Three Franklin relatives had crossed the Mississippi in the 1840's and settled in Louisiana. It is certain that Henry Franklin, the eldest brother in the Franklin family (and only remaining patriarch,) had letters from these families, who had also been his neighbors in Rankin County before leaving. Henry would have surely shared these letters with the remaining relatives in Rankin County. The letters would have talked about the journeys west, the quality of the land, success with planting crops, local towns and commerce, and of course their growing families.
The land near the Mississippi River was generally flat and fertile. Land too close to the river was subject to flooding, but allowed for easy transport of crops to New Orleans. Land farther west tended to be rolling, and covered in pine forests-trees had to be removed to allow for fields to be planted. Most of the families who left Rankin County would continue planting cotton, and cotton was doing very well in Louisiana at this time.
Map of Franklin/Womack relatives in Louisiana 1850
Map of Franklin/Womack relatives in Louisiana 1850
One of those who had already left for Louisiana was Henry's eldest son, William Plummer Franklin, the younger brother of Jemima, Rebecca, and Frances. William was only 8 years old in 1830, when their mother died, so it is likely that the eldest sister, Jemima, had helped to raise him. In 1843, 21 year old William had married Lovina Waters in Rankin County. Their first child, Amanda Caroline, "Mandy," was born there in 1846. William and his young family soon set off for Louisiana. They settled in Caldwell Parish, about 60 miles west of the Mississippi River. The capitol of the Parish, Columbia, was situated on the scenic Ouachita River. To the east of the river lay rich delta farmlands as well as swampy wetlands while to the west, where William lived, there were piney woodlands and gently rolling hills. Steamboats docked at Columbia to pick up both cotton and lumber. In 1850 William and Lovina owned a farm in Caldwell Parish valued at $400. They had three children; Mandy, Maranda, and Dawson. By 1851 another son, Wesley, would be born. William Plummer Franklin and his family would move to Trinity County, Texas by 1860.
Henry's brother, Ralph, was also living in Louisiana. Ralph had moved with his mother Jemima and her family from South Carolina to St. Tammany Parish, and at the age of 16 had fought to protect New Orleans from the British invasion. By 1819 he, like Henry, was living in St. Helena Parish. When the Franklin clan moved northward to Rankin County by 1830, Ralph was with them. Ralph had been unlucky in wives; the first had died in childbirth when they were newly married, the second died in Rankin County 1836. Left with eight children, 38 year old Ralph quickly remarried. He and his new wife moved westward to Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. Family histories tell us that he had a plantation near Olla, Louisiana (now in LaSalle Parish). Then known as Castor Sulfur Springs, the town was in the piney woods in the hill country, and had a post office, general store, hotel, and spa which was popular at the time for treating ailments. There was also a cotton storage facility here, and a steamboat landing at the town provided for shipment of cotton via the Red and Ouachita Rivers.
In 1850, Ralph was 53 years old. (The census erroneously puts him at 63.) His wife, Sarah was 50, and while several children were still at home, others (William, Isaiah, and Thomas) had established their own plantations nearby. The valued land ($850) is listed under William's name.
Henry's sister, Mary Rosa, had died in Rankin county at about the same time as his wife, Sarah. Her husband, Beasley Campbell, and Henry remained close friends and neighbors, with Henry officiating at Beasley's second marriage in 1832. Beasley's eldest daughter, Elizabeth Rose, lost her husband in Rankin County in 1836 and in 1839 married Joseph Miller, whose family lived in Natchez and neighboring Concordia Parish, which sat on the west bank of the Mississippi River across from Natchez. Elizabeth and her two children had inherited wealth from her first husband, and she used this to buy land and establish a plantation called "Flowery Mound" on fine flat delta land on the Black River in Concordia Parish. In 1850, Flowery Mound was a prosperous plantation, with land valued at $28,000 and over 30 slaves. Elizabeth was only 37 years old, living with two of her younger children, 10 year old Robert and 5 year old Joseph. She was a devout follower of the Disciples of Christ, and had sent her older children, Mary Anna and William Purvis to join her brothers Thomas Franklin Campbell and Fountain Campbell at the Disciples colleges in Bethany, Virginia.
Beasley's son, 24 year old physician William Preston Campbell, also had land on the Black River, valued at $1600. His wife, Sarah Womack was the daughter of David Womack and Sarah Norris, whose family would populate the next wave to Texas. Their son, Eugene, was 5 years old in 1850.
