Carroll-Howard County IN Archives Biographies.....Polk, Willis V. 1861 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 19, 2006, 3:40 pm

Author: John C. Odell (1916)

WILLIS V. POLK.

   Willis V. Polk, a prosperous farmer and stockman, who lives on the Michigan
road, two miles south of Burlington, owns a farm of two hundred and seventy-two
acres. He is prominent in the councils of the Democratic party in Burlington
township and for the past four years has served as township chairman. For a
number of years he has been living more or less retired, having turned the work
of the farm over to his son. Aside from his large land holdings he also is a
stockholder and director in the Burlington State Bank. In 1899 he built a
commodious country house and later erected a large barn, so that his farm is now
well improved.

   Willis V. Polk was born in Irvin township, Howard county, Indiana, on January
9, 1861, and is the son of William I. and Mariah (Kirkpatrick) Polk, the former
of whom was born in Virginia, the son of Joseph Polk. The mother was born on the
Kirkpatrick farm in Carrollton township, the daughter of Benjamin and Hannah
Kirkpatrick. The Kirkpatricks came to Indiana from Ohio and were early settlers
in Carroll county. William M. Polk accompanied his father, Joseph, to Carroll
county when he was three years of age, about 1831, at which time Joseph entered
land two miles west of Wheeling, in Carrollton township. He was a blacksmith,
coal-burner and farmer by occupation. Joseph Polk died when about forty-five
years old, as the result of pneumonia, contracted from exposure while engaged in
following his trade. His son, William, lived continuously on the same farm until
about ten years before his death, when he moved to a farm near Young America and
retired. William L. and Maria (Kirkpatrick) Polk had five children, including
one who died in infancy. Benjamin lives in Burlington, Indiana; W. H., at
Galveston, Indiana; Willis V. is the subject of this sketch, and Alice Bell is
the widow of Henry Bell, of Kokomo.

   After the death of his first wife, Maria Kirkpatrick Polk, William L. Polk
was married to Nancy Davis, who lived two and one-half miles west of Flora. By
this second marriage there were born four children, all of-whom are living:
Franklin N. lives at Young America; Jesse A. lives at Mansfield, Illinois;
Charlie lives at Kokomo, and Emma is the wife of Mitchner Pickett, of near
Galveston.

   Born and reared on the farm and educated in the common schools of Howard
county, Indiana, Willis V. Polk lived at home until twenty-one years old. On
July 15, 1882, he was married to Eliza A. Hendrix, the daughter of Zadock and
Mary Hendrix, of Burlington township, Carroll county, Indiana, where he was born
and reared.

   After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Polk removed to a farm of forty acres, a
part of the land upon which they now live and which has since been increased to
two hundred and seventy-two acres. Mr. and Mrs. Polk have had four children,
namely: Earl Lester, who died at the age of two years: Orrel L., a graduate of
the high school, who married Okley L. Landis, of Burlington, and lives on his
father's farm; Mabel M., a graduate of the high school, is the wife of Clarence
Stout, and they have one child, Lorlys Polk Stout: Edna G., who also is a
graduate of the high school, has spent one year in college at Ashland. Ohio.

   Willis V. Polk and family are members of the Brethren church at Burlington.
Mr. Polk is a deacon in the church and has served as such for several years. He
has also been superintendent of the Sunday school and has taught a class for the
past twenty-five years. It may be said in all truth that Mr. Polk has worthily
discharged his duties in all of the affairs of life and that today he enjoys the
confidence and esteem of all the people with whom he has ever come in contact, a
most fitting tribute to his character and to his good works in the community
where he lives.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Biographical Section of
HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY INDIANA

ITS PEOPLE, INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS
BY
JOHN C ODELL
With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and
Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families

ILLUSTRATED
1916
B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Inc.
Indianapolis, Indiana


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