Over the holidays, my daughter and I were visiting family, and I caught myself doing what I always do—asking too many questions. About a historical fun fact, about food, about why anyone would ever press their sheets.

Death Readiness Dispatch

January 9, 2026

Hi there,

 

Over the holidays, my daughter and I were visiting family, and I caught myself doing what I always do—asking too many questions. About a historical fun fact, about food, about why anyone would ever press their sheets. At one point, my cousin Doug finally said, “Jill, I feel like I’m being interrogated!”

 

He wasn’t wrong. I love details. And sometimes, those details change the entire story.

 

Today, I’m telling the story of Polk Place, the Nashville home of President James K. Polk and his wife, Sarah. It’s a story that’s often summarized as a family fight after Sarah died. But when I dug into the actual documents—the deed, James Polk’s will, and the trust language, I saw that the real problem started much earlier...with President Polk himself.

 

Sarah Polk lived at Polk Place for more than forty years. She maintained it. She raised her great-niece there. And yet, legally, it was never hers.

 

James Polk gave Sarah a life estate—the right to live in the home for her lifetime—but not ownership. 

 

He assumed the State of Tennessee would act as trustee after her death. He imposed conditions that didn’t reflect real family life. And when those assumptions collapsed, a will contest followed.

The result? A presidential home that became an apartment building, then a parking lot.

This episode is a reminder that estate planning failures aren’t always dramatic. Sometimes they’re quiet, technical and only obvious once it’s too late.

 

Today, I walk through:

If this story made you think, “I have documents, but I’m not sure they would actually work,” you’re not alone.

 

That’s exactly why I created The Death Readiness Playbook—to help you spot gaps like unclear ownership, bad assumptions, and plans that don’t match real life before they become someone else’s problem.

Thanks for being here.