History
Franklin County was created in 1851 by an act of the State Legislature, but it was not organized until 1855. Since there were not enough settlers in the area to hold an election Franklin County was attached to Hardin and Chickasaw counties. On August 5, 1855 by an order of the county judge in Chickasaw county, an election was held at the home of James B. Reeve. The new county was named Franklin for Benjamin Franklin.
Two Franklin County men, Job Garner and George Ryan, gave 40 acres of land, which was platted and sold for town lots. The sale of these lots made the county enough money to build the courthouse and do the necessary work such as laying city streets, building roads, and paying for the costs of surveying and platting. On June 2, 1856, H.P. Allen, the county surveyor, finished the work of platting the village and the plate was recorded. The name Benjamin, honoring Franklin was chosen for he new town by both Garner and Ryan, and was used for some time. When R. F. Piatt objected on the grounds that there was already another Benjamin in the state, Judge Reeve was induced to change the name to Hampton, after Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Hampton is two miles east of the center of the county, and was later connected with the rest of the world by good roads and 3 railroads, but at the time of the organization of the county there was no roads at all and very few horses or oxen. In 1857 a post office was established at Maysville where most of the mail for Hampton was delivered. Later that year an office was chartered at Hampton. On December 19, Robert F. Piatt was commissioned the first postmaster.
Franklin County contains 16 townships named as follows: Reeve, Morgan, West Fork, Osceola, Ingham, Geneva, Oakland, Hamilton, Grant, Lee, Wisner, Richland, Scott, Marion, Ross and Mott. The Reeve's family home became the first county courthouse. The first census was taken in the new county in 1856 and the population was counted at 780. Just four years later it numbered 1309.
Boundaries
Franklin County is
located in the north central part of Iowa and is bounded by the following
counties: West: Wright; NW: Hancock; North: Cerro Gordo; NE: Floyd; East:
Butler; SE: Grundy; South: Hardin; and SW: Hamilton.
Current towns and communities (Zip codes given for towns having Post Offices
1890 1990
Ackley 50601 Osceola, Hardin Co. 1,286 1,696
Alexander 50420 Scott 50 170
Bradford 50041 Grant
Burdette Lee 25
Chapin 50427 Ross 200
Coulter 50431 Scott, Marion, Morgan, Hamilton 252
Dows 50071 Morgan, Wright County 600 660
Faulkner Osceola 50
Geneva 50633 Geneva 300 169
Hampton 50441 Washington/Mott 2,067 4,133
Hansell Ingham 169 83
Latimer 50452 Marion 70 430
Oakland Oakland 100
PopeJoy 50227 Oakland 200 92
Sheffield
50475 Ross
610 1,174
Abandoned towns
Town Township Town Township
Cream Hill Ingham Menzie Ingham
Coldwater West Fork Oakland Valley Oakland
Congress Hamilton Otisville (became Dows)
Elide Reeve Reeve Reeve
Ingham West Fork Shove’s Grove Richland
Maysville Reeve Union Ridge Ingham
Washburn Ross
Section II: Resource
Centers
Courthouse:
· [FCCH] Franklin County Courthouse
12 First Ave. NW
Hampton, Iowa 50441
Genealogical Society
· [FCGS] Franklin County Genealogical Society
Hampton Public Library, 4 Federal Street South
Hampton, Iowa 50441
Historical Societies
· [FCHS] Franklin County Historical Society
P.O. Box 114
Hampton, Iowa 50441
Libraries with Genealogical or Historical Collections
· [AcPL] Ackley Public Library
401 State Street
Ackley, Iowa 50601
· [AlPL] Alexander Public Library
409 Harriman
Alexander, Iowa 50420
· [CPL] Coulter Public Library
111 Main Street
Coulter, Iowa 50431
· [HPL] Hampton Public Library
4 Federal Street
Hampton, Iowa 50441
· [DPL] Dows Public Library
Dows, Iowa 50071
· [IGSL] Iowa Genealogical Society Library
628 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50310
· [ISHL] Iowa State Historical Library
600 East Locust Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Museums, Historic Sites and Visitor Centers
· Dows
The Depot Visitor Welcome Center
Dows, Iowa 50071
· Ackley
[AHC] Ackley Heritage Center
737 Main Street
Ackley, Iowa 50601
· Reeve Township
Maysville School
· Hampton
[FCHM] Franklin County Historical Museum
Franklin County Fairgrounds
Hampton, Iowa 50441
Section III: Records – records may be found at the record sites abbreviated after each entry. See Section II for complete record site information.
