FRANKLIN.
Franklin county, which was laid off in 1784, named in honor of Benjamin Franklin, embraced a very large part of
upper Georgia, extending from the borders of what is now Rabun and Towns counties to Clarke, from the Savannah
river to the Oconee in Hall and Jackson.
It is still quite a large county of high hills and narrow valleys, lying along the base of the Blue Ridge, with
some large and fertile valleys along the Tugalo and the Savannah. The county site, Carnesville, was laid out in
1805, and was named in honor of Thomas Peter Carnes.
Franklin has sent forth into other parts of Georgia many most excellent people. It was for a long time by its location
shut out from the world, but since the building of the Southern railway and the branch to Elberton it has been
brought into close contact with other parts of the State.
The people generally have been people of moderate means, but famous for thrift, plainness and independence. It
adjoined Anderson district in South Carolina, and as Scotch-Irish people came from Pennsylvania into western North
and South Carolina their children came to Franklin in Georgia, but with them came many of pure English origin.
The Cleveland, Humphreys, Gorham, Payne, Harden, Echols, Watson, Little, Chandler, and Blair families are all Scotch-Irish;
while Wilkins, Sewell, Epperson, Rucker, Terrell, Hooper, Shannon, and Stovall are names of English people who
came to this country from Virginia or North Carolina.
Lands were given away to actual settlers. They were productive, the health of the people good, and the population
rapidly increased.
The Presbyterians, who came into Franklin at a very early day, organized several churches over a hundred years
ago, which are still in existence. The Rev. Mr. Cartledge, who resided in Franklin, was pastor of one church for
fifty years, having the longest pastorate ever held by a preacher of any name in Georgia.
The Methodists and Baptists came into the county at an early day and are very strong in the county. There are two
famous camp-grounds belonging to the Methodists in the county where meetings have been held annually for many years.
There has always been a good high school in Franklin, and good common schools are found in every neighborhood.
Franklin was very thinly settled for a considerable time after it was laid out, and in 1790 there were only in
all the vast area which it covered 1,041 people, of whom 156 were slaves. When it was much reduced in size in 1810
there were 9,156 free and 1,056 slaves; in 1830 there were 10,107, of whom 2,370 were slaves.
There was up to 1792 great danger from Indian forays, and the scattered inhabitants lived much of the time in blockhouses.
Near this period the Indians massacred a family of nine persons at one time, but after the formation of the Union
in 1789 the troubles with the Cherokees were largely settled, and there was but little disturbance after that time.
The county is now much worn, and the people are generally in moderate circumstances, many of them quite poor,
but the population is still considerable, being in 1890 over fifteen thousand of all classes. The people are entirely
dependent on agriculture but are very industrious and moral, and are a happy, independent people; and while there
is little attention paid to the higher education, there is a general attention to the fundamental branches of English.
