The History of Our Franklin Family

Immigration to America

Our clan of Franklin's began with the immigration of Sol Franklin to America around 1860.   Soon after he arrived, he volunteered to serve in  the Confederate Army of the Civil War.  His unit,  Company D - Hamer's Rifles of the 18th Regiment, was raised on April 19, 1861, in Yazoo City, Mississippi. During his service he was shot and wounded three times and remarkably survived without becoming disabled or killed.  Much of his recovery was spent in the Confederate hospital in Danville in Henry County, Virginia. In 1868, two years after the wars end, At the age of 29, Sol married 16 year old Susan Jane Griggs in nearby Ridgeway, Virginia. Nine months later in January 1869, their first child Rosa was born.  Before Sol's death in 1889, he fathered nine children with Susan Jane.  Of those nine children, one died at an early age, two never married and the remaining six are believed to all have living descendants. At the time of this writing, I estimate there are at least 25 and possibly 75 living descendants of Sol and Susan Jane Franklin.

I know little about Sol Franklin's history prior to coming to the United States. I know he came from the Posen Province in the Country of Prussia and American versions of his parents first names were possibly Rebecca and John or Jonathan.  The earliest record of Sol Franklin I have is from the 1860 census in Yazoo City, Mississippi, some months before he joined the Confederate Army.  In Yazoo City, he boarded with a family named Erlich and another person his age named A. Rosenthal. M. L. Erlich, his wife R. Erlich and A. Rosenthal also listed Prussia as their birth place.  I am sure there is some connection between these individuals. Either they traveled together or were part of a network of Prussians that helped each other get established in their new country.

Roots of Sol Franklin

His first name, and the surnames of his roommates in Yazoo City suggest he was of German origin and Jewish (I later found out my grandmother referred to Sol as a "Christian Jew"). It is not clear if Sol immigrated to America to escape Jewish persecution or solely for economic gain.  In early 19th century Prussia, laws directed against Jews were designed to drive Jews out of the country. Although the constitution of Prussia provided for equality of all citizens, this referred only to Christians while Jews were deprived of both citizenship, and civil rights. The General Ordinance on the Jews (General-Judenreglement) of April 17, 1797 divided all Jews into those ''protected''( Schutzuden), who were obliged to know the German language and possess a sufficient amount of wealth, and those who knew only Hebrew and were poor were merely ''tolerated''.  Equal rights for all Jews came in 1848, when the differences between the two categories of Jews were abolished. Later, in 1850, Jews were given the same rights as the remaining subjects of the king of Prussia. It should be added incidentally that the legislation which accorded certain privileges to those Jews who spoke German was conducive to assimilation. On the other hand, a large number of those who could not speak German, had to leave the country.  With the little information I have about Sol Franklin, the situation in Prussia at the time of his immigration suggests that either his religion and/or economic class could have driven him out of Prussia. 

In April of 1861, Sol enlisted to become a soldier in the Confederate army. If he was driven out of Prussia by discrimination, it is hard to understand why Sol Franklin would join the Confederate Army and staunchly defend the Confederate cause. I do not believe in the cause Sol Franklin fought for and feel somehow he was exploited, having became a confederate soldier at the age of 23, within a year or so of his immigration to America.

Having the name Franklin does not help us establish his origin.  Many emigrant families to the USA took the surname Franklin because of the world fame of Benjamin Franklin, statesman. It has been claimed that the Franklin surname originated in Buckingham County England before 1100. "Franklin" was a title bestowed upon the English landowners previous to the Norman conquest, who held their lands of the Crown free from any feudal servitude. The diminutive root 'Frank', is Teutonic in origin and in the Celtic tongue was an adjective meaning 'free'. It refers to a member of the German Teutonic tribe, the Franks. The Franks settled in the regions now called France and the Netherlands in the 3rd and 4th century. They derived their tribal name from the name of a type of spear that they used. As a result of the influence of the Teutonic order of the Franks there are many variants of the name Frank in many countries of Europe.

