Franklin County

by Gass, W. Conard. William Horn Battle, lawyer, legislator, and jurist, was born in Edgecombe County. His father was Joel Battle, cofounder of one of the first cotton mills in the Southeast; his mother was Mary P. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Easley, Kevin Owen. Henry Haywood Bell, U.S. naval officer, was the son of Mary Haywood and Robert Bell and was probably born in Franklin County, where his parents lived. He was appointed midshipman in the U.S. Navy 4 [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Ham, Marie Sharpe, Blake, Debra A., Morris, C. Edward. Bickett, Fanny Neal Yarborough by Marie Sharpe Ham, Debra A. Blake, and C. Edward Morris. Excerpted from North Carolina's First Ladies, 1891-2001, copyright 2001. Reprinted with permission [...] (from North Carolina's First Ladies: 1891-2001, North Carolina Historical Publications.)

by Magruder, Nathaniel F. Thomas Walter Bickett, attorney general (1909–17) and governor (1917–21) of North Carolina, was born in Monroe, the eldest of four children of Thomas Winchester and Mary Covington Bickett. His [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Gainor, Samuel M. Moses Andrew Bledsoe, state representative and state senator, was born in Franklin County of English ancestry. His father was Aaron Bledsoe, farmer; his mother was Elizabeth Radford. Reared on land [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Burton, Amanda B. Ratliff Boon, representative from Indiana, was born in Franklin County. Boon moved with his parents to Warren County, Ky., attended public schools, and then moved to Danville, Ky., where he learned [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stevenson, George, Jr. Brazier, Robert H. B. by George Stevenson, 1979; Revised by Andrea Smythe, SLNC Government and Heritage Library, November 2023 d. January 5, 1837 Robert H. B. Brazier, cartographer and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Green, C. Sylvester. His preparatory schooling included attendance at the Franklinton Classical and Military Institute and at the Raleigh Male Academy. At both institutions his scholastic record showed superior grades, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wallace, Carolyn A. Henry Groves Connor, judge, was born in Wilmington, where his parents, David and Mary Catherine Groves Connor, had moved from their native Florida. In 1855, David Connor, a carpenter described as a [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Steelman, Bennett L. Charles Mather Cooke, state legislator, superior court justice, and North Carolina secretary of state, was born near Louisburg, the second son of Jones Cooke, a planter, and his third wife, Jane Ann [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Smith, Claiborne T., Jr. Charles Cupples, Anglican clergyman, was born in Great Britain and sent to North Carolina as a missionary by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 1766. Governor William Tryon assigned him [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Steelman, Bennett L. Joseph Jonathan Davis, congressman and state supreme court justice, was born in Franklin County, the tenth of eleven children of Jonathan Davis, a planter, and his wife, Mary Pomfret Butler. William [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by York, Maury. Matthew Dickinson, teacher, son of Noah and Hannah Dickinson, was born in Somers, Conn. He entered Yale College in September 1800 and was graduated in 1804. In October of that year he traveled to [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Malone, E. T., Jr. Peter Pelham Dromgoole, the student whose mysterious disappearance from the campus of The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in the spring of 1833 inspired several Tar Heel literary works [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I visited with 97-year-old Lila Edwards at her home in Louisburg, 25 miles northeast of Raleigh in Franklin County. She laughed often and relished telling old stories of whimsy and folly, as if it [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Taylor, R. Hargus. Finch, Josiah John by R. Hargus Taylor, 1986 3 Feb. 1814–21 Jan. 1850 Josiah John Finch, clergyman and educator, was born in Franklin County, the fourth child and oldest son of Caswell and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Malone, E. T., Jr. Edwin Wiley Fuller, poet and novelist, was born in Louisburg, Franklin County, the son of Jones Fuller, a cotton broker and merchant, and of Anna Long Thomas, a lady of culture, religion, and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Yearns, W. Buck. Thomas Charles Fuller, Confederate congressman and federal judge, was born in Fayetteville, the son of Catherine Raboteau and Thomas Fuller. His grandparents were living in North Carolina before the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Macfie, John. Fuller, Thomas Oscar by John Macfie, 1986 25 Oct. 1867–21 June 1942 Thomas Oscar Fuller, state senator, Baptist minister, and educator, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Yearns, W. Buck. Robert McKnight Furman, editor and state official, was born in Louisburg to William H. and Rebecca Furman. Despite the fact that his father was a tailor of modest means, Robert attended the Louisburg [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Yanchisin, D. A. Daniel Reaves Goodloe, abolitionist and journalist, was born in Louisburg, the son of Dr. James Kemp Strother Goodloe, a school-teacher who studied medicine but never practiced it, and Mary Reaves [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Malone, E. T., Jr. Charles Applewhite Hill, state senator, schoolmaster, minister, textbook writer, and author of the state's first Literary Fund law for the financing of public schools, was born in Franklin County. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bishir, Catherine W. Jacob W. Holt, contractor, architect, and builder, the oldest son of David and Elizabeth ("Betsy") McGehee Holt, was born in Prince Edward County, Va. When he was still quite young his mother died [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wegner, Ansley Herring. Hopkins, Moses Aaron by Ansley Wegner Research Branch, NC Office of Archives and History, 2006. http://www.ncmarkers.com December 25, 1846 - August 7, 1886 Moses Aaron Hopkins, educator [...] (from Research Branch, NC Office of Archives and History.)

