The Seed of Sally Good'n
A Black Family of Arkansas
1833-1953

by Ruth Polk Patterson

Softcover, 183 pages, 5-1/2" x 8-1/2"
Copyright 1985, Printed 1996
University Press of Kentucky

From the back of the book:
Spencer Polk was born of an African-Indian slave woman known as Sally, and her master, Taylor Polk, a descendant of one of America's first families and one of the earliest settlers in the Arkansas Territory. A favored slave, Spencer Polk became a prosperous farmer and landowner in southwestern Arkansas and the founder of a numerous and energetic family. Since emancipation the family homestead he built on Muddy Fork Creek has housed succeeding generations and has drawn back those who sought their fortunes elsewhere.

In this new paperback edition, Ruth Polk Patterson, a granddaughter of Spencer Polk who was born and raised in the log house he built, traces the life of Polk and his family from his birth in 1833 to the present generation. The skillful blending of folklore, history, and personal insight makes The Seed of Sally Good'n an excellent contribution to the long neglected history of middle-class African Americans.

About the author
Ruth Polk Patterson (1930-1989) held a doctorate in American Studies from Emory University and taught in the Little Rock public school system

Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Illustrations
Preface
1. Crooked Marks on the Landscape
2. The Wilds
3. The First Remove
4. Oh, Give Me Land
5. Within and Without the Veil
6. One Seed Becomes a Singing Tree
7. African Survivals and Scottish Airs
8. The Last Remove
9. For Generations to Come
10. Archeology and Artifact
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Tables
Slaves Owned by Taylor Polk in 1850
Members of the Spencer Polk Household, 1880
Members of the Spencer Polk Household, 1900

Illustrations
The Spencer Polk homestead
Map of Montgomery, Howard, and Pike counties, Arkansas, 1914
The homestead certificate for Spencer Polk's first land purchase
Polk landholdings at Muddy Fork
Evolution of the Spencer Polk House
Jimmy Polk's first letter home
A scaled drawing of the Spencer Polk house site
Other illustrations include family pictures