If Sol changed his surname to Franklin to make it sound American, it may have been derived from Frankel, Fraenckelin, Franhkel, Francke, Fränkel, Fraenkel, Frank, Franke or forbid, Frankenstein or Frankfurter beforehand which are some of the similar sounding surnames in the Posen area.  The Posen area in Prussia was heavily populated with Jewish Germans and Franklin does not appear to be a common name in that area.  Although, many people from other ethnic groups settled in Prussia over the centuries - in that regard very much like the USA. His surname could have been Franklin, a theory supported by his mother and father also having the uncommon first names Rebecca and Jonathon.

In the 1860 Yazoo, Mississippi census, Sol listed his occupation as "merchant" which in Prussia was considered to be an occupation that could become a source of fortune. In Posen during this time period, German and Polish languages were dominant and Jewish merchants were feared as a source of competition and subject to restrictions. In the 1920 census, the U. S. government collected the birth place of parents and the native language they spoke. Sol's second oldest son Joe listed Poland as the birth place and Hebrew as the native language for his father Sol. Sol Franklin's son Sol listed Germany and German and his son Benjamin listed Poland and German.  For first generation children, it seems unusual for them to do not clearly know what languages he spoke or if he carried an accent or if he had any difficulty with the English language.   In the 1860 census record, none of his neighbors were born in Prussia and there is no indication of a Prussian culture in Yazoo City.  His immigration to America was many years before massive waves of Polish and German immigrants came to America.  At the time of his immigration,  he must have known some English prior to coming to America and learned quickly. Knowing English was important to survival and success in his new country. 

His war records and his children's lack of knowledge regarding his native language intuitively suggests he had known some English to have been given the responsibility of Hospital Ward Master while he was detailed to duty at the Confederate Hospital in Danville, Virginia.  The fact that he married an English speaking American suggests that he must have had to know the English language fairly well.  Although, For young Susan Jane, trying to find a mate in Virginia may have been difficult and compromises were easy to make.  Healthy men were scarce in the years following the civil war. In his later years, having the job as Deputy Postmaster suggests he was fluent in English and could read and write. In the early 1800's, Prussia established the worlds first compulsory school system that became the model for the American system. Sol Franklin could have attended school in Prussia and learned to read and write in German before he came to America.

Overall, he certainly abandoned his Jewish and German Prussian culture after coming to America.  Sol Franklin was never known to practice Judaism and Susan Jane and her children were known as stout Christians.  In our family, other than a note indicating he came from Posen, there has not been any information about his family, heritage, traditions or religious practices passed to his descendants about his European past.  His language and education level suggest it was the American dream of prosperity that brought him here.  Most likely, it was all of these factors collectively that created the desire for a better life and that was what brought him here.

Fear of Disease

Sol Franklin was a career merchant, grocer and finally Deputy Postmaster until his death in 1889.  Four of his son's followed in his footsteps and became successful Grocers.  From the time of his death until August 8, 1902, Susan and her family lived in Irisburg, on the outskirts of Ridgeway, Virginia.  In 1902, Susan (age 49) and her children, Sol Jr. (age 26), Joseph (age 29), George (age 19) and Ben (age 14) moved to El Paso, Texas.  Soon after, daughter Anna (age 31) joined the family in El Paso.  The family's move was prompted by a different fear than that of what may have driven Sol Franklin from Prussia to the United States. This time, fear of death from disease was the motive.

In 1900, infectious diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and typhoid were among the leading causes of death.  During this time, a baby born in the United States could expect to live barely 47 years — baby boys to age 46 and baby girls to age 48.  In contrast, a newborn boy could expect to live to age 74, a newborn girl to age 79 in 1998.  The family's move to El Paso was prompted by fear of deadly disease especially tuberculosis. Infectious diseases were responsible for Sol's death, (age 50) from tuberculosis in 1889, daughter Rosa's (age 29) death from illness in 1898, her grandson Robert's death (age 11 months) from illness in 1901 and soon thereafter, the death of daughter  and Robert's mother Frances (age 31)  from tuberculosis in 1901, and son Clay's death (age 22) from tuberculosis in 1902.  

