Lawson D. Franklin

Lawson D. Franklin
Born January 19, 1804
Died April 8, 1861
Residence Lawson D. Franklin House
Occupation Planter
Spouse(s) Elizabeth Rogers
Catherine Smith
Children 3 sons, 3 daughters
Parent(s) Owen Franklin
Elizabeth Roper
Relatives William Allen Montgomery (son-in-law)

Lawson D. Franklin (1804-1861) was an American planter, slavetrader and businessman in the antebellum South. He was the first millionaire in Tennessee.

Early life

Lawson D. Franklin was born on January 19, 1804,[1] the son of Owen Franklin and Elizabeth "Betsy" Franklin (nee Roper).[2] On his paternal side, he was a descendant of one of Benjamin Franklin's brothers.[3]

Career

Franklin was a large landowner and businessman.[1] He traded animals and black slaves.[1][4] He funded the Bank of East Tennessee,[4] a bank based in Rogersville, Tennessee.[1]

Franklin became the first millionaire in Tennessee.[4]

Personal life

Franklin married Elizabeth Rogers (1809-1846). They had three sons, Isaac W. Rodgers (1827-1866), Robert O. Franklin and Lawson D. Franklin (1841-1847), and three daughters, Elizabeth Caroline (1831-1909), Jane June and Louisa. He married a second time to Catherine Smith.

Franklin resided at the Lawson D. Franklin House in White Pine, Tennessee.[1] He built Fairfax in White Pine for his son Isaac, and Bleak House in Knoxville, Tennessee for his daughter Louisa.[1]

Death

Franklin died on April 8, 1861.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Finding Aid for the Lawson D. Franklin Papers MS.0780". Special Collections Online. University of Tennessee Libraries. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Lawson D. Franklin". genealytreemaker. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "Fairfax: Old South Reborn". The Kingsport News (Kingsport, Tennessee). August 4, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved November 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 Stewart, Bruce (2012). Blood in the Hills: A History of Violence in Appalachia. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. pp. 178–179. ISBN 9780813134277. OCLC 724674678.
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