Peyton Polk
Art + Archiving
Привет
Üdvözlet!
Hello!
Beannachdan!
Grüße
Pozdrowienia!
This website is intended to offer some insight into the projects that I'm working on and give some opportunities for you to get involved.
The current theme of my projects centers around preservation of family photos, documents, art, etc. The objective is to integrate these items in a tangible heirloom format that illustrates the unique stories of different branches of the family paired with their historical context.
Below, you can find information on individual projects as well as some different ways you can get involved in the initiative.
The Way it Rhymes
Comprised of no less than six sections, The Way it Rhymes details the life stories of dynamic pairs and their journey's throughout history. A vibrant narrative pairs with carefully preserved photographs that capture the essence of lives well-lived.
Castalia's Cowgirls tells the story of resilient women pioneering the landscape of Southwestern Florida in Post Civil War America. Charity Stephens and her daughter Ida Silence persevere through poverty, personal tragedies, and natural disasters despite all odds.
Schwed tells the story of the Volga German Friedrich family and their escape from the Bolshevik regime of terror in the early twentieth century. Leaving behind their motherland of over 200 years and starting a new life in the United States of America, bringing with them their family trade of Shoe Cobbling and Book Binding.
Dixie Drug tells the story of one of the first pharmacists in Homestead, Florida. Ephraim and Zella Sharpe Polk's personal histories tell a story of determination and grit.
Judy's Grill tells the story of Paul and Julia "Judy" Michalsky, chronicling their entrepreneurial spirits in the restaurant and gift shop industries and how Judy's spectacular Hungarian cooking coupled with their strong Faith brought them great success.
Judy's Grill is now available for purchase! Please click on the image of the book to purchase your very own copy.
Rose Road tells the story of the Fredrick family and gives a voice to the experience of the nuclear family in mid-20th-century America.
This currently unnamed section tells the story of Jack and Mary Polk and echoes the sentiment of the previous section, giving light to another Homestead family and a second generation pharmacist.
Polk
The Life Works of Mary Polk
A hard bound coffee table book with a largely comprehensive collection of art by Mary Michalsky Polk. This book follows her artistic journey from doodles and sketches, to cakes, to acrylic and watercolor pieces.
Genealogical Summary
This piece is supplemental to The Way it Rhymes and provides a more matter of fact account of family history using primary sources. This project traces back five generations for a grand total of 62 individuals and 31 couples to be documented.
Kate's Kitchen
Completed in the Summer of 2022, Kate's Kitchen is a semi-autobiographical collection of recipes and stories by Kathryn Fredrick Smith. In just under 500 pages, you can cook delicious meals inspired by "Kate's" Southern and German heritage and see a carefully curated collection of photos that paint together the story of her life.
Click the book above to order your own copy of Kate's Kitchen
Education
I hope that some of what you've seen has sparked an interest in this topic. If you want to know more, or are just curious on what I've found over the past few years of research; take advantage of the links below. Below is access to my Ancestry tree, the link provided will allow you to view only non-living people to protect the privacy of the living. If you would like access to a tree including living people, or are interested in some other information (ie. access to the Polk family archive, access to my family group sheets (coming soon), a copy of the most recent rough draft of one of the aforementioned projects) please fill out the form by clicking on the Information Request Form button
Get Involved
This research and art is a labor of love, and I genuinely cherish every moment I get to spend illustrating stories and bringing our family history to life. With that being said, projects of this scale cannot be accomplished alone. There are many ways you can get involved in whatever capacity is comfortable for you!
Time and Knowledge
Perhaps you have a story you would like to share, pictures you would like to scan, or an heirloom you would like documented for preservation. Please reach out and I would be very interested to take down any information you have and include it in these projects where applicable.
Additionally, in the early iterations of these projects and in the general family archive, there is much information needed on the content of photos and documents. Who is in them? Where were they taken? What was happening? If you believe you may have some information that is useful, please feel free to reach out and I would be very excited to chat with you about it!
Sponsorships
As a full time graduate student, my funds are rather limited, which limits the amount of resources I can access. My ongoing expenses include Ancestry, Canva, and cloud storage on Google to host archives. If you are interested in helping to offset the general expense of some of these items, please feel free to contribute any amount to my Cashapp ($peytne), Venmo (@peytne), PayPal (@peytne), or reach out to me personally. Any amount is greatly appreciated!
If you would be more interested in sponsoring a specific item, below you can find a list of different resources hiding behind paywalls that you can individually sponsor. Items with a * next to them have been ordered or sponsored.
Item
*Death Certificate
*Death Certificate
Death Certificate
Death Certificate
*Birth Certificate
Family Tree DNA Analysis
*Birth Certificate
External CD Reader
Person
Rosa Lee Garrett (9 Oct 1920 - 31 Dec 1940)
Ida Silence Garrett (17 Aug 1883 - 8 Jul 1963)
Thomas A Sharpe (4 Mar 1870 - 21 Nov 1922)
Margaret Lavina Loyd (22 Nov 1871 - 21 Nov 1922)
Mike "Mikey" Reho (19 Aug 1922 - 27 May 1931)
N/A
Jim (Eugene) Reho (13 Jun 1924 - 13 Sep 1924)
N/A
Price
$22.50
$22.50
$22.50
$22.50
$22.50
$12.00
$22.50
$28.00
If you decide to sponsor an item, please use the form provided to express your interest.
Check back often, new sponsorships will be added consistently!
Contact Me!
Don't be strangers! Whether you have a cool story to share, a picture (or box of pictures) you'd like scanned, or just want to talk family history, reach out and I'll be happy to chat with you. You can reach me at my email: peytonepolk@gmail.com
There's a saying that goes something like "you die twice, once when you leave this Earth, and a second time when someone says your name for the last time". My prayer is that the people we love will remain perpetually with us by having their stories told, and their legacies will live on in the people they paved the way for.
I hope that my work honors and respects the lives of the people who made us who we are. I hope that you wholeheartedly enjoy!
Much love,
