1st husband was James M. McPhail
2nd husband was Joseph Travis Polk
______________________________________________
Lawrence County Press, Monticello, Mississippi
10 January 1901
Obituary of Martha Polk
Died at the residence of her oldest son, A. A. McPhail, in Covington county, on the --- day of Dec., 1900, Martha Polk, widow of J. T. Polk.
The subject of this sketch was born in 1835 in Leake county. She was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Cross. She was married first to J. M. McPhail in 1855 or '56. There were born unto them three children: two boys, Allen A. and John W., and one girl, Caroline. At the close of the civil war, she found herself a widow and in need of the necessities of life, with three helpless children to support. She went to work with a will that knew no such word as "fail" and cultivated the soil and supported her children until May, 1865 or '66, when she was married to J. T. Polk, a widower with six children. Bringing the two families together made it no lighter on her, for while she never worked on the farm as before, yet she had much to do making clothes for a family of eleven, which soon increased to 15 and then to 17, she being the mother of six children by her last husband.
She was a woman of a powerful constitution and an iron will. She was exceedingly kind and gentle and a consecrated Christian; a devoted and loving wife and mother. It has been said (through prejudice, perhaps) that there were "no good stepmothers," but not so in her case, for it was impossible for her to have been any better to her step-children, and there never was a time but that she could have had a permanent home with any of them, for they all loved her tenderly and she knew it.
She joined the Bethany Baptist church in 1860 and was baptized by "old father" N. Robertson, remaining a devoted member up to the time of her death. She was buried in the Brady cemetery. The funeral was conducted by her pastor, Rev. J. P. Williams, who made a very edifying talk, which was short, on account of the inclement weather.
Peace to her ashes!
BY HER STEP-SON
1st husband was James M. McPhail
2nd husband was Joseph Travis Polk
______________________________________________
Lawrence County Press, Monticello, Mississippi
10 January 1901
Obituary of Martha Polk
Died at the residence of her oldest son, A. A. McPhail, in Covington county, on the --- day of Dec., 1900, Martha Polk, widow of J. T. Polk.
The subject of this sketch was born in 1835 in Leake county. She was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Cross. She was married first to J. M. McPhail in 1855 or '56. There were born unto them three children: two boys, Allen A. and John W., and one girl, Caroline. At the close of the civil war, she found herself a widow and in need of the necessities of life, with three helpless children to support. She went to work with a will that knew no such word as "fail" and cultivated the soil and supported her children until May, 1865 or '66, when she was married to J. T. Polk, a widower with six children. Bringing the two families together made it no lighter on her, for while she never worked on the farm as before, yet she had much to do making clothes for a family of eleven, which soon increased to 15 and then to 17, she being the mother of six children by her last husband.
She was a woman of a powerful constitution and an iron will. She was exceedingly kind and gentle and a consecrated Christian; a devoted and loving wife and mother. It has been said (through prejudice, perhaps) that there were "no good stepmothers," but not so in her case, for it was impossible for her to have been any better to her step-children, and there never was a time but that she could have had a permanent home with any of them, for they all loved her tenderly and she knew it.
She joined the Bethany Baptist church in 1860 and was baptized by "old father" N. Robertson, remaining a devoted member up to the time of her death. She was buried in the Brady cemetery. The funeral was conducted by her pastor, Rev. J. P. Williams, who made a very edifying talk, which was short, on account of the inclement weather.
Peace to her ashes!
BY HER STEP-SON
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