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Collection Number: 03708

Collection Title: L.L. Polk Papers, circa 1850-1965.

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities; this finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.

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Size 8.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 4,725 items)
Abstract L.L. (Leonidas La Fayette) Polk (1837-1892) of Anson County, N.C., was a white farmer; editor; merchant; Confederate officer in the 26th and 43rd North Carolina infantry regiments; Democrat and Populist; first North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture, 1877-1880; founder of the Progressive Farmer; and vice president and president of the National Farmers' Alliance, 1887-1892. The collection can be divided into the following time periods: correspondence and other items, 1862-1864, relating to events leading up to Polk's two courts-martial during the Civil War, plus his small diary; letters, 1865, from Raleigh, N.C., where he was serving in the North Carolina legislature; papers documenting the years Polk and his family lived in Anson County, N.C., 1870-1877, where he operated a general merchandise store; papers concerning Polk's term as North Carolina's first Commissioner of Agriculture, 1877-1880; papers concerning various business ventures, 1880-1885, including efforts to sell a diphtheria cure in Boston, Mass., and New York, N.Y.; papers, 1886-1892, dealing with the founding of the Progressive Farmer, Polk's work with the Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union, his election to national offices of the Union, and his death; and papers, 1892-1919, of Polk's son-in-law, James W. Denmark, and of Clarence Poe relating to the Progressive Farmer and Poe's ultimate purchase of the paper in 1903, and a few Denmark family items. Also included are photographs of Polk and others. Additions to the collection consist of materials on similar topics, especially relating to the Populist Party and North Carolina politics in 1892, the Progressive Farmer, and Polk's court martial. Included are several 1892 letters that concern the election of Marion Butler as president of the National Farmers' Alliance. Other materials include tintype and cartes de visite portraits of L.L. Polk, Sally Gaddy Polk, James W. Denmark, and the Polk family, and a small number of genealogical notes and clippings.
Creator Polk, L. L. (Leonidas La Fayette), 1837-1892.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Restrictions to Use
No usage restrictions.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the L.L. Polk Papers, #3708, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Acquired as purchases, 1965 and June 1970. Addition recieved from Anne Denmark Beaty in August 2010 (Acc. 101335) and and August 2012 (Acc. 101876).
Additional Descriptive Resources
A copy of the original finding aid for this collection is filed in folder 1a.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: SHC Staff; updated because of additons by Jennie Clements, 2011; Meaghan Alston and Nancy Kaiser, 2021

Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007

Updated by: Kate Stratton and Jodi Berkowitz, April 2010

This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.

Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

L.L. (Leonidas La Fayette) Polk (1837-1892) of Anson County, N.C., was a white farmer; editor; merchant; Confederate officer in the 26th and 43rd North Carolina infantry regiments; Democrat and Populist; first North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture, 1877-1880; founder of the Progressive Farmer; and vice president and president of the National Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union, 1887-1892. He was influential in founding the North Carolina College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts at Raleigh (now North Carolina State University) and the Baptist Female College (now Meredith College). Polk was the son of Andrew and Serena Autry Polk. He married Sarah Pamela Gaddy of Anson County in 1857 and they had one son, who died in infancy, and six daughters.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection is primarily correspondence and other papers and financial volumes of L.L. Polk. Items, 1862-1864, chiefly relate to events leading up to L.L. Polk's two courts-martial during the Civil War. Polk was serving in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania as a sergeant major of the 26th North Carolina Infantry Regiment and then as 2nd lieutnant of the 43rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment, Company I, in the Confederate Army. Letters describe troop movements, military campaigns, and battle experiences and comment on superior officers and military and political conditions. There is also a small diary that was kept by Polk during the war. Letters, 1865, are from Raleigh, N.C., where Polk was serving in the North Carolina legislature. Papers, 1870-1877, document the years Polk and his family lived in Anson County, N.C., where he operated a general merchandise store. Papers, 1877-1880, concern Polk's term as North Carolina's first Commissioner of Agriculture and include official correspondence and reports as well as many letters from farmers thoughout the state on various topics including economic and agricultural hardships, the North Carolina State Grange, fertilizer, fisheries, and grape culture. Papers, 1880-1885, concern various business ventures, including efforts to sell a diphtheria cure in Boston, Mass., and New York, N.Y. Papers, 1886-1892, deal with the founding of the Progressive Farmer, Polk's work with the Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union, his election to national offices of the Union, and his death. Papers, 1892-1919, are of Polk's son-in-law, James W. Denmark, and of Clarence Poe relating to the Progressive Farmer and Poe's ultimate purchase of the paper in 1903, and a few Denmark family items. Some correspondence of James W. Denmark relates to the Student Aid Fund at Wake Forest College. Also included are photographs of Polk and others.

