Poll, nicknamed Polly, was a pet parrot originally owned by Rachel Jackson but adopted after her death by her husband, U.S. president Andrew Jackson. According to an unauthenticated anecdote, Poll had to be removed from Jackson's funeral in 1845 after causing a disturbance by shouting profanities.
Life
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Poll, nicknamed Polly,[1] was purchased by Andrew Jackson for his wife Rachel for $25 in 1827 (equivalent to $673 in 2023), a year before her death. Jackson loved Poll dearly, and often wrote letters to his nephew, William Donelson, asking about the bird's health; Donelson took care of Poll while Jackson could not. In his letters, Donelson described Poll as "fat and saucy" and predicted that she would "live to be an old Bird". Poll appeared less frequently in Jackson's letters after 1837, due in part to Jackson living with the bird at that point.[2]
At Jackson's funeral on June 10, 1845,[3] Poll is said to have repeatedly cursed loudly, disturbing the attendees of the funeral.[4][5] Reverend William Menefee Norment, who was there, recollected that Poll "got excited and commenced swearing so loud and long as to disturb the people and had to be carried from the house".[6][7] Professor of History Dan Feller at the University of Tennessee said that the story is "uncontroverted but also unauthenticated".[2] Norment (born September 1829) was 15 years old when the funeral took place, and first wrote about it in 1921 when he was 91 years old, or nearly 76 years after the supposed event.[6][2] It is the only known eyewitness account, and partly accredited to Norment's daughter Fannie who wrote it in a letter on his behalf.[6][7][2]
After Jackson's death, Poll was likely cared for by Jackson's remaining family at the Hermitage. The last known reference to Poll was in an 1850 letter written by Jackson's adoptive grandchildren.[2]
See also
edit- Talking bird – Bird that can mimic human speech
- United States presidential pets
- List of individual birds
References
edit- ^ "A Brief History of President-Bird Companionship". Audubon Society. February 12, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Ibrahim, Nur (April 26, 2024). "Andrew Jackson's Parrot Kicked Out of His Funeral for Swearing?". Snopes. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Today in History, June 10, 1845: Andrew Jackson's parrot removed from his funeral for swearing". The Enquirer. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Meyer, Holly. "Andrew Jackson's funeral drew thousands, 1 swearing parrot". The Tennessean. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Wootson, Cleve Jr. (January 12, 2018). "A history of White House profanity — and one cursing presidential parrot". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c Heiskell, Samuel Gordon (1920). Andrew Jackson and Early Tennessee History. Vol. 3. Nashville, TN: Ambrose Printing Co. p. 53-54.
- ^ a b Cheathem, Mark R. (April 16, 2012). "Andrew Jackson's Profane Parrot". Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
External links
edit- Copy of Februyary 26 1920 article from The Cumberland Presbyterian on William Menefee Norment hosted by the historical society of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.