Cpl. Samuel Franklin

Sam Franklin was found in the 1840 Census in Hackensack, NJ, identified as an adult and head of household of a Free Black family with Virginia origins, including a wife and three children. One of the children, a young boy, might have become our soldier and that would mean that the family would have left Franklin County in the late 1830s. Earlier, in 1806, Virginia passed a law requiring persons newly freed from enslavement to leave the state within one year. The number of Free Black persons peaked in Franklin County, before the war, in the 1830s, at 195. Undoubtedly, they felt pressure, and a desire, to live somewhere else.

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Samuel Franklin served in the USCT 24th Infantry, Co. A. The 24th United States Colored Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp William Penn near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania beginning January 1, 1865, under Colonel Orlando Brown. The regiment moved to Washington, D.C., on May 5, and served at Camp Casey until June 1. At Point Lookout, Maryland, the regiment guarded prisoners until July 16, then took up guard in Richmond, Virginia. Next the unit moved to serve duty in the Sub-District of Roanoke, Headquarters at Burkesville. September 1, 1865, Samuel Franklin was promoted to Corporal. The regiment then returned to Richmond and mustered out of service a month later. The military would have transported Cpl Franklin back to New Jersey where he enlisted.

Samuel Franklin was identified in the 1885 New Jersey census with his wife Mary, living in Acquackanonk, Passaic, NJ. No other records were found.

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Contributors: Chance Cheek, Toni Smith and Cathie Cummins