My Genealogy Hound

FRANKLIN HESSE, one of the influential farmers of Johnson County, purchased his homestead on section 24, township 45, range 28, in 1874. He has placed most of the improvements on the farm himself, and has brought it under a high state of cultivation. During the War of the Rebellion he fought for the Union from the beginning until the close of the conflict, and though he had many narrow escapes and endured many hardships common to the life of a soldier, was fortunate in escaping injury or capture.

Lebrecht Hesse, the father of our subject, was a native of Saxony, Germany, and was born in 1808. He learned the weaver’s trade in the Fatherland, and came to America in 1830, being the second of his family who sought a home in the New World. Locating at Somerset, Perry County, Ohio, he continued to work at his trade for several years, and in 1865 purchased a farm near Columbus, living thereon until his death, which took place in the year 1868. Until 1856 he was a Democrat, but then transferred his allegiance to the Republican party and voted for Fremont.

In Somerset he became acquainted with and married Magdalena Nuding, who was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1818, and came to the United States when about twelve years of age.

Franklin Hesse, born November 20, 1836, in Perry County, Ohio, was reared in the village of Somerset, where he attended school. From his father he learned the trade of weaving flowered coverlets, and for his first work commenced filling spools. Until he was twenty-two years of age he devoted his time to weaving, but in 1859 left the business and went to Nemaha County, Kan. Entering a quarter-section of land near Seneca, he improved the farm by working on it summers. He also put up a cabin and broke some of the land, and after proving up his claim and paying for it he started, in the spring of 1861, for Pike’s Peak, taking a load of provisions with the expectation of making some money on the transaction. The expedition turned out to be only a loss, for he found that he could hardly give away the supplies he had taken so far, and thus lost about all he had put into the scheme. Buying a few dry hides, he took them to St. Joseph, but as the war had commenced there was not much sale for them, and only about $20 was realized from the hides.

In August, 1861, our subject enlisted in Company A, Seventh Kansas Cavalry, and was assigned to the Sixteenth Army Corps in General Dodge’s brigade. Until 1862 he was on duty in Missouri and Kansas, taking part in a skirmish at Little Blue, in which two of his company were killed and seven wounded, and a short time after the battle of Shiloh was sent to Pittsburg Landing. Afterwards he went to Paducah, Ky., from there to Hickman, and then was placed on guard along the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, his time being spent in that part of the country until 1864. He was in numerous engagements, and was one of a party of skirmishers in the battle of Corinth, where he saw hard fighting. At one time a cannon ball killed his horse under him, and he had a number of other close calls. In the summer of 1864 he was sent to Missouri after Price, starting from St. Louis, and after the battle of Pilot Knob proceeded to that locality, thence to Franklin, Warrensburg and Lexington in the pursuit of Price, who was moving rapidly ahead. In the winter of 1864 he returned to Memphis, where he was on duty until the following spring. In July, 1865, he was sent out to look after the Indians on the plains, and while at Ft. Kearney received orders to be mustered out, and in October was finally honorably discharged at Ft. Leavenworth.

On his return home Mr. Hesse obtained work on a farm near White Cloud, Kan., and in the spring of 1866 went back to his native state. On the 6th of September he was married, in Perry, County, to Sarah J. Foster, who was born at Thornville, Ohio, being a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Holt) Foster. For the next six years Mr. Hesse operated his father’s farm, after which he resided in Thornville for a year, at the end of that time moving to this county. Having sold his land in Kansas, he purchased his fine place on section 24, in this county, in 1874, his homestead comprising ninety acres.

Of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Hesse there have been born four children: Albert, August 9, 1867; Elizabeth, March 11, 1869; Mary, March 13, 1872; and Edward, September 19, 1875. The three eldest children are natives of Perry County, Ohio, while the youngest was born in this county. In former years Mr. Hesse was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, but is now non-affiliated. In 1864 he voted for Lincoln, and continued with the Republican party until 1889, his last vote in that party being cast for Harrison, for the last few years his sympathies having been with the Populists.