COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES s e r v i c e fo r his country* should circtmistances r e q u ir e i t And well did he keep that vow. H e s e r v e d until the muster out and then re tu r n e d to take up the tics o f home and the c a r e s o f business. Such w as his ]K)pularity th a t alm o st immediately after his return he w a s unanim ously elected on (he Democratic tic k e t to rqiresciU the Scvcnlccnih district— c o m p o se d of the counties of Columbia* Mon to u r, Northumberland and S u llivan ~ tn the F i ft y - s ix t h Congress. Although the district h a d t>een represenleil by a Republican, his ma jo r i t y w as nearly two thousand. In 1900 he w a s rcclcctcd by an increased m ajority of n e a r ly fifteen hundred, but refusetl (he nomi n a tio n fo r the third lem i owing to pressure of b u sin e ss, which would interfere with his work fo r h ts constituents. T h e bluest blood of the South flowed th ro u g h his veins an<l he w as all that is undcrstoocl hy the expression "a true Southern gen tlem an.” From his paternal ancestry he was cntitle<l to memltcrship in the O rder of the C in cin n ati, founded by officers of the Kc%‘olutio n a ry war. The medal o f this society which he w o re was given only to male descendants of the original mcnil>crs of the order, and was inherited by successive generations. M r. I^olk w as also a memlwr of the U niversity Club o f Philadclnhia* the Moncta and Penn Social CTuhs or Danville, the Elks and the Masons. In the latter connection he lielonged to Mahon ing Ixid ge. No. 5 1 6; R oyal A rch Chapter No. 2 3 9 : C alvary Commandery, X o. 3 7 : and Ircm T em ple, A . A . O. N. M . S ., o f W ilkes-Barre. H e W'as atso an honorary alumni trustee o f Lehigh University. H is church connection w as with Christ ICpiscopal Church, Danville, o f which he w as vestryman four years. M r. Polk's death occurred at Philadelphia. M arch 5, 1902. and the funeral was held at Danville Ihe Saturday following. It brought together an assemblage o f notable men never before seen in the town* and the oliscquics were marked by a degree o f honor seldom shown c%'en to men o f prominence. Besides the committees form ally representing l>oth houses o f Congress there were a numlier of other members o f that b o d y: (he secretary o f ihe navy w as reprcscntc<l: (Jcncral Gobin and his staff were present: Hon. William Jennings Bryan, wilh whom S ir. Polk w as well ac quainted. took advantage of the fact that he was in this section of the State and came to pay his rcs|>ccts; and many o f Pennsylvania's most proiumcnt men were in llie throng. All these and more were represented in the beauti ful floral offerings* among which were tributes
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from the Howe & Polk cmjiloyces, llo w e and .^amucls employees* the Penn and Monela ‘ Clubs, survivors of the 12th Regiment, Penn sylvania Volunteers* and the Sunbury I^odge o f Elks. T he Moncta club kept open house during the day to look after the Congressional committees and others from out o f town* and during the funeral the stores and other places o f business along M ill and Bloom streets closed out o f resj>ect for (he deceased. T he |>a)l bearers w*crc selected from among the employees of the tnlic works, which were shut down for the <lay. T he employees allcnded in a l)0<ly, for M r. Polk w as a friend to rich and |KK)r alike. " In the humble walks o f life w here huntanity learns to appreciate sympathy and kindness such as R. K . Polk had to give he W'as not foq;ottcn and men vied with each other in (he tributes paid to his memory. . . . Each individual cherished some affec tionate mcmor)' of the deceased, and as he turne<I aw ay from the hier there was in his look and manner that to indicate he w as a mourner at heart.” The remains were laid to rest ill I'a ir 'icw cemetery at Danville. In 1892 Mr. Polk w as united in m arriage to Isabella Montgomery G ricr, only <biughter o f I. X . G rier, o f Danville, who survives him and lives in that (own. T o this union were bom five children: Kmma, Porter, Isabella, Sarah and Rebecca. Of these all arc living but Sarah. I.U T H R R B . K L I N E, M . D .. one of the oldest resident physicians o f Catawissa. and fo r many years prominent in the medical a s sociations o f Columbia county* w as born Dec. 24, 1K42, in Kush township, Northumberland Co., Pa. He is a son o f Harmon G . and M ary (B assett) KHne* natives o f Pennsyl vania* and of Gcmtan-Scotch descent. Isaac Kline* the Doctor's grandfather, came from New* Jersey to Up|>er Augusta township, Northumberland county, and there resided until his death. By his w ife, KlizaIieth (D cW ilt), he had six children: Jerusha, w ife o f John M cttlcr; Eleanor, w ife o f Sam uel R eeder: Sarah* w ife o f Isaac H offm an: Isaac D .: Harmon G .: and one that died at the age o f fourteen years. Hannon G . Kline, father o f Dr. Kline, w as a farm er in Nor(humt>erland county, near Sunbury. H e w as Iiom there Aug. 30, 18 18 , and died in March* 1902. Ho marrfcd M ary Bassett* who was lK>ni A pril to. 18 2 1. daugh ter o f I.uther Bassett, o f riiillinsburg, N . J., and died Sept. 27, 19 14 . T h ev nad nine chHdreti: Im thcr B., mentioned above; HHsha