In the late 1800s medical treatment of Tuberculosis called for isolation of the patient and complete rest. After the turn of the century research showed that bacteria responsible for the transmission of the communicable disease could be destroyed by sunlight. The dry, sunny climate of El Paso proved to be ideal for those believing they could escape the threat of death from Tuberculosis.  In an article celebrating the Franklin Brothers 25th year in the grocery business in El Paso, one of the brothers was quoted as saying "We are glad we had Horace Greeley's advice to go West and we are glad we cast our lot with El Paso." I have been told the family's choice of moving to El Paso was driven by the wish to escape disease in El Paso's dry climate and the economic opportunity of the booming town El Paso. The choice of El Paso versus other suitable towns in the dry Southwestern climate was somewhat arbitrary and not tied to any relatives or acquaintances that had made the move beforehand. 

Another story about how the family came to live in El Paso was given In an article about the life of George Franklin, "!n 1902, the Franklin Family came to El Paso for the health of some of the members.  George was one that was "puny", as they say back there, and he needed the western climate. They were really on their way to California, when on nearing El Paso, they held a family consultation and decided to stop here. They got off at the old G. H. depot on Stanton street, went down to "Hard Times" Taylor's restaurant, where the Roberts-Harper building now stands and got lunch, and in the afternoon rented a house from H. B. Stevens on North Florence street, bought some furniture and had supper that night in their El Paso home".

Life in El Paso

When the Franklins moved to El Paso the town was relatively small with a population estimated to be 13,000. Led by eldest brother Joe, they re-entered the grocery business with his savings of $1,800 and opened their first grocery store on 414 North Oregon street near what is now downtown El Paso.  Their first store was named Franklin Brothers Grocery.  Over the next 25 years, the family expanded their business to a chain of 14 grocery and wholesale stores. In January, 1919, they formed the Standard Grocery Company which expanded and became the Jackson Standard Grocery Company after they bought out H. P. Jackson.  In 1921, they sold the company to J. J. Jones and W. R. Ezell of Douglas, Arizona. 

The brothers then opened a wholesale grocery business at 308 Mills street and operated it for 10 months, sold out and went back into the Standard Grocery Company with Jones and Ezell. Eventually the brothers had business interests with the names of the Tri-State Wholesale Grocery and the New-Way Grocery Company.  In 1928, they sold the chain to Safeway, Inc. which was then the second largest grocery chain in the United States.  In 1928, Safeway had approximately 1,400 grocery stores in 15 western states and over $100,000,000 in annual sales.

Life After El Paso

In 1928, after selling their business to Safeway, eldest brother's Joe and Sol retired.  George went to Tulsa, Oklahoma and became President of the Piggly Wiggly Company of Oklahoma.  Soon thereafter, George moved his family to Tacoma Washington and started the chain of Franklin Food Stores. George is viewed as the most successful of the Franklin Brothers. He appears in numerous stories and articles in El Paso and Tacoma newspapers with his wife Alice and his son George Jr.  In the thirty's, George and his family owned and lived in what is called the Weyerhaeuser Mansion at 4301 N. Stevens Street in Tacoma.  In 1983, the home was designated as a historic building and today is a museum also known as Haddaway Hall. 

Susan Jane's eldest son John stayed in Virginia with his wife Annie and her three children; John, Archie and Mary Ann. In 1907, for reason unknown, Anna Franklin went to Virginia and brought John's son Archie (age 3) to El Paso.  Eventually John and his wife Annie came to El Paso.  In 1918, Annie died in her home on Montana street.  John Jr. died in 1924 after serving in World War I and becoming a war hero. John Jr. served in the Medical Department of the 141st Infantry. In 1919 he received the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery during the Champagne Front offensive of October 8th and 9th, 1918. In his award he was commended for bravery. It states "By rendering first aid treatment to the wounded, disregarding his own personal safety, and being under heavy shell and machine gun fire at all times and particularly on October 8th, he made repeated trips fro his station on the field rendering first aid to the wounded, and evacuating to shelter, during this time the field being under heavy shell fire." Archie died of Tuberculosis in 1925 in el Paso.  Mary Ann was single and living in Baltimore at the time of his death and we do not know what became of her.   The story has it that John was ran out of town by his brothers and moved to Indio, California and married a women named Vada Jackson. 

Rosa Franklin Darlington was Sol and Susan's first born

Missing branches are the Darlington's (Rosa's Children), Norman Norman (Son of Frances) and the Todd Family in North Carolina and Mary Franklin in Baltimore.