Lawson D. Franklin

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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
RelativesWilliam 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.

Early life[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Franklin died on April 8, 1861.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "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 icon
  4. ^ a b c 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.