Presidential Links to Blantyre

Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Blantyre history

Presidential Links to Blantyre

Some local Historians have documented the story or “Folklore”, that the 11th President of the United States, John Knox Polk, 1845-1849, was the Grandson of a William Pollock Born in High Blantyre on 27th December 1735 (according to the old Parish Register).

Absolutely Untrue

In 2001, I received an email from a member of the Pettigrew family who denounced the claim.

The story went on; William emigrated to America and followed his father’s trade as a Blacksmith and prospered so well that he amassed a considerable fortune, and bought an estate, married a wife and had 7 children.

Now this American family of Pollock, for some reason or other lost to time, changed their name to Polk; and a grandson of the young Blantyre Blacksmith was James Knox Polk, the 11th President of the United States of America 1845-1849.

Sorry Guys, but all of the above is totally unfounded.

With a little due diligence you can check it out, as I did after receiving the email from the family.

If you search the family tree of President James Knox Polk as below, you will find that there is absolutely no truth in the stories or “Folklore” that the American President had any connection with the Pollock family of Blantyre as can be verified by the Pettigrew family as well as the history of President Polk. See: See Petigrew Findings

The Presidents Grandfather was Ezekiel Polk Born: December 7, 1747 in Carlisle, Cumberland, Pennsylvania, United States

see: http://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Polk-Descendants-58

and on his mothers side, James Knox

See: http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?MarkerId=L-26

Just to put the record straight. It just proves that seeing it in print does not make it true.

~~~