| ![Show Contents]() Francklin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Francklin is a name that was formed by the Anglo-Saxon society of old Britain. The name was thought to have been used for someone who once worked as a landowner who was not a member of the nobility. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old French word fraunclein, which became frankeleyn in Old English, and denoted rank within the feudal system; a person "superior freeholder," next below gentlemen in dignity, now called country Squires. Moreover England is so filled and replenished with landed menne, that therein the smallest thorpe can not be found wherin dwelleth not a knight or an esquire, or such a householder as is there commonly called a Franklin, enriched with great possessions, and also other freeholders, and many yeomen, able for their livelyhood to make a jury in form aforementioned." 1 Chaucer mentions in his famous Canterbury Tales: "A Franklin was in this companie, White was his beard, as is the dayesie." Early Origins of the Francklin familyThe surname Francklin was first found in "Oxfordshire has been for ages one of the principal homes of the Franklins. The name, which in early times, as well as in those of Shakespeare, often signified a freeholder, is also established in Bucks, Berks, Beds, Herts, Essex, and Northamptonshire, so that it may be said to occupy a somewhat circumscribed and continuous area. In the 13th century its usual forms were Frankelayn, Frankeleyn, Fraunkelayn, Fraunkeleyn, sometimes preceded by "Le" and "De," Frankelin being rare; it was then especially numerous in Oxfordshire, and also in fair numbers in Bucks and Wilts, so that it would appear that in those early times, as in our own day, Oxfordshire and Bucks stood foremost amongst the English counties for their proportion of the Franklins." 2 Early rolls underline the wide spellings in use through the ages: Ralph Frankelem was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195; Luke le Franckeleyn in the Feet of Fines for Cambridgeshire in 1234; Roger le Franklyn in the Hundredorum Rolls for Dorset in 1274; and John ffranklyng was recorded in 1522. 3 The famed Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was the son of Josiah Franklin Sr. (1657-1745), an English businessman from Ecton, Northamptonshire. Josiah emigrated to the American colonies in 1682 and married twice, having 17 children. Benjamin was Josiah Franklin's fifteenth child. Early History of the Francklin familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Francklin research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1195, 1234, 1274, 1480, 1556, 1625, 1630, 1640, 1647, 1655, 1656, 1660, 1661, 1679, 1684, 1685, 1695, 1697, 1698, 1728 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Francklin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Francklin Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Francklin include Franklyn, Francklyn, Francklin, Franklin, Franklind and many more. Early Notables of the Francklin familyNotables of this surname at this time include: William Franklyn (1480?-1556), Dean of Windsor, born at Bledlow, Buckinghamshire; Robert Franklin (1630-1684), an English nonconformist divine; Sir John Franklyn (died 1647), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Middlesex in...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Francklin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Francklin family to Ireland
Some of the Francklin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Francklin migration to the United States | + |
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Francklin were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:
Francklin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Francis Francklin, who landed in Virginia in 1634 4
- Marg Francklin, who landed in Virginia in 1656 4
- Peter Francklin, who landed in Virginia in 1662 4
- Rich Francklin, who landed in Virginia in 1664 4
- Susan Francklin, who landed in Virginia in 1664 4
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Francklin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Thomas Francklin, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 4
| Francklin migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5Francklin Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Nicholas Francklin, who settled in Barbados in 1679
| Contemporary Notables of the name Francklin (post 1700) | + |
- William Francklin (1763-1839), English Orientalist, born in 1763, the eldest son of Thomas Francklin 6
- Thomas Francklin (1721-1784), English miscellaneous writer, son of Richard Francklin, bookseller near the Piazza in Covent Garden, London, who printed Pulteney's paper 6
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Pro rege et patria
Motto Translation: For King and country.
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
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Francklin migration to the United States 
Francklin migration to West Indies 
England
Ireland
