Eleanor (Shelby) Polk (1730 - 1803)

Born 10 Jul 1730 in Tregaron, Cardiganshire, Wales

Ancestors

Wife of John Polk — married 2 Oct 1758 in South Carolina

Descendants

Died 1803 at about age 72 in York, York, South Carolina, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Jamie Handy [send private message] and Bill Polk [send private message]

Biography

When Eleanor SHELBY was christened on July 10, 1730, in Tregaron, Cardiganshire, her father, Evan Shelby, was 40 and her mother, [[Morgan-1110|Catherine Morgan], was 34. She married John Polk in c1758 in PA., or MD. She died in 1803 in York County, South Carolina, at the age of 73. Her Will was Probated on May 6, 1803.

Daughters of the American Revolution Records

• POLK, JOHN
• Ancestor #: A090148
• Service: NORTH CAROLINA Rank(s): CIVIL SERVICE, SOLDIER
• Birth: 1739 LANCASTER CO PENNSYLVANIA
• Death: ANTE 4-11-1803 YORK DIST SOUTH CAROLINA
• Service Source: NCDAR, ROSTER OF SOLS FROM NC IN THE AM REV P 489, 494; MECKLENBURG CO NC COURT MINS, BK 1, 1774-1800, P 24
• Service Description: 1) CAPT CHARLES POLK; JUROR
• RESIDENCE: 1) County: MECKLENBURG CO - State: NORTH CAROLINA 2) County: ANSON CO - State: NORTH CAROLINA
• SPOUSE: 1) ELEANOR SHELBY

Sources

• https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A090148
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151892018/eleanor-polk
• Family Search Pedigree File

Notes

• Research notes from Family Search
• Notes for ELEANOR SHELBY, EVAN SHELBY/C. MORGAN: From "Polk Family and Kinsmen," pg. 100: "John Polk, fourth son of William Polk and Margaret (Taylor) Polk, was born near Carlisle, Pa., about 1740 - possibly earlier. He was a soldier in the Revolution and acquitted himself with gallantry. He married Eleanor Shelby a daughter of Major Evan Shelby, son of General Evan Shelby. Eleanor was a kinswoman of Mary Shelby, who married Col. Thos. Polk. John Polk and his wife Eleanor (Shelby) Polk had issue: 1 Charles Polk, 2 Shelby Polk, 3 Taylor Polk, 4 John Polk, 5 Eleanor."