Census
· Miscellaneous census records: [HPL]
· Federal: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, microfilm: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Federal Indices: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1920: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· State: 1885, 1895, 1915, 1925: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Foster: Franklin Co Index to 1856 Special State Census (1987): [ISHL]
Vital Records
· Births: from 1880: [FCCH] ; from 1890, microfilm: [FCHM] ; 1880-1917, microfilm: [IGSL] ; 1880-1937, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Birth index: 1880-1894, microfilm: [IGSL]
· Deaths: from 1880: [FCCH] ; from 1890, microfilm: [FCHM] ; 1880-1941, microfilm: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Death index: 1880-1894, microfilm: [IGSL]
· Marriages: from 1855: [FCCH] ; from 1875, [FCHM] ; 1855-1925, microfilm: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Franklin Co. Gen. Soc.: Declaration of Intent (1985): [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Skovgard: Franklin County Marriages 1855-1880: (1981) [ISHL]
Probate and related records
· Probate records: from 1864, originals: [FCCH] ; microfilm: [FCHM]
· Probate calendar, 1884-1891, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Probate inventories and appraisements, 1892-1926, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Probate record, 1855-1899, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Record of heirs and estates, 1862-1927, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Wills, 1898-1913, microfilm: [ISHL]
Land and related records
· Land records: from 1855, originals: [FCCH] ; microfilm: [FCHM]
· Lands and deeds, 1855-1910, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Land records, town lots, to 1910, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Homestead records, 1882-1940, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Franklin Co. tax records, [FCCH]
Maps, atlases and gazetteers
· Area maps, atlases and gazetteers: [FCHM]
· Directory of farms and farmers: [IGSL]
· 1880 Franklin Co. Map and Index: [IGSL]
· Title Atlas Co.: Atlas of Franklin Co. (1977): [ISHL]
· Hardin and Franklin Co. directories (1946): [ISHL]
Court records
· Court records, civil and criminal: from 1856: originals: [FCCH] ; microfilm: [FCHM]
· Affidavits and powers of attorney, 1907-1934, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Franklin Co Gen Soc.: Naturalization Records 1856-1943 (1985): [IGSL]
· Naturalization records, 1855-1929, microfilm: [FCCH] ; 1914-1927, microfilm: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Franklin Co Gen Soc: Naturalization records 1856-1943, transcript (1985): [ISHL]
· Administrators, guardians, executors, 1891-1932: [ISHL]
· Pension tax records, 1934-1936: [ISHL]
· Adoption records: [FCCH]
· Divorce records, from 1869: [FCCH]
Cemetery
· Area cemetery records: [HPL] , [FCHM]
· Cemetery records, trustees, etc, 1907-1929: [ISHL]
· Works Progress Administration Graves Registration Project (c1938): [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Bi-centennial Heritage Committee: Cemetery listings: [ISHL]
· Butson: Seven Franklin County Cemeteries: [ISHL]
Funeral homes (Current)
· Ackley
- Sietsema Funeral Home
510 10th Avenue, Ackley, Iowa 50601
· Dows
- Elledge Funeral Home
100 North Lee Street, Dows, Iowa 50771
· Hampton
- Sietsema & Vogel Funeral Home
306 Central Avenue E., Hampton, Iowa 50441
· Latimer
- Willim Funeral Home
320 East Street, Latimer, Iowa 50452
- Sietsema & Vogel Funeral Home
303 South Donavan Street, Latimer, Iowa 50452
· Sheffield
- Grarup Funeral Home
203 Maple Street, Sheffield, Iowa 50475
Obituaries
Church, Bible
· Area church and bible records: [FCHM] , [AHC]
· Beer: Ghost Churches of Franklin Co. (1976): [IGSL] , [ISHL] , [FCHM] , [HPL]
· Chapin Baptist Church: [ISHL]