Additions to the collection consist of materials on similar topics, especially relating to the Populist Party and North Carolina politics in 1892, the Progressive Farmer, and Polk's court martial. Included are several 1892 letters that concern the election of Marion Butler as president of the National Farmers' Alliance. Other materials include tintype and cartes de visite portraits of L.L. Polk, Sally Gaddy Polk, James W. Denmark, and the Polk family, and a small number of genealogical notes and clippings.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Papers, 1857-1919 and undated.

The collection is primarily correspondence and other papers of L.L. Polk. Items, 1862-1864, chiefly relate to events leading up to L.L. Polk's two courts-martial during the Civil War. Polk was serving in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania as a sergeant major of the 26th North Carolina Infantry Regiment and then as 2nd lieutnant of the 43rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment, Company I, in the Confederate Army. Letters describe troop movements, military campaigns, and battle experiences and comment on superior officers and military and political conditions. There is also a small diary that was kept by Polk during the war. Letters, 1865, are from Raleigh, N.C., where Polk was serving in the North Carolina legislature. Papers, 1870-1877, document the years Polk and his family lived in Anson County, N.C., where he operated a general merchandise store. Papers, 1877-1880, concern Polk's term as North Carolina's first Commissioner of Agriculture and include official correspondence and reports as well as many letters from farmers thoughout the state on various topics including economic and agricultural hardships, the North Carolina State Grange, fertilizer, fisheries, and grape culture. Papers, 1880-1885, concern various business ventures, including efforts to sell a diphtheria cure in Boston, Mass., and New York, N.Y. Papers, 1886-1892, deal with the founding of the Progressive Farmer, Polk's work with the Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union, his election to national offices of the Union, and his death. Papers, 1892-1919, are of Polk's son-in-law, James W. Denmark, and of Clarence Poe relating to the Progressive Farmer and Poe's ultimate purchase of the paper in 1903, and a few Denmark family items. Some correspondence of James W. Denmark relates to the Student Aid Fund at Wake Forest College.

Folder 1a

Original finding aid

Includes partial index to the correspondence of L.L. Polk, James W. Denmark, and Clarence H. Poe.