• RESEARCH NOTES: Some thoughts on Eleanor Shelby by Bill Polk, Kansas City, MO. March 1998: Polk and Shelby researchers have been puzzling and debating for many years as to the lineage of Eleanor Shelby. Some genealogies show her as the daughter of Evan Shelby, son of Evan Shelby, immigrant from Wales. Other family histories and publications show her as the daughter of Evan the immigrant and still others have indicated she was the daughter of Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky (who was a descendant of Evan, the immigrant). * * The "Biographical Directory of the Tennessee General Assembly," Vol. I, 1796-1861, under Shelby, Evan (1719-1794), pg. 666, shows her as the daughter of Evan and his second wife Isabella Elliott, viz: "Eleanor (Mrs John Polk), ...." Johnnie M. Johnson, in her fine book "Rees and Mary Shelby Ancestors and Descendants," 1994, makes a good case for Eleanor being the daughter of Rees Shelby (see below).
• The 1730 christening in Tregaron of Eleanor and other members of the Shelby family lends support to the idea that she is indeed the daughter of Evan Sr. However, the1730 Christening date creates a problem for the supposed 1758 marriage of this Eleanor to John Polk, b. c 1839. It seems improbable that John would marry a woman almost ten years his junior.
• One might argue that the birth year of c1839 for John leaves some room for speculation as to just how much younger than Eleanor Shelby he may have been. However, the ages of John's siblings (some of their ages not proven) would hold this c1839 as probable in order for him to fit into his family structure.
• Most genealogies on the Polk and the Shelby families give the date of marriage of the couple as 2 Oct 1758 (no proof or source has been found for this date). John would have been about 19 years of age and Eleanor would have been about 28. Another reason to question whether this Eleanor is the Eleanor christened in 1730 in Tregaron is the birth of her last child, Taylor, in 1780. She would have been fifty years of age; possible, but fairly unlikely.
• There is some basis for accepting the idea that Eleanor may be the daughter of Rees Shelby, son of the immigrant Evan. Various deeds in Mecklenburg Co., NC. attest to their families living near each other and their owning property in the same vicinity. Plus Reese Shelby and John and Eleanor served as witnesses for each other and neighbors for land transactions. More research is needed. * * For now, this researcher will leave Eleanor as the daughter of Evan the immigrant from Wales. Cass Knight Shelby, renowned Shelby family researcher, provided the following in his Feb 1951 outline entitled "First Four Generations of Shelby:" "Eleanor Shelby (?) The existence of such a daughter is problematical. Certain descendants of an Eleanor Shelby and John Polk of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, who are said to have married on Oct. 2, 1758, claim that this woman was a daughter of General Evan Shelby (Jr.) and that John Polk came to North Carolina from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Evan Shelby Jr. had no such daughter, nor any offspring who could have married as early as the date given. If this date (1758) is correct and the wedding actually took place in Maryland, that would seem to indicate a sister of Evan Jr., or daughter of the immigrant, Evan Sr. although there is no record of her existence. All we can say here is that it is possible, but real evidence is lacking.
• In this connection there was living in Greene County, Pennsylvania a Jeremiah L. Williams (Welsh descent) born about 1760, whose Will, dated March 8, 1841, names among nine children, a son named Evan and a daughter named ELEANOR Shelby which with other things connotes an Eleanor Shelby as Jeremiah's mother (his wife was Mary Ewart). Color is lent to this supposition by the fact that Jeremiah was formerly of the Little Cove of Franklin County, not far from the Shelby's and, if it is correct, then the mother must have been one of the immigrant's daughters.
• All of which poses another unsolved problem." One wonders if the Eleanor Shelby, daughter of the immigrant Evan might be the Eleanor mentioned in Cass K. Shelby's notes above. This scenario would make more sense considering the age difference between Eleanor and John Polk, and considering what Johnnie M. Johnson has to say in her book (see above for information on the book). Johnnie states on pp. 419 and 421 : "DAUGHTER: ELEANOR SHELBY POLK ??? Eleanor Shelby married 2 oc 1758 to John Polk b c1739; (JMJ: others say this is daughter of the emigrant Evan & Catherine Shelby; but JMJ feels this impossible; that daughter, and sister Rees, was born in Wales 10 jl 1730 (or christened) and this makes her 28 when she married John who may be 19; they started their family in 1760 when she would have been thirty and had children for 20 years; custom in those days was the daughter married about 14 or 15. Since there are no records to document this theory and since Rees & Mary Shelby started their family by 1740, JMJ strongly suspects that Eleanor was born after their son Evan (born 1739) likely 1741-45 and married John Polk in 1858 [obvious error date here]; they are near Rees & Mary in Carolinas and in PA. and on deeds etc; but no proof.....JMJ will claim them for Rees & Mary.... by the way John Polk ca an Indian Agent in North Carolina ... the Cawtaba Indians (a record seen but no copied)." More research is needed on the family in Greene Co., PA., (see above) and possibly in land records and court records before this researcher changes the parentage of Eleanor Shelby from Evan Shelby, the immigrant, and his wife to Rees Shelby and his wife Mary (or to anyone else for that matter).
• One must consider the christening records as strong proof of Eleanor's parents (but which Eleanor ??), and not make a change in relationship without a preponderance of evidence to support the change. This researcher DOES lean toward the idea that Rees Shelby is the father of the Eleanor Shelby who married John Polk. He may well have named her after his own sister Eleanor.
• More About ELEANOR SHELBY, EVAN SHELBY/C. MORGAN: Christened: July 10, 1730, Christened-St. Caron's Church Register, Tregaron 242

Acknowledgements

Shellby-1 was created by James Handy through the import of Handy_test_2013-07-14_01.ged on Jul 10, 2015.