by York, Maury. Abby House, Confederate "angel of mercy," was the daughter of Green and Ann House of Granville and Franklin counties. It is unclear where Abby was born, but she spent most of her adult life near [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I met Joe Lewis in Louisburg, the county seat of Franklin County, 25 miles northeast of Raleigh. A vigorous 81-year-old who still breaks and trains horses, Lewis has never considered himself a civil [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Powell, William S. Charles Henry Martin, congressman and Baptist clergyman, was born near Youngsville, Franklin County, the son of William K. and Lucy Temperance Jones Martin. He was the great-grandson of Nathaniel [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Dunbar, G. S. McDowell, Silas by G. S. Dunbar, 1991 16 May 1795–14 July 1879 Silas McDowell, tailor, farmer, court clerk, scientific observer, and writer, was born in York District, S.C., the natural son [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Mitchell, Memory F. Bartholomew Figures Moore, attorney, was born in Halifax County, the sixth child of James Moore of Virginia and his second wife, Sally Lewis Lowe of Edgecombe County. His father, the son of James and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Peek, Matthew M. Hodge Albert Newell was born on August 22, 1883, in Franklin County, North Carolina, to Rev. George W. and Sarah Coppedge Newell. By 1900, the Newell family was living in Louisburg, North [...] (from NC Office of Archives and History.)

by Green, C. Sylvester. Marcus Cicero Stephens Noble, educator and author, was born at Louisburg, the son of Albert Morris and Mary Ann Primrose Noble. He was ten years old when the Civil War ended, and as a result of the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stokes, Durward T. Henry Pattillo, pioneer Presbyterian minister, educator, and Patriot in North Carolina, was born in Balermic, Scotland, the son of George and Jane Pattillo. He had two brothers, George and William, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Eagles, Brenda M. Thomas Merritt Pittman, lawyer and judge, was born in Franklin County near the town of Louisburg to Alfred H. and Elizabeth Alston Neathery Pittman. He attended the local common schools and Belford [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Queen, Louise L. Plyler, Marion Timothy by Louise L. Queen, 1994 14 Sept. 1867–24 Mar. 1954 Marion Timothy Plyler, Methodist minister and editor, was born in Iredell County, the son of Robert Conrad and Mary [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Taylor, R. Hargus. James Simpson Purefoy, merchant and Baptist clergyman, was the youngest of three sons of the Reverend John and Mary Fort Purefoy near Forestville, Wake County. His paternal great-grandfather, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bromberg, Alan B. James Lowrie Robinson, legislator, lieutenant governor, and railroad champion, was born in Franklin, Macon County, the son of James, a merchant and native of Tennessee, and Matilda Lowrie Robinson, a [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Johnston, Hugh B., Jr. Thomas Ruffin, attorney, congressman, and Confederate officer, was born in Greene County not long before his parents, Henry John Gray and Mary (Polly) Tartt Ruffin, moved to their new plantation near [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. William Haywood Ruffin, textile manufacturing executive, was born in Louisburg, the son of William Haywood and Sally Johnson White Ruffin. He attended Porter Military Academy in Charleston, S.C., and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Seawell, Henry. Henry Seawell, lawyer, legislator, attorney general, and judge, was born in that portion of Franklin County that was then Bute County. The son of Joseph and Martha Macon Seawell, he was principally [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Terpening, Gary. Jacob Hunter Sharp, lawyer, Confederate officer, legislator, and newspaper editor, was born in Hertford County and at an early age moved with his family to Pickens County, Ala. Not long after [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by York, Maury. Orren Randolph Smith, soldier, son of Louis Farrar and Olive Huff Sims Smith, was born near Manson in Warren County but moved to Louisburg as a teenager. On 1 Oct. 1846 he enlisted as a private in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Lucien Douglas Starke, newspaper editor and Confederate officer, was born at Pleasant Level near Cold Harbor, Hanover County, Va., the son of Colonel Bowling and Eliza G. New Starke. His mother was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by London, Lawrence F. Sutton, Robert Bean by Lawrence F. London, 1994 29 Jan. 1826–7 Mar. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Woodard, John R., Jr. Edwin Walter Timberlake, lawyer and judge, was born in Franklin County, the son of R. H. and Mary A. Harris Timberlake. His father was a country doctor, and young Edwin traveled around with him and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Fant, H. B. Henry Gray Turner, congressman, legislator, and Confederate officer, was born near the young community of Henderson in the part of Franklin County that became Vance County in 1881. He was the son of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Martin, John M. John Jordan Upchurch, founder of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, was born on a farm in Franklin County, one of four children of Ambrose and Elizabeth Hill Upchurch. After 1824, when his father [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Carroll, Grady L. E., Sr. Alfred Williams, businessman, was born in Franklin County to John (d. 1821) and Nancy A. Williams. He was the grandson of Jesse Williams and the great-grandson of Thomas Williams of Northampton [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Puckett, Robin A. Archibald Hunter Arrington Williams, businessman and congressman, was born in Franklin County near Louisburg. His father, Henry G. Williams, had been a state senator representing Granville County. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Patrick Henry Winston, lawyer and public official, was born in Franklin County, the son of George W. and Anne (Nancy) Fuller Winston. George Winston was a descendant of John Winston, uncle of Sarah [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Richard Harvey Wright, industrialist, was born in Franklin County, the son of Thomas Davenport and Elizabeth Glover Harris Wright. His grandfather, Griffin Wright, was a native of England. As a youth [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)