Folder 1

1857-1858

Folder 2a-2m

1861-1865

Folder 3

1866-1872

Folder 4

1873

Folder 5-9

Folder 5

Folder 6

Folder 7

Folder 8

Folder 9

1874

Folder 10-14

Folder 10

Folder 11

Folder 12

Folder 13

Folder 14

1875

Folder 15-18

Folder 15

Folder 16

Folder 17

Folder 18

1876

Folder 19-23

Folder 19

Folder 20

Folder 21

Folder 22

Folder 23

1877

Folder 24-29

Folder 24

Folder 25

Folder 26

Folder 27

Folder 28

Folder 29

1878

Folder 30-40

Folder 30

Folder 31

Folder 32

Folder 33

Folder 34

Folder 35

Folder 36

Folder 37

Folder 38

Folder 39

Folder 40

1879

Folder 41-48

Folder 41

Folder 42

Folder 43

Folder 44

Folder 45

Folder 46

Folder 47

Folder 48

1880

Folder 49-53

Folder 49

Folder 50

Folder 51

Folder 52

Folder 53

1881

Folder 54-59

Folder 54

Folder 55

Folder 56

Folder 57

Folder 58

Folder 59

1882

Folder 60-64

Folder 60

Folder 61

Folder 62

Folder 63

Folder 64

1883

Folder 65-70

Folder 65

Folder 66

Folder 67

Folder 68

Folder 69

Folder 70

1884

Folder 71-78

Folder 71

Folder 72

Folder 73

Folder 74

Folder 75

Folder 76

Folder 77

Folder 78

1885

Folder 79-87

Folder 79

Folder 80

Folder 81

Folder 82

Folder 83

Folder 84

Folder 85

Folder 86

Folder 87

1886

Folder 88-92

Folder 88

Folder 89

Folder 90

Folder 91

Folder 92

1887

Folder 93

1888

Folder 94-96

Folder 94

Folder 95

Folder 96

1889

Folder 97

1890

Folder 98-99

Folder 98

Folder 99

1891

Folder 100-106

Folder 100

Folder 101

Folder 102

Folder 103

Folder 104

Folder 105

Folder 106

1892

Folder 107

1893-1894

Folder 108-109

Folder 108

Folder 109

1895

Folder 110

1896

Folder 111

1897

Folder 112

1898-1900

Folder 113-114

Folder 113

Folder 114

1901

Folder 115

1902

Folder 116-118

Folder 116

Folder 117

Folder 118

1903

Folder 119

1904

Folder 120

1905

Folder 121

1906

Folder 122

1907-1919

Folder 123-130

Folder 123

Folder 124

Folder 125

Folder 126

Folder 127

Folder 128

Folder 129

Folder 130

Undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1A. Papers, 1862-1965 (Addition of August 2010)

Acquisitions Information: Accession 101335

Folder 225-227

Folder 225

Folder 226

Folder 227

Correspondence, 1862-1944

Chiefly letters of L.L. Polk and his son-in-law James W. Denmark, relating to politics and the Progressive Farmer. There are several 1892 letters that concern the election of Marion Butler as president of the National Farmers' Alliance; the necessity of editorial prudence of Progressive Farmer; North Carolina politics, especially the unlikelihood of a fusion of the Populist Party and Democratic Party politics; and press coverage of the Populist Party. Other letters concern family history research; family news, the sale of family lands, and the impact of economic conditions on farmers, particularly with regard to crops; travel and speech-making aspects of Polk's work as Commissioner of Agriculture; the death of L.L. Polk in 1892; and the inclusion of L.L. Polk in Josephus Daniels's book about "men and things in North Carolina." There is also a letter of introduction for L.L. Polk from North Carolina Governor Thomas J. Jarvis, Raleigh mayor William H. Dodd, and other public figures, and correspondence of Clarence Poe, who purchased and continued to publish the Progressive Farmer, relating to the legacy of L.L. Polk.

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-3708/1

Deeds, 1886-1890

Wake County, N.C., land purchased by A. M. Thompson in 1886 and by Sarah P. Polk in 1890

Folder 228

Financial materials, 1887-1901

Bonds and other accounting letters, possibly relating to founding of the Progressive Farmer; letter concerning advertising.

Folder 229

Printed materials, 1911 and undated

The Student Loan Funds of Wake Forest College, including a description of the James W. Denmark loan fund; Meredith College School of Art exhibit pamphlet, including works by Leonita Denmark; A Brief History of Progressive Farmer.

Folder 230

Polk and Denmark genealogical materials, undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1A. Papers, 1862-1949 (Addition of August 2012)

Acquisitions Information: Accession 101876

Advertisement, undated, from The Polk Chemical Company for a solution to treat Diptheria; review of Leonidas Lafayette Polk: A Study in Agrarian Leadership (1949) by Stuart Noblin; letter from Polk to Colonel Zebulon Vance, 25 July 1862, in which he defended himself against a rumor that he fled from a battle; and a letter, 6 October 1882, testifying to Polk's good character.

Folder 232

Papers, 1862-1949

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Clippings, 1879-1905 and undated.

Clippings primarily document current events and items related to L.L. Polk's business interests.

Folder 131

Diptheria clippings

Clippings, 1880s

Folder 132

Clippings, 1879-1887

Folder 133

Clippings, 1889

Folder 134

Clippings, 1890

Folder 135

Clippings, 1891

Folder 136

Clippings, 1892

Folder 137-139

Folder 137

Folder 138

Folder 139

Obituaries, June 1892

Folder 140

Clippings, 1896-1905

Folder 141

Clippings, undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2A. Clippings, 1892-1965 (Addition of August 2010)

Acquisitions Information: Accession 101335

Folder 231

Clippings, 1892-1965

A June 1892 issue of The Special Informer devoted to the death of L.L. Polk; two clippings with brief histories of the life of L.L. Polk; and an article about the Polks in the "Prominent American Families" series of Munsey's Magazine

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Volumes, 1864-1911 and undated.

