Lawson D. Franklin

Last updated • 1 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Lawson D. Franklin
BornJanuary 19, 1804
DiedApril 8, 1861
OccupationPlanter
Spouses
  • Elizabeth Rogers
  • Catherine Smith
Children3 sons, 3 daughters
Parent(s)Owen Franklin
Elizabeth Roper
Relatives William Allen Montgomery (son-in-law)

Lawson D. Franklin (January 19, 1804 – April 8, 1861) was an American planter, slave trader and businessman in the antebellum South. He was the first millionaire in Tennessee.

Contents

Early life

Lawson D. Franklin was born on January 19, 1804, [1] the son of Owen Franklin and Elizabeth "Betsy" Franklin (née 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

The Lawson D. Franklin House. Lawson-Franklin-House-tn1.jpg
The Lawson D. Franklin House.

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]

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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. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  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.