Franklin J. Emerson, formerly a member of the Concord City Council, was born July 11, 1824, in Unity, N.H., son of Samuel and Matilda (Gould) Emerson. His grandfather, Jonathan Emerson, who was born in March, 1740, settled in West Concord, and there reclaimed from the wilderness the property now owned and occupied by his grandson. Jonathan subsequently replaced his primitive log cabin with a modern frame house; and at his death, which occurred when he was seventy-five years old, he left a good farm. He was twice married, and had twelve children, six by each union.
Samuel Emerson, father of Franklin J., was born at the homestead, May 2, 1783. He was brought up a farmer; and when a young man he began to till the soil upon his own account in Hopkinton, N.H. In 1809 he settled upon a farm in Unity, where he resided for the rest of his life, and died at the age of forty-three years. His wife, Matilda, was a daughter of Gideon and Hannah (Heath) Gould. The father, born