The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1929-05-02
Little Journeys in
Americana
The Lost State of Franklin
BY LESTER B. COLBY

The Lost State of Franklin
lave you ever heard the story of
the Lost State of Franklin? Few
know that we once had a state named
Franklin; that it existed for brief
time and vanished. And have you
ever heard of the mysterious Malung-
cons, the strange tribe of people who
lived In that lost state and whose
origin has never been solved?
The state of Franklin occupied
generally what is now eastern Ten
nessee. 1t was organized In 1885,
lived a brief and turbulent existence
and passed out of history in 1888.
Few maps show it and few records
exist telling of its passing glory.
In the beginning of the push of
settlers over the hills, North Caro-
lina's boundaries were not fixed to
the westward. Theoretically they
extended onward to some distant, in
definite point toward the setting sun.
Struggling adventures crossed the
mountains. They settled and we're
far detached, in those days, from
the mother state.
The story of the state of Franklin
begins in 1854, when the district was
thrown open to settlement. Feeling
against the tyranny of the royal gov
ernor of North Carolina, sent over
by England, led to the organization
of the settlers along the Watauga
river into the Watauga association.
Due to their isolation they we're
less affected directly by the Revolu-
tionary war than the coastal settle
ments. Freedom won, however, the
settlers organized distinct state
government on August %, 1884. Work
of organization was fully completed
at a second meeting on December IA
of the same year, and John Sewer
was made governor. The first legis-
lature sat in Jonesboro in 1885.
Factions developed and a part of
the people wished to revert to the
sovereignty of North Carolina. A
bloodless revolution was fought out
at the polls in May, 1888, and the
F'ranklinites lost. The North Caro-
lima legislature passed an "act of OBJ
livion.n
However, that state coded the ter
ritory to the United States in 1889
and in 1890 the territory of Tennes-
see was formed. Settlement followed
with a rush and in 1796 the terri
tory became a state.
Now the Malungeons. When the
settlers came into the mountain fast
nesses of what today is eastern Ten
nessee they found curious tribe of
people there. They were obviously
not Nordics as the settlers we're.
Neither did they seem to be Latins.
They had no negroid characteristics
though they were dark and swarthy
and they certainly were not of Indian
descent.
Unschooled and primitive they
knew little of their origin. Some
thought they might be descendants
of some detached group of Portu-
guese while others saw in them
trace of the Moors. In the genera
tions that they had been there in
their isolation, their language, what
ever it was, had degenerated into a
patois.
They lived to themselves exclusive
ly and resented intrusion. For many
years they were not recognized as
citizens and were denied the right |
to vote. Suffrage was not given to
them until after the downfall of the |
Confederacy. For generations in Ten
nessee the Malungeons were the bug |
aboos of Tennessee childhood and |
many bad little boy has been threat |
ened, "The Malungeons will get you
If you don't watch out"
Recognized as gypsylike in their
trickinesss, they were loyal to their
clan. Some clue to their origin may |
be found in the word "malungo," COM
ing out of northern Africa, which
loosely means comrade, mate or COM
panion. But how did that African
word get to the mountains of eastern
Tennessee generations ahead of the
Nordics? That is the mystery.