Lawson D. Franklin Papers
This collection houses 303 items documenting Jefferson County, and specifically Lawson D. Franklin and his family, between 1809 and 1874. The majority of the papers, including correspondence, accounts, indentures, plats, records of enslaved persons, and administration of his estate, document Franklin's business dealings. The collection is divided into six folders. In describing the items, the following symbols are used:
- ADS-autographed document signed
- AD-autographed document
- DS-document signed
- D-document
- ALS-autographed letter signed
- AL-autographed letter
- p-page
Documents are defined as all original legal writs, receipts, bills of sale, labels, copies of recipes, inventories and accounts and accounting memos and surveys and plats. ADS means the document was written and signed in the same hand. AD means the document was written and signed in different hands. DS means the document was printed and signed. Letters cover all business and professional correspondence. A page is one side of an item.
Interested researchers may also wish to consult the 477-page ledger of the settlement of Franklin's cast estate called Administration Book of Lawson D. Franklin Estates by F. W. Taylor and Robert M. Barton (CT275. F695 A5). It contains agreements, oaths, commissions, inventories of assets and enslaved persons, and the originals of copies houses in this collection. Additionally, the Herbert S. Walters Collection houses a file on Franklin Family genealogy. Concurrently examined, these three collections provide a wealth of information about Franklin.
Dates
- 1809-1874
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
0.25 Linear Feet (6 folders)
Abstract
This collection houses 303 items documenting Jefferson County, and specifically Lawson D. Franklin and his family, between 1809 and 1874. The majority of the papers, including correspondence, accounts, indentures, plats, records of enslaved persons, and administration of his estate, document Franklin's business dealings.
Biographical/Historical Note
Lawson D. Franklin was born on January 19, 1801 in Rutledge, Virginia to Owen and Betsy (Roper) Franklin. In 1825, Franklin married Elizabeth Rogers (1809-1846); their six children were Isaac W. Rodgers, Elizabeth Caroline, Jane June, Louisa, Robert O., and Lawson D. The elder Lawson Franklin married again in 1850, this time to Catherine Smith, divorcing her in 1851.
Lawson D. Franklin was a businessman in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Franklin's many business interests - including plantations and merchandising stores throughout the Southeast, a railroad company to Leadvale, and the Rogersville Bank - eventually made him East Tennessee's first millionaire. With his money, Franklin built three large mansions. One stands near Leadvale on the arm of Douglas Lake, where Franklin lived with Elizabeth. The second was built near White Pine, Tennessee for Isaac W. R. Franklin, Sr. and his wife, Dorcas. Franklin built the third, called Bleak House, on Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee for Louisa Franklin and her husband, Robert H. Armstrong. This mansion was used as headquarters for General Longstreet during the Battle of Knoxville in the Civil War; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lawson D. Franklin died on April 8, 1861 and is buried in Jefferson County, Tennessee.
Arrangement
Collection consists of six folders.
Acquisition Note
The estate of Herbert Walters presented this collection to the University of Tennessee Libraries, Knoxville, Special Collections in 1974 by way of Mrs. Herbert Walters and members of the Walters family.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository