Michael Francklin or Franklin (6 December 1733 – 8 November 1782) served as

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

from 1766 to 1772. He is buried in the

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

of St. Paul's Church (Halifax).

Early life and immigration

Born in

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, Francklin immigrated to

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

in 1752. He worked as a trader and merchant, initially in association with Joshua Maugher.

Capture

During Father Le Loutre's War, Michael Francklin was captured by a Mi'kmaw raiding party in 1754 and held captive for three months in which he learned the Mi'kmaw language and developed an appreciation for native culture.

Political career

Francklin represented Lunenburg County from 1759 to 1760 and Halifax County from 1761 to 1762 in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

. In May of 1762, he was named to the Nova Scotia Council. In the early 1770s, he was responsible for bringing about the Yorkshire Emigration. He also played an important role in assisting the return of

Acadians The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French colonial empire, French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern Americ ...

after the Expulsion of the Acadians by guaranteeing Catholic worship, land grants and a promise that there would be no second expulsion. He established the Shubenacadie reserve in 1779.

Family

On February 7, 1762, Francklin married Susannah Boutineau (b. 1740). Susannah died at Windsor, Nova Scotia, April 19, 1816 in her 76th year and is buried at the Old Parish Burying Grounds. She was the daughter of Joseph and Susannah (Faneuil) Boutineau, and granddaughter of Benjamin Faneuil. Susannah and Michael had the following children: # James Boutineau, born July 31, 1763, d. 1841. Clerk to the House of Assembly for 42 years (1785-1828). Married Sarah Dering viv 1821. (She maybe the first wife of Nathaniel Ray Sr. (1731 - 1787). Only daughter was Elizabeth Gould Francklin who married Robert Fitzgerald Uniake. # Elizabeth Mauger Goul

1st m. to Dr. John Gould), born September 3, 1764. died 1817. Second Wife of William Colsell King, Rev. William Colsell King. # Susannah, born August 23, 1765. m (1) . Benjamin Davis of Pennsylvania, m (2) William Hersey Otis Haliburton. William Hersey Otis Haliburton # Ann, born August 31, 1767. # Joshua Mauger, born September 1, 1869 # Michael Nickleson, born August 20, 1773. Went to India, but subsequently entered business with relatives in London and died there in 1830

# John Robinson, born July 6, 1774. (w.c. , Fri., 11 Mar. 1808 753. = 4 Jan. at Weymouth, Dorset: John Robinson FRANCKLIN, Esq., HEICS "Northumberland", s/o late Lt.-Gov. Francklin of Nova Scotia/' Meliora Elizabeth, eldest d/o Hon. John Butler BUTLER. NS Newspapers 1769 - 1812 p 46) # George Sackville Germain, born January 15, 1777. Studied law at Quebec. Died 8th Oct 1799 at Windsor while on a visit to friends

# Mary Phillipps, born October 7, 1779. # Sarah Nickleson, born December 21, 1780. Married Rev. Willoughby on 17 February 1801 at Halifa
County

Death

On the 8th of November, 1782, while arranging with several of the Indian chiefs, about winter supplies of blankets and clothing, in his office on Granville St., just north of the Army and Navy Depot; he suddenly and without a moment's warning expired in the 62nd year of his age, deeply regretted by every citizen of Halifax. He was given a grand public funeral which took place on the nth of November, 1782, and was buried in St. Paul's in a vault at the left of the altar. Over 200 Indians followed his coffin to the church, chanting the death song of the MicMacs. His funeral and the chanting of the Indians was long remembered in Halifax, and among the stories of the olden time in our city, there was no description more vivid or interesting than the weird wail of the savages, as they at his burial mourned their friend and protector.

Legacy

The Francklin's long made their chief home at Windsor, and were among the most active supporters of the Anglican Church in that town. Lieutenant-Governor Francklin gave the land for the parish church (Christ Church) and churchyard at Windsor, and Mrs. Francklin gave, April 28, 1801, an acre of land opposite the church for a parsonage, and in 1815 a complete set of service books, including a handsomely-bound folio Bible, for use in public worship. *namesake of Francklyn Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia *namesake of Fort Franklin, Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia (1768) * namesake of Mi'kmaq reserve Franklin Manor 22, Nova Scotia File:SusannahBoutineauFrancklin.JPG, Susannah (Boutineau) Francklin (1762) by John Singleton Copley (wife of Michael Franklin; grandchild of Peter Faneuil), Uniacke Estate Museum Park File:Susannah Boutineau by Robert Feke.jpg, Susannah Boutineau by Robert Feke (1748), (mother-in-law of Michael Francklin), Uniacke Estate Museum Park

References

Endnotes Texts *James S. Macdonald, "Lt. Governor Michael Francklin, 1752-1782" ''Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society''; (40 pp.) vol. 16 (1912)
W. B. Kerr, "The Rise of Michael Francklin" (7 pp.) ''The Dalhousie Review'', Vol. 13 (1934), No. 4.
* Memoir of Lieut. Governor Michae
Francklin

External links

Memoir of Michael Franklin Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francklin, M 1733 births 1782 deaths Governors of the Colony of Nova Scotia English emigrants to pre-Confederation Nova Scotia People from Poole 18th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly Captives of First Nations people People of Father Le Loutre's War