James Polk Corn, who went by the name Polk, was born into a family that had lived in Pike County since its early beginnings. The Corn family’s livelihood was farming. James faced tragedy early in life when his mother, Mary, died around the time he was five years old, a loss that must have been devastating for him. Despite this, James remained very close to his family, visiting them whenever he could travel up from Arkansas in his later years.

James’ teenage years were marked by uncertainty. The Civil War began when he was only fifteen. Once he came of age, James left home to fight. He served as a Private in Company G of the 58th Indiana Volunteer Infantry from January 1864 to July 1865. He fought in the Battle of Peachtree Creek, where our relative, Louis Byram Shively, was killed, and he also took part in General Sherman’s Atlanta campaign.

Soon after returning from the war, James married a young Pike County woman, Julia Ann Clifford. Unfortunately, not much information about Julia is available, except for her obituary, which described her as “well-known and highly respected.” Julia had ten children over twenty-two years, dedicating herself to her bustling household. Tragically, she died at the relatively young age of fifty-two, leaving behind her husband and two young daughters who still lived at home, including the youngest, Susan Maude, who was only nine at the time.

In 1901, James married Dora Ethel Miley Anderson, a younger widow who already had a daughter. The blended family eventually moved to Missouri, where their daughter Ruby was born, before settling in Arkansas. There, James and Dora had another daughter, Beulah. James and Dora owned a farm in Arkansas and lived busy lives. For fifteen years, James did not return “home” to Pike County. However, in his later years, he made several visits to see his children who remained in the area.

James Polk Corn passed away in his nineties in Arkansas after a long life filled with hard work, struggles, perseverance, and deep dedication to his family.

James had twelve children in total, but since time doesn’t permit profiling them all, I chose to focus on one: Allen White “Buddy” Corn, James and Julia's fourth child. Buddy was a highly respected and upstanding citizen. He served as treasurer of Pike County for two terms and demonstrated his generosity during the Great Depression by extending the property tax deadline so that farmers could harvest their crops before traveling to Petersburg to pay their taxes.

Buddy also led an interesting life. He served on a board in Winslow that decided which family would adopt orphaned twin girls, accompanied U.S. Marshals to break up a moonshine still, attended General Baptist conventions, served on the board of the Corn family reunions, and sang in a quartet for many years.

Picture by Ancestry.com