Place:Franklin (county), Virginia, United States

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source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Franklin County is a county located in the Blue Ridge foothills of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 56,159. Its county seat is Rocky Mount. The Roanoke River forms its northeast boundary with Bedford County.

Franklin County is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area and located in the Roanoke Region of Virginia.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

The Blue Ridge Foothills had long been inhabited by indigenous peoples. At the time of European encounter, mostly Siouan-speaking tribes lived in this area.

The county was formed in 1785 from parts of Bedford and Henry counties. It was named for Benjamin Franklin.

During Prohibition, local wits named Franklin County the "Moonshine Capital of the World", a name used today by the local chamber of commerce as a historic identification. Moonshine is still being made in the area. In the 1920s, it was estimated that 99 out of every 100 Franklin County residents were in some way involved in the illegal liquor trade. In 2002, a book was published about The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935 in the county. The 2012 movie Lawless is set in Franklin County during the Prohibition era.

Since the 1980s, much residential development has occurred around Smith Mountain Lake. People live there who commute to Roanoke, Lynchburg, Martinsville, and Danville. Retirees have also moved there and both groups have increased the county's population.

Timeline

Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990

Research Tips

• Franklin County, Virginia family history and genealogy research guide (FamilySearch Research Wiki).