It is thought that Beasley Campbell moved to Concordia Parish between 1848 and 1850, as his son Alexander was born in Rankin County in 1848 and his son Louis in Concordia in 1850. Beasley built a plantation known as "The Hedges" next to Flowery Mound.
We will never know which of these relatives the Franklin sisters stopped at on their way to Town Bluff. After two weeks on the road, the weary families would have welcomed a place to stop and rest and enjoy the luxury of a bath. They would have enjoyed having a number of days to visit with relatives, and enjoy home cooked meals. They needed to rest and feed the stock- horses, oxen, and cattle. They needed to replenish supplies and get fresh water.
Although modern roads do not show it, the old maps show roads from Flowery Mound at Monterey which led west toward Alexandria- making this the most convenient stopping place of the three relatives mentioned. Elizabeth and Jemima were the same age, and had grown up together as cousins on nearby farms in Rankin County. They were married just two weeks apart in 1832. It is likely they were close friends. We know that Beasley and Henry were close friends and would have kept in touch. Surely Elizabeth's beautiful Flowery Mound plantation offered the epitome of the dream of cotton planters- a dream that they hoped to realize in Texas.
Sources:
Year: 1850; Census Place: Western District, Caldwell, Louisiana; Roll: M432_230; Page: 7A; Image: 333
Year: 1850; Census Place: Catahoula, Louisiana; Roll: M432_230; Page: 77B; Image: 476
Year: 1850; Census Place: Western District, Concordia, Louisiana; Roll: M432_230; Page: 154B; Image: .
In 1850, Ralph was 53 years old. (The census erroneously puts him at 63.) His wife, Sarah was 50, and while several children were still at home, others (William, Isaiah, and Thomas) had established their own plantations nearby. The valued land ($850) is listed under William's name.
Henry's sister, Mary Rosa, had died in Rankin county at about the same time as his wife, Sarah. Her husband, Beasley Campbell, and Henry remained close friends and neighbors, with Henry officiating at Beasley's second marriage in 1832. Beasley's eldest daughter, Elizabeth Rose, lost her husband in Rankin County in 1836 and in 1839 married Joseph Miller, whose family lived in Natchez and neighboring Concordia Parish, which sat on the west bank of the Mississippi River across from Natchez. Elizabeth and her two children had inherited wealth from her first husband, and she used this to buy land and establish a plantation called "Flowery Mound" on fine flat delta land on the Black River in Concordia Parish. In 1850, Flowery Mound was a prosperous plantation, with land valued at $28,000 and over 30 slaves. Elizabeth was only 37 years old, living with two of her younger children, 10 year old Robert and 5 year old Joseph. She was a devout follower of the Disciples of Christ, and had sent her older children, Mary Anna and William Purvis to join her brothers Thomas Franklin Campbell and Fountain Campbell at the Disciples colleges in Bethany, Virginia.
Beasley's son, 24 year old physician William Preston Campbell, also had land on the Black River, valued at $1600. His wife, Sarah Womack was the daughter of David Womack and Sarah Norris, whose family would populate the next wave to Texas. Their son, Eugene, was 5 years old in 1850.
It is thought that Beasley Campbell moved to Concordia Parish between 1848 and 1850, as his son Alexander was born in Rankin County in 1848 and his son Louis in Concordia in 1850. Beasley built a plantation known as "The Hedges" next to Flowery Mound.
We will never know which of these relatives the Franklin sisters stopped at on their way to Town Bluff. After two weeks on the road, the weary families would have welcomed a place to stop and rest and enjoy the luxury of a bath. They would have enjoyed having a number of days to visit with relatives, and enjoy home cooked meals. They needed to rest and feed the stock- horses, oxen, and cattle. They needed to replenish supplies and get fresh water.
Although modern roads do not show it, the old maps show roads from Flowery Mound at Monterey which led west toward Alexandria- making this the most convenient stopping place of the three relatives mentioned. Elizabeth and Jemima were the same age, and had grown up together as cousins on nearby farms in Rankin County. They were married just two weeks apart in 1832. It is likely they were close friends. We know that Beasley and Henry were close friends and would have kept in touch. Surely Elizabeth's beautiful Flowery Mound plantation offered the epitome of the dream of cotton planters- a dream that they hoped to realize in Texas.
Sources:
Year: 1850; Census Place: Western District, Caldwell, Louisiana; Roll: M432_230; Page: 7A; Image: 333
Year: 1850; Census Place: Catahoula, Louisiana; Roll: M432_230; Page: 77B; Image: 476
Year: 1850; Census Place: Western District, Concordia, Louisiana; Roll: M432_230; Page: 154B; Image: .
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