A majority of the volumes document L.L. Polk's business ventures and finances, and there are numerous sales, account, and record books. There is also a diary of L.L. Polk kept during the Civil War and a small number of copy books of James W. Denmark, son-in-law of Polk.

Folder 142

Volume 1: Civil War diary, L.L. Polk, 1864

Describes action in eastern North Carolina. First entry dated 14 April 1864, Tarboro, N.C., continuing to Fort Williams, describing briefly daily action in this area of North Carolina until 21 October, the time of the court-martial action against him. Includes one list of casualties, 45th North Carolina Infantry Regiment Companies H, I, and K, for 1864.

Folder 143

Volume 2: Record book, Polk and Gaddy, 1866

Folder 144

Volume 3: Account book, 1870

Folder 145

Volume 4: Account book, James W. Denmark, 1871

Folder 146

Volume 5: Ledger, Polk and Gaddy, 1873-1874

Folder 147

Volume 6: Cotton book, Polk and Gaddy, 1872-1873

Folder 148

Volume 7: Accounts and notes, Polk and Gaddy, 1872-1873

Folder 149

Volume 8: Order book, Polk and Gaddy, 1873

Folder 150

Volume 9: Account book, 1873

Folder 151

Volume 10: Small notebook, L.L. Polk, 1873

Folder 152

Volume 11: Small notebook, (James W. Denmark?), 1873

Folder 153

Volume 12: Diary, James W. Denmark, 1873

Folder 154

Volume 13: Memoranda, 1874

Folder 155

Volume 14: Notebook with subscription list, the Ansonian, 1874

Folder 156

Volume 15: Account list, 1874-1875

Folder 157

Volume 16: Manual of Subordinate Granges of the Patrons of Husbandry, 1874

Folder 158

Volume 17: Business scrapbook, 1874-1876

Folder 159

Volume 18: Account book, Isum White, 1874

Folder 160

Volume 19: Sales book, T. A. Gale, 1874

Folder 161

Volume 20: Sales book, W. L. Kendall, 1874

Folder 162

Volume 21: Sales book, W. P. Davis, 1874

Folder 163

Volume 22: Sales book, W. A. Mansfield, 1874-1875

Folder 164

Volume 23: Cash book, L.L. Polk, 1875

Folder 165

Volume 24: Cash sales book, T. A. Gale, 1875

Folder 166-168

Folder 166

Folder 167

Folder 168

Volumes 25-27: Sales books, W. P. Davis, 1875

Folder 169-171

Folder 169

Folder 170

Folder 171

Volumes 28-30: Sales books, unidentified

Folder 172

Volume 31: Sales book, R. B. Gaddy, undated

Folder 173-174

Folder 173

Folder 174

Volumes 32-33: Sales book, Polk and Gaddy, undated

Folder 175

Volume 34: Financial records, 1875-1876

Folder 176

Volume 35: Letter copybook, James W. Denmark, 1895-1901

Folder 177

Volume 36: Subscription list, 1876-1879

Folder 178

Volume 37: Bookseller's notebook, James W. Denmark, 1879

Folder 179

Volume 38: Bookseller's accounts, James W. Denmark, 1878-1879

Folder 180

Volume 39: Sales list, L.L. Polk, 1878

Folder 181

Volume 40: Bank book, James W. Denmark, 1879

Folder 182

Volume 41: Ledger, farm implements, 1881-1882

Folder 183

Folder number not used.

Oversize Volume SV-3708/42

Volume 42: Scrapbook, Polk's Diptheria Cure

Folder 184

Volume 43: Advertising records, Polk's Diptheria Cure, 1883-1884

Folder 185

Volume 44: Cash book, Polk's Diptheria Cure, 1883-1884

Folder 186

Volume 45: Receipt stubs, 1883

Folder 187

Volume 46: Check book, Polk's Diptheria Cure Company, 1884

Folder 188

Volume 47: Bank book, Polk's Diptheria Cure Company, 1884

Folder 189

Volume 48: Check book, Polk's Diptheria Cure Company, 1884

Folder 190

Volume 49: Receipt book, Polk's Diptheria Cure Company, 1884

Folder 191

Volume 50: Account book, Polk's Diptheria Cure, 1884

Folder 192

Volume 51: Account book, Polk's Diptheria Cure, 1884

Folder 193-199

Folder 193

Folder 194

Folder 195

Folder 196

Folder 197

Folder 198

Folder 199

Volumes 52-58: Annotated mailing lists, Polk's Diptheria Cure

Lists made by L.L. Polk of townships in various New England states give population, druggists names, and notations that circulars and testimonials of the Diptheria Cure had been sent. Two of these booklets are for Maine, two for Massachusetts, one each for New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Folder 200

