Research Help - Towns & Townships

Franklin County lies in the third tier south of Minnesota and in the fifth west of the Mississippi River. It contains sixteen townships making an area of five hundred seventy-six square
miles. The county was established January 15, 1851 and organized in 1855. Hampton is the county seat.

Franklin co. Township Map - W.W. Hixon Plat Book, 1930

Franklin County Township Map - W.W. Hixon Plat Book, 1930

Map is from Geographic Information System (GIS)

Town	Township
Ackley website Google map	Osceola (partly in Hardin County)
Alexander *Google map	Scott
Bradford *Google map	Grant
Burdette *Google map	Lee
Chapin *Google map	Ross
Coulter *Google map	Scott, Marion, Morgan, Hamilton
Dows - originally named Otisville *Google map	Morgan (partly in Wright County)
Faulkner *Google map	Osceola
Geneva *Google map	Geneva
Hampton - originally named Benjamin - Franklin Co. Seat - website Google map	Washington, Mott
Hansell *Google map	Ingham
Latimer website Google map	Marion
Oakland *Google map	Oakland
Popejoy *Google map	Oakland
Sheffield website Google map	Ross

Chapin	A village platted in 1858 in section 36, Richland township and section 31, Clinton township. Itwas abandoned in the early 1870's on the building of the railroad two miles to the east and the laying out of the present village of Chapin.
Coldwater	A post office from 1867 to 1875 in the northeastern part of Westfork township. In the latter year it was removed over the line into Butler County.
Congress	In the northeastern corner of section 36, Hamilton township. Post office, 1873-75.
Cream Hill	In section 24, Ingham township. Post office, 1878.
Elide	Listed in the 1873 U.S. Official Register as a post office in Franklin County, but not found on the maps of that period. May have been in Reeve township.
Ingham	In the northwestern part of section 16, West Fork township. Post office, 1867-75.
Maysville	In section 27, Reeve township. It was the first town platted in the county,being laid out in 1856. It was prosperous and came near getting the county seat. Post office, 1857-89. More information at the Maysville website (link opens a new window)
Menzie	In section 16, Ingham Township. Post office, 1871-76.
Oakland Valley	A village in the northeastern part of section 28, Oakland township, near the south bank of the Iowa River. It was platted in 1857 and was prosperous for a time. Post office, 1862-97.
Otisville	A hamlet in sections 30 and 31, Morgan township, Franklin County and sections 25 and 36, Blaine township, Wright County, near where the town of Dows now stands. When the railroad came the name was changed to Dows. The post office was Otisville from 1857 to 1880.
Reeve	In section 30, Reeve township. Post office, 1893-1900.
Shobe's Grove	In the northeastern part of Richland township. Post office, 1863-73.
Union Ridge	In the northeastern part of Ingham township. Post office, 1859-75.
Washburn	In the southeastern part of Ross township. Post office, 1871.

Families may have lived in shopped, worshiped or visited communities in bordering and nearby counties, so it's important to search for members of your Franklin County families in neighboring counties:

Cerro Gordo to the north

Floyd to the northeast

Butler to the east

Grundy to the southeast

Hardin to the south

Hamilton to the southwest

Wright to the west and

Hancock to the northwest

For a clickable map of all 99 Iowa counties go to http://iagenweb.org/state/map.php