Jacob Miller Franks, Sr.

From: "Jerry W. Murphy" < jwm_genealogy@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [TNHARDIN] Franks Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 01:54:46 -0500 References: <20021006233942.5995.qmail@web14914.mail.yahoo.com> To All Franks Researchers,

The article Herb Perry refers to in the The Hardin County Historian Vol. 2 No. 4 July-Dec. 2000 concerning in the Franks family was full of errors. I am working on an article for the journal to correct these errors.

When I begin researching the family about 20 years ago I was told that the family had already been traced back to Johann Martin Francke of North Carolina and from him back to the famed August Hermann Francke of Halle, Germany. It seems many people prefer the myth of being descended from fame rather the truth. Quite a bit has been published over the years about this fictitious descent and will never be completely erased from the printed works we see as genealogists but if these mistakes are brought to light perhaps not as many newcomers to genealogy will continue these misconceptions concerning the Franks family. Many researchers who have gone so far as to believe this myth have attempted to find additional information. Here is a copy of a letter written to one such researcher (with name omitted) from the Archives at the University of Halle:

Dear Linda, August Hermann Francke (1663-1727), Halle Pietist, Lutheran Pastor and Professor for oriental languages, the founder of this institution did not have a son named Johann Martin. I am sorry. Yours

Dr. Thomas Mueller-Bahlke Archiv der Franckeschen Stiftungen Franckeplatz 1/24 06110 Halle Tel.: 0345-2127412 Fax: 0345-2127484 email: archiv@franckesche-stiftungen.uni-halle.de homepage: http://www.franckesche-stiftungen.uni-halle.de

If you want to know more about August Hermann Francke I would suggest you read the book, "God's Glory, Neighbor's Good: A Brief Introduction to the Life and Writings of August Hermann Francke", by Gary R. Sattler. The book was published in 1982 by Covenant Press, 3200 West Foster Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60625 and for those interested, their telephone number is 312-478-4676. According to the book August Hermann Francke was born on 22 March 1663 in Lubeck, Germany. His parents were Johannes Francke, a baker, and Anna or Alma Gloxin. He was married on 4 June 1694 to Anna Magdalena von Wurm from Klein-Furra near Nordhausen. They had 2 sons, one of whom died young, and one daughter. Their daughter married Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen who was an assistant of Francke. Freylinghausen was appointed by the king to the position of assistant director at the University of Halle in 1725 and the son, Gotthilf August Francke, was appointed adjunct on the theological faculty at that time. August Hermann Francke died at 9:45 PM on 8 June 1727 at Halle and was buried 3 days later.

The book, "The Muhlenbergs of Pennsylvania", by Paul A.W. Wallace, published in 1950 by the University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offers a few bits of information concerning the younger Francke. His Reverence Doctor and Professor, Gotthilf Augustus Francke, was Director of the Orphan House and member of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts at Halle on 6 September 1741. Gotthilf Augustus Francke died 2 September 1769.

From the beginning of my research I have seen references that Jacob Frank married Mary Ann Ashley, daughter of John Ashley who died in Anson County, North Carolina. His published will dated 1 February 1759 named Mary Ann Franks as his daughter. In fact this was a transcriber's mistake. The transcriber was apparently not familiar with old script as the actual name given in the will of John Ashley was Mary Ann Frances or Franses. There were Frances families living in the neighborhood around John Ashley and I'd say it's safe to say one of those was that of his daughter Mary. I have a copy of the original will of John Ashley and will soon be adding it to my website.

The Jacob Frank that Mary Ann Ashley is often associated with was actually married to a woman named Flora according to the "Abstracts of Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of Cumberland County (NC) October 1755 - January 1779 Vol I"; by Cumberland County Bicentennial Commission, John Raper, Chairman, William C. Fields, Chairman, and published in 1977. On October 30, 1777 the following deed was recorded in the minutes: Jacob Franks and Flora his wife to John Smith. It said Flora, being privately examined, relinquished her right of dower. This was about the time the family was preparing to move to Wake County, North Carolina.

Jacob Frank was a blacksmith by trade and was unable to write. Doesn't it seem odd that the so called son of a school teacher (Johann Martin Franck) couldn't write? The published record that threw many researchers off for so many years was "The Colonial Records of North Carolina", collected and edited by William L. Saunders, Secretary of State, published in 1886. In Vol. IV, 1734 to 1752 in which one Jacob Francks for a Grant for two hundred acres of Land lying in Craven County...Deed passed by Martin Franck the Petitioners Father...dtd. This again was another transcriber's error. The original records have been examined and corrected in "The Colonial Records of North Carolina [Second Series] Vol VIII Records of the Executive Council 1735-1754", edited by Robert J. Cain, Dept of Cultural Resources Division of Archives and History Raleigh, North Carolina (1988). On page 278 of the book you'll find, "Read the Petition of John Francks for a Grant for two hundred Acres of Land lying in Craven County...said Land was included in a Deed passed by Martin Franck the Petitioners Father...." I've enclosed an actual copy of this deed and will be making it available on my website soon. Always look at the originals if available. Never take something for granted as being true before you see it for yourself. Prove it to yourself!

Jacob Frank and his wife Flora did have a son named Joseph Franks who married Rebecca Jones in Wake County, North Carolina in 1788. Joseph and some other members of the Franks family did move to White County, Tennessee. Joseph Franks is listed in court minutes of the county in 1809 with a ferry on Caney Fork. He was still there in 1820 and listed on the White County, Tennessee census. I don't know where the idea came from that said he moved to Wayne County, Tennessee about 1830 and died there about 1840 but records show Joseph and most of the other Franks families in White County, Tennessee moved to Marion County, Alabama and appear on the 1830 Marion County, Alabama census. I transcribed the Wayne County, Tennessee tax lists of 1836 and 1838 a few years ago for the Wayne County Historical Society and there was no Joseph Franks listed on either record and I've seen no land records in Wayne County for a Joseph Franks during that time period. Check the records for yourself. Many of them are online.

Another Jacob Frank was in Rowan, Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties, North Carolina. He married Susannah Roan on 4 June 1768 in Rowan County, North Carolina . Two of their sons (Frederick and Jacob) later moved to Hardin County, Tennessee. An article on my website, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jwmurphy/jacobfrank.htm, deals with this family. My notes on this Jacob Frank is also available on my site at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jwmurphy/franks1.htm. I am a descendant of Frederick Franks, Sr.

On a closing note I have another correction for the article which appeared in the Hardin County Historian. Jacob Franks, grandfather of Don Gold Franks, was married to Katherine Rose, not Katherine Ross. She was the daughter of Phillip Rose and Sarah______. Phillip was the son of Frederick Rose, Sr. and Eve Eulice (Euless). The Rose family is another of my ancestral lines. I published an article on the Rose family several years ago in the Wayne County Historian and is available in a Rich Text File (rtf) at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jwmurphy/rose.htm.

This should give you enough reading for a while. :-)

Remember, prove it yourself!

Jerry W. Murphy jwm_genealogy@hotmail.com Jerry's Homepage: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jwmurphy/ Rootsweb List Administrator: ALFRANKL-L, TNHARDIN-L, TNWASHIN-L, TNWAYNE-L, BRATTON-L, COCHRAN-L, HAFLEY-L, PATTERSON-L, SOWERBY-L Wayne County, Tennessee Web Page: http://www.netease.net/wayne Wayne County Computer Club: http://www.netease.net/waccc