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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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Collection Overview
| 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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Information For Users
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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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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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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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Series Quick Links
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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.
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Series 1A. Papers, 1862-1965 (Addition of August 2010)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 101335
Folder 225-227
Folder 225Folder 226Folder 227 |
Correspondence, 1862-1944 #03708, Series: "1A. Papers, 1862-1965 (Addition of August 2010)" Folder 225-227Chiefly 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 #03708, Series: "1A. Papers, 1862-1965 (Addition of August 2010)" OPF-3708/1Wake County, N.C., land purchased by A. M. Thompson in 1886 and by Sarah P. Polk in 1890 |
| Folder 228 |
Financial materials, 1887-1901 #03708, Series: "1A. Papers, 1862-1965 (Addition of August 2010)" Folder 228Bonds and other accounting letters, possibly relating to founding of the Progressive Farmer; letter concerning advertising. |
| Folder 229 |
Printed materials, 1911 and undated #03708, Series: "1A. Papers, 1862-1965 (Addition of August 2010)" Folder 229The 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 #03708, Series: "1A. Papers, 1862-1965 (Addition of August 2010)" Folder 230 |
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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 #03708, Series: "1A. Papers, 1862-1949 (Addition of August 2012)" Folder 232 |
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Series 2. Clippings, 1879-1905 and undated.
Clippings primarily document current events and items related to L.L. Polk's business interests.
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Series 2A. Clippings, 1892-1965 (Addition of August 2010)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 101335
| Folder 231 |
Clippings, 1892-1965 #03708, Series: "2A. Clippings, 1892-1965 (Addition of August 2010)" Folder 231A 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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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.
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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 #03708, Series: "4. Pictures, circa 1867-1920" P-3708/1 |
| Image P-3708/2 |
Parker, T.P., circa 1867-1870 #03708, Series: "4. Pictures, circa 1867-1920" P-3708/2Photographer: James W. Jones, Goldsboro, N.C. |
| Image P-3708/3 |
Group of about 65 men dressed formally, circa 1875-1890 #03708, Series: "4. Pictures, circa 1867-1920" P-3708/3Photographer: T.W. Moore, Mebane, N.C. |
| Image P-3708/4 |
Bearded man in profile, circa 1880-1890 #03708, Series: "4. Pictures, circa 1867-1920" P-3708/4Photographer: Holcombe & Alvord, Detroit, Mich. |
| Image P-3708/5 |
Advertisement for a magazine called Texas Siftings, circa 1870-1880 #03708, Series: "4. Pictures, circa 1867-1920" P-3708/5 |
| Image P-3708/6 |
Unidentified older man, circa 1910-1920 #03708, Series: "4. Pictures, circa 1867-1920" P-3708/6 |
| Oversize Image OP-P-3708/7 |
Polk, L.L. circa 1880-1890 #03708, Series: "4. Pictures, circa 1867-1920" OP-P-3708/7 |
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Series 4A. Photographs, circa 1850-1920 (Addition of August 2010)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 101335
| Image Folder PF-3708/2 |
Photographs, circa 1850-1890, 1920 #03708, Series: "4A. Photographs, circa 1850-1920 (Addition of August 2010)" PF-3708/2Portraits 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-3708/1SF-P-3708/2SF-P-3708/3 |
Tintypes of Sarah Gaddy Polk, circa 1850 #03708, Series: "4A. Photographs, circa 1850-1920 (Addition of August 2010)" SF-P-3708/1-3 |
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Items Separated
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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