Signature of Polk Taylor in 1921, on the occasion of his remarriage
Reverend Polk Taylor (September 8, 1833 – June 18, 1934) was a formerly enslaved American Methodist minister who was inaccurately reported to have been owned by two former U.S. presidents, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor.[1] This claim was inaccurate, as he had been the property of Zachary Taylor's daughter Ann Eliza Taylor, and had merely been named after Polk.[2] Ann Eliza later gave Polk Taylor to her niece as a gift.[3] Zachary Taylor had three daughters who survived to adulthood, the oldest was Ann, the youngest was Eliza; it's unclear which one owned Polk Taylor.
Polk Taylor was born 1833 in Brownsville, Tennessee.[4] His father was Tom Alexander, a native of Tennessee;[4][5] Polk Taylor's mother is recorded in his death certificate as "Phyllis," a native of Africa,[5] and on his second marriage documents she is listed as Phyllis Richard.[6] Polk Taylor was apparently manumitted sometime around 1858 and then studied for the Methodist ministry.[2] A Rev. Polk Taylor of Texas is listed in a directory of contributors to a Baptist missionary fund in 1887.[7] He lived for some time in Colorado, where he seemingly lived and preached in Calhan.[8] His wife and adult son both died in 1913 and services were held for them in Colorado Springs.[9] He moved to Washington state about 1915.[2] On December 30, 1921, at age 83, he remarried to a 42-year-old divorcée named Lizzie Smith Clay.[10] In Washington, he was called "Uncle," tended a vegetable garden at his home, and voted in every election.[11] He died June 18, 1934, of chronic myocarditis at the county home in Yakima, Washington, at age 100.[5][1][12]
