Faith without hope is like beefsteak without gravy.

"Faith without Hope is like beefsteak without gravy!"

Willis Polk

This phrase was shared with me by a wonderful gentleman who lived in Port Royal, Tennessee.  Robert Riley knew the Polk family that lived there when he was a young man in that same community.  He described Willis Polk as part of those "old folks" who had lived in the rural country always, and was hesitant to accept technology quickly.  He also said that Willis Polk was not sure about drinking water that came from a spigot or faucet - he thought it might still have electricity inside. 

These stories were shared by Mr. Riley as we sat in his house and he talked with Willis Polk's Great-nephew Jim Polk.  Jim Polk had come to Tennessee to learn more about his family, who had lived in this area before his father, James Polk (born about 1890), went to Detroit, Michigan to find work with automobiles or construction. 

Mr. Riley had known Willis Polk, who lived and worked in this same area until his death in 1949.  As I got involved with this work as a genealogist, I discovered that Mr. Willis Polk had been a patient of the same medical doctor who delivered me as a baby, Dr. Robert H. Elder.   Jim Polk, who lived in Detroit like his father, had come to Tennessee to walk the farm where his ancestors stood and learn more about their lives. 

Robert Alley and Jim Polk discussing Port Royal families

We will learn more about both of these gentlemen, their families, and the stories they told.   

If you are interested in learning some interesting information - Mr. Jim Polk's grandson and his family appeared on PBS' This Old House restoring an old home in Detroit

Link to Story: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/detroit-house/21018948/the-detroit-house-before

Next Edition: How Jim Polk learned about his Grandparents and Aunt No.