrumental in ]