Now You Know

240-years ago the United States was a brand new, independent nation, but it was small. In the early 1780's the rugged line of the Appalachian Mountains was keeping most of the young country bottled up on the east coast, but not for long.
   
Rugged settlers began to push west into the territorities that would soon become new states. One of those new states was called Franklyn, named in honor of Benjamin Franklyn.

Its first hardy settlers were mostly hunters and trappers who faced continuing battles with Indians. The area was within the boundaries of North Carolina, but hundreds of miles from any state protection and services.  When the new settlers asked for protection, the North Carolina assembly saw that this would be expensive and told the settlers to go it on their own. To emphasize their point the North Carolina lawmakers cut the territory out of the state, and ceded it to the U.S. Government.

So in the 1780's, the setlers tried to form the state of Franklyn, elected a governor, adopted a constitution and formed a general assembly, but now, North Carolina wanted the territory back and its legislature voted to repeal the act of cession.

The frontier settlers said no and continued to call themselves Franklynders, but statehood collapsed into confusion and finally in the 1890's the issue was settled and Franklyn entered into the union as part of the new 16th state. Tennessee.