Most citizens of the United States, or of the world for that matter, are not aware of the past existence of the State of Franklin. It was named after Benjamin Franklin and was slated to become our 14th State.
North Carolina agreed to cede its western-most lands to the Union to pay off part of its Revolutionary War debts. The Watauga settlements were in this territory under the leadership of John Sevier. It was during this transitional period that the settlers decided to form an independent state, known as the State of Franklin, in 1784.
Without the support of the Congress nor of North Carolina, Franklin was doomed to failure. Its citizens, however, persisted for a short time. The cause of the State of Franklin was lost after 4 short years and eventually became forgotten.
Internet Resources for the State of Franklin
- History of Western North Carolina - Chapter VI - The State of Franklin by Jeff Weaver
- Bibliography of Tennessee Local History Sources - Washington County
- A brief history of Greeneville, the capital of the State of Franklin
- Microfilm Records and Resources for the State of Tennessee
- Top Tenn Press
Manuscripts and Other Printed Materials
- John Sevier: Pioneer of the Old Southwest by Carl S Driver. Chapel Hill, NC, UNC Press, 1932
- Nolichucky Jack by John T Faris. Philadelphia, PA, Lippincott, 1927
- The Cumberland Rifles by Noel B Gerson. Garden City, NY, Doubleday, 1952
- Franklin: America's "Lost State" by Noel B Gerson. NY, Crowell-Collier Press, 1968
- The Sound of Chariots: A Novel of John Sevier and the State of Franklin by Helen T Miller. Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill, 1947
- History of the Lost State of Franklin by Samuel C Williams. Johnson City, Watauga, 1924