Franklin+County+Statistics

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 Franklin County was predominantly a southern democratic society, tallying a vote Total of 166 democrats, 126 republicans, and 292 totals. These numbers drastically changed in the 1860 election, when the republicans became even more politically activated and revamped their parties’ ideology. The Percentage of Democratic voters in Franklin County was 57% and the Republicans were 43%, out of three hundred voters.Out of these voters in Franklin County, most of them were thirty or older, with only a small percentage being over the age of fifty. The majoity of these voting precints in Franklin County were surronded by churches, hence the not so seperation of church and state. An interesting fact to where these voting precints wer located, was the residences around it. The white countymen would live within five miles of the precint and church, while the African Americans lived at least nine miles away.

 Pennsylvania Presidential Election Returns 1860 This numerical data shows a more in depth analysis of the Election in 1860 in Franklin County PA.

The Civil War had a dramatic affect on the populations of the North and South. During antebellum America, Franklin County underwent major population transformations. According to the U.S. Census Office, Franklin County’s population diminished significantly, going from 2.2 to 1.5 percent of Pennsylvania’s total population from 1840 to 1860. Two possible theories rise from this data. Either the population of Pennsylvania increased or the Franklin County’s population increased. However, we must analyze events that occurred between 1840 and 1860, such as the Louisiana Purchase in 1820, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. These events show evidence of massive western expansion, which suggests that Franklin County’s population decrease as a result. Although antebellum events had a considerably large effect on the North, the U.S. Census Office reported Augusta’s population remained constant with only a slight increase in population in the 1840s.





Slaves and Freedman of Franklin County  There were no slaves in Franklin County, Pennslyvania. However, there were 1,798 freed African American men and women living throughout the 21 towns in the county. The distribution of the freedmen was not equal throughout the county. There were some towns such as Chambersburg, or Montgomery, that contained a large population of freedmen and women while other towns, such as Orrstown, had no freedmen. However, Augusta county had both slaves and freedmen living in the county. Slaves outnumbered freedmen.





The Economy Of Franklin County More than seventy percent of Franklin County's economy was supported by wheat and corn. This economic factor gave great value to farms. Farms in Franklin County were actually more valuable than the actual household. A farmer's livelihood was his land. Without his crops the farmer would not prosper, and with out the farmer the county would not prosper.







Wealth in Franklin County Compared to Augusta County in the south, Franklin County's average household wealth was almost exactly half that of Augusta's average household wealth, but the average farm value was still close to the same. How could this be? Both counties' economies relied heavily on the growth of corn and wheat. Augusta, though having a low percentage of slaves compared to the deep south, had free labor while Franklin had little free labor. Without slaves, the farms in Franklin had to be much smaller or the farmer had to hire in order to get all the work done bringing his profit down. The growing season was also much shorter in the north. If Franklin was a huge industrial town, we would have seen much higher numbers in terms of wealth.

 Religion in Franklin County  There were many denominations of Christianity present in Franklin County. The most popular churches were the Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist Episcopal, River Brethren, and Tunkers. The African American community had three separate churches in Franklin as well. The denominations that voted for Lincoln were Dunker, German Reformed, Manees, Methodist, Union, United Brethren, and the African American churches. Only the Lutherans and Catholics voted for Breckenridge. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">