{"id":76,"date":"2012-07-28T13:43:42","date_gmt":"2012-07-28T18:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/?p=76"},"modified":"2017-06-20T22:03:21","modified_gmt":"2017-06-21T03:03:21","slug":"slaves-in-polk-cemetery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/slaves-in-polk-cemetery\/","title":{"rendered":"Slaves in Polk Cemetery"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are at least twelve (12) African Americans buried in Polk Cemetery in Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tennessee.1<\/sup> Various documentation contains the names of these individuals: three blacks have headstones; seven are mentioned in the Diary of John Houston Bills;2, 3<\/sup> one is documented on March 2, 1902 in a Memphis, Tennessee Commercial Appeal newspaper article about Ezekiel Polk;4<\/sup> and the twelfth is recorded in burial records of St. James Episcopal Church in Bolivar.5<\/sup><\/p>\n

* Three graves of African-Americans with headstones:<\/p>\n

1. John McNeal<\/strong>, April 16, 1907, age 57;<\/p>\n

2. Lila<\/strong>, wife of John, September 1909; [John and Lila had no children. Their estate was left to a niece, Lily Moore.]<\/p>\n

3. In Memory of Rueben B<\/strong>., faithful servant [of John H. Bills] and honest man, 1846.<\/p>\n

* Seven African-American burials mentioned in John H. Bills\u2019 diary:2, 3<\/sup><\/p>\n

1. Charlotte<\/strong>, died July 28, 1853. \u201cThursday, July 28, 1853 \u2026 Our house servant, Charlotte, died this morning at 3 o\u2019clock. She had been sick for 24 days of typhoid fever, during all of which time Dr. Neely attended her without affecting the slightest good in her case. We bury her in the family [Polk] Cemetery at 5 p.m.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Victoria\u2019s infant Emma<\/strong>, February 24, 1863 – Tuesday August 18, 1863. Victoria was a house servant who was a \u201cgeneral attendant.\u201d It appears she attended Clara Bills (John H. Bills\u2019 daughter). \u201cWednesday, September 18, 1861, Clara Bills & svt Victoria off for a visit to her friends at Huntsville.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It appears Victoria was acquired by John H. Bills between 1845 and 1856. He referred to her several times in his diary. She \u201cjumped the broom\u201d with Willis, a servant of Dr. Wood, on Monday, December 29, 1862. She had an infant on February 24, 1863, who died on August 18, 1863. \u201cEarly this morning Victoria\u2019s infant Emma died, disease convulsions from whooping cough \u2026 I bury Vic\u2019s infant in the Polk Cemetery.\u201d<\/p>\n

3.- 7. Sam Bills,<\/strong> his wife Lucretia (Creasy), Creasy\u2019s daughter Martha<\/p>\n

Martha\u2019s husband Willis, and Sam\u2019s \u201conly son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam Bills, circa 1797 \u2013 September 10, 1869. Sam was buried in Polk<\/p>\n

Cemetery one day after his death (September 11) \u201cbeside his only son.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

John H. Bills had purchased Sam on February 19, 1839 from John Lea for $650.00. (John Lea was the person who sold The Pillars to John H. Bills. Hence Sam changed owners but stayed on the same plantation.) Sam was about 42 at the time. Sam held a special place with John H. Bills. Bills had Sam baptized \u201cby sprinkling\u201d on Saturday,<\/p>\n

June 19, 1858. Bills\u2019 diary contains no other mention of baptism of any other slaves.<\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong> was a \u201cgood old servant\u201d who had been with Bills \u201cmore than 30 years.\u201d Bills wrote that Sam died of \u201cold age \u2013 he was a faithful honest man, refused to leave me when free & was true to my interest during the War of the Rebellion \u2013 peace to his ashes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucretia (Creasy) Bills<\/strong>, wife of Sam, circa 1805 \u2013 December 24, 1870. John H. Bills purchased Creasy and her two children (Bob and Martha) on July 17, 1833 from Humphrey Keeble. Creasy was about 28, Bob was 2, and Martha was 2.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Creasy served as a milkmaid for Bills. She died just over one year after the death of her husband Sam. \u201cOld Creasy who has been sick for 3 weeks expires at 9 \u00bd a.m.\u201d Creasy was buried the next day at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

Martha Bills Mayhugh,<\/strong> daughter of Lucretia (Creasy), circa 1831 \u2013 September 17\/18, 1870. Martha \u201cjumped the broom\u201d with Willis, another slave of John H. Bills. After Willis\u2019 death, she married WilliamMayhugh on May 26, 1866.<\/p>\n