· Knoer: History of the McKenzie Church, Sheffield, n.d.: [ISHL]
· 75th Anniversary of the St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Congregation 1878-1953 (1953): [ISHL]
Military
· Military discharge records, 1917-1945, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Miscellaneous military records: [FCCH] , [FCHM]
· Residents in the 1870’s – Civil War Veterans who settled after the war, pensioners, 1883: [IGSL]
Newspapers: (on microfilm at town listings; years indicate span of newspapers on file, there may be skips in the listings)
· Selected area newspapers, microfilm: [HPL] , [AcPL], [AHC]
· Selected area newspapers, bound volumes: [HPL] , [FCHM] , Hampton Publishing Co., Hampton
· Ackley
- The Ackley World – Journal (1976-1996): [ISHL]
· Dows
- The Dows Advocate (1893-1997): [ISHL]
- The Dows Reporter (1963-1971): [ISHL]
- The Wright County Reporter (1927-1971): [ISHL]
· Hampton
- The Franklin County Recorder (1921-1930): [ISHL]
- The Hampton Chronicle (1975-1995): [ISHL]
- The Hampton Globe (1893-1913): [ISHL] , [HPL]
- The Hampton Times (1975-1997): [ISHL]
- The Franklin Record (1962-1862): [HPL]
- The Franklin Reporter (1867-1873): [HPL]
- The Franklin Recorder (1859-1929): [HPL]
· Sheffield
- Sheffield Press (1880-2000): [ISHL]
Lineage and Service Organizations:
· Area DAR records: [HPL]
Educational, business and other: (school annuals for this county)
· School annuals: [HPL] , [FCHM]
· Old School records: [FCHM]
· Miscellaneous business and organizations records: [FCHM]
· Area family histories: [FCHM] , [HPL]
County & Local Histories:
· Union Pub Co.: History of Franklin and Cerro Gordo Counties (1883): [ISHL] , [HPL] , [FCHM]
· Franklin Co Gen Soc: Index to the 1883 History of Franklin Co.: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Stuart: History of Franklin Co, Iowa (1914): [ISHL] , [HPL] , [FCHM]
· W.P.A.: Franklin County History (1941): [ISHL]
· Foster: Franklin County History 1852-1970 (1970): [IGSL] , [ISHL] , [HPL] , [FCHM]
· History of Latimer: [FCHM]
· History of Hansell: [FCHM]
· History of Hampton: [FCHM] , [HPL]
· Greimann: The Chapin Story, 140 years of history (1997): [ISHL] , [FCHM]
· History of Alexander: [FCHM]
· The History Committee: Morgan township history (1976): [IGSL]
· Jones: Inventory of county records, Franklin Co. (1978): [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Miscellaneous records from Franklin Co., n.d.: [IGSL]
· Whipple: A tale of two towns: Oakland Valley and Popejoy (1993): [IGSL]
· Greimann: The History of Chapin and Ross Townships (1967): [ISHL]
· Franklin Co Gen Soc: Franklin Co. Newsletter: [IGSL]
· Franklin Co Gen Soc: Franklin Co. Old Settlers: [ISHL]
· Pioneer Ackley: a bicentennial tribute (1976): [ISHL]
Publications
· Iowa Genealogical Society: Hawkeye Heritage articles through 1993, [IGSL] (Entries indicate year, issue number and page number.)
- A life of Unusual hardship: Obituary of Mary Ann Hart (1982) 4:172
- Early marriages: 1855-1872 (1976) 4:157
- Index to the 1856 special census (1987) 3:136
- Marriages: 1873 – 1880 (1990) 4:196
· The following Franklin County publications are for sale through the Franklin County Genealogical Society. See the Franklin County Genealogical Society Webpage for a detailed listing and availability.
- Index to the 1883 Franklin County History
- Old Settlers of Franklin County, 1911 and earlier
- Maps of Franklin County: 1882 with name index; 1920 with farm owners
· The following Franklin County publications are for sale through the Iowa Genealogical Society. See the Iowa Genealogical Society Webpage for a detailed listing and availability.
- 1856 Iowa Census for Franklin County
- Franklin County Marriages, 1855-1880
- Naturalization records, 1856-1943
Section IV: Credits (Record sources from within Franklin County were compiled from information submitted by the following individuals.)
· Marian Sanders; Alden, Iowa
· Bernie Greimann; Chapin, Iowa