Volume 59: List of advertisers, 1886

Folder 201

Volume 60: John Deere advertisement, 1886

Folder 202

Volume 61: Letter copybook, Progressive Farmer and James W. Denmark, 1888-1901

Folder 203

Volume 62: Financial records, Farmers' Alliance, 1890-1899

Folder 204

Volume 63: Ritual, National Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union,1890

Transferred to University Library.

Folder 205

Volume 64: Speech to National Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union, by L.L. Polk, 1890

Folder 206-209

Folder 206

Folder 207

Folder 208

Folder 209

Volumes 65-68: Check stubs, James W. Denmark, 1892-1893

Folder 210

Volume 69: Bank book, Sarah P. Polk, 1892-1895

Folder 211

Volume 70: Notes on North Carolina roads, James W. Denmark, 1893

Folder 212

Volume 71: Membership records, L.L. Polk Alliance #2254, Wake County, N.C., 1895

Folder 213

Volume 72: Roll book, L.L. Polk Sub-Alliance #2254, Wake County, N.C., 1895

Folder 214

Volume 73: North Carolina treasury notebook, probably kept by James W. Denmark as chief clerk, 1900

Notebook contains chart on disbursement of public funds by the State Treasurer, excesses paid by Legislature of 1895-1897 over the Legislature of 1891-1893, state prison financial records, agriculture statistics of 1900 in North Carolina. On the first page are noted expenses of Populists and Fusionists and expenditures of the Red Shirts.

Folder 215

Volume 74: Digest of the Laws and Enactments of the National Grange, revised edition

Folder 216

Volume 75: List, probably record of letters to the editor of the Progressive Farmer, 1900-1906

Folder 217

Volume 76: Ritual, Farmers State Alliance of North Carolina, 1903

Folder 218

Volume 77: North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanics commencement invitation, 1911

Folder 219

Volume 78: List of recipients, Polk's Diptheria Cure, undated

Folder 220

Volume 79: Union League of America Manual

Folder 221

Volume 80: Notebook, unidentified, undated

Folder 222

Volume 81: Notebook with names and addresses, undated

Folder 223

Volume 82: Names of agents, undated

Probably of persons who sold the Polk's Diptheria Cure.

Folder 224

Volume 83: List of names under North Carolina county divisions, undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Pictures, circa 1867-1920

Materials in this series include one photograph of L.L. Polk and additional photographs of unidentified individuals.

Image P-3708/1

Polk, L.L. and 13 others, circa 1889-1892

Image P-3708/2

Parker, T.P., circa 1867-1870

Photographer: James W. Jones, Goldsboro, N.C.

Image P-3708/3

Group of about 65 men dressed formally, circa 1875-1890

Photographer: T.W. Moore, Mebane, N.C.

Image P-3708/4

Bearded man in profile, circa 1880-1890

Photographer: Holcombe & Alvord, Detroit, Mich.

Image P-3708/5

Advertisement for a magazine called Texas Siftings, circa 1870-1880

Image P-3708/6

Unidentified older man, circa 1910-1920

Oversize Image OP-P-3708/7

Polk, L.L. circa 1880-1890

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4A. Photographs, circa 1850-1920 (Addition of August 2010)

Acquisitions Information: Accession 101335

Image Folder PF-3708/2

Photographs, circa 1850-1890, 1920

Portraits of L.L. Polk, Sally Gaddy Polk, James W. Denmark, the Polk family, and an unidentified group sitting in a truck bed; includes cartes de visite

Special Format Image SF-P-3708/1-3

SF-P-3708/1

SF-P-3708/2

SF-P-3708/3

Tintypes of Sarah Gaddy Polk, circa 1850

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

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