On September 18, 1870, John H. Bills wrote, \u201cArrive at home at 5 \u00bd o\u2019clock [a.m.] & find my ex servant Martha dead. She has been sick along time, leaves 7 or 8 helpless children.\u201d6<\/sup><\/p>\n

Willis,<\/strong> husband of Martha, circa 1817 \u2013 September 16, 1862. John H. Bills purchased Willis on November 28, 1849 from Lucy Wynne. Willis was about 32 at the time. One day after his death, Willis was buried in Polk Cemetery.<\/p>\n

Sam\u2019s only son \u2013 name and dates unknown; died before his father, who died on September 10, 1869.<\/p>\n

* Jim<\/strong>, slave of Ezekiel Polk, circa 1776 \u2013 between 1860 and 1870.4<\/sup><\/p>\n

According to a Commercial Appeal newspaper article about Ezekiel Polk dated March 2, 1902, \u201c\u2026 In 1849 Edwin Polk gave the land for Polk Cemetery in southwest Bolivar, \u2018to be forever a family burying ground.\u2019 To this place Ezekiel Polk\u2019s remains were removed in the early 50s, and a second monument erected. Close by was put to rest \u2018Uncle Jim,\u2019 his faithful servant, who followed his master\u2019s fortunes from Pennsylvania to Middle Tennessee; thence to West Tennessee. A daughter of this same Uncle Jim is at present living in the Polk place in her ninety-sixth year.\u201d [Some of the dates in this article are not accurate. According to John H. Bills\u2019 diary:<\/p>\n

Thursday, November 20, 1845 –\u00a0A fine day. We spend it removing the remains of our friends to the Polk Cemetery. We succeed in removing all the tombstones & the bones of Colonel Ezekiel Polk \u2026.<\/p>\n

It also appears that Ezekiel Polk brought Jim to Tennessee from North Carolina, not Pennsylvania.] \u00a0Note: After Ezekiel Polk\u2019s death, Jim became a slave of Ezekiel\u2019s son Edwin Polk, and, after Edwin\u2019s death in 1854, was inherited by Edwin\u2019s wife, Octavia Jones Polk.<\/p>\n

The daughter of Jim, who was referenced in the Commercial Appeal article, appears to have been a freedwoman named Lively Polk.<\/p>\n

* Rena,<\/strong> slave of Major [E. P.] McNeal, died March 6, 1865.5<\/sup><\/p>\n

St. James Episcopal Church documented the funeral of: \u201c\u2026 Rena an old servant of Maj. McNeal\u2019s at Polk Cemetery \u2013 services at the grave.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is reasonable to assume there are other African Americans buried in Polk Cemetery. The above twelve slaves\/freedpersons are ones about whom we have documentation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SOURCES:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1<\/sup> Polk Cemetery is located on S. Union Street in Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tennessee. Some of Hardeman County\u2019s most prominent citizens are buried there, including Colonel Ezekiel Polk, grandfather of President James K. Polk.<\/p>\n

The twelve African Americans mentioned above are buried in the Southwest corner lot.<\/p>\n

2<\/sup> John Houston Bills Papers, Series 2, Diary, 1843-1871. Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Microfilm Accession Number J8.<\/p>\n

3<\/sup> \u201cDiary of John Houston Bills,\u201d Bills Family Papers, 1826-1877. Manuscript Unit, Tennessee State Library & Archives, Nashville, Microfilm Accession Number 123, 1972. (This diary is an extracted, typed transcription by Virginia M. Bowman, third great granddaughter of John Houston Bills. It contains some errors.)<\/p>\n

4<\/sup> \u201cEzekiel Polk, His Life and Character,\u201d Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, March 2, 1902.<\/p>\n

5<\/sup> \u201cFunerals,\u201d Church Records. St. James Episcopal Church, 223 Lafayette Street, Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tennessee, page 171.<\/p>\n

6<\/sup> Names of nine children of Martha Bills Mayhugh are noted in Plantations of John H. Bills, his Slaves and Their Descendants, 1820 \u2013 1920, by Katie Brown Bennett. A copy of this book is available in the Hardeman County Regional Library, Bolivar.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

COMPILED AND SUBMITTED BY: Katie Brown Bennett<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are at least twelve (12) African Americans buried in Polk Cemetery in Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tennessee.1 Various documentation contains the names of these individuals: three blacks have headstones; seven are mentioned in the Diary of John Houston Bills;2, 3 one is documented on March 2, 1902 in a Memphis, Tennessee Commercial Appeal newspaper article […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,29,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-african-american","category-cemeteries","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2094,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76\/revisions\/2094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tngenweb.org\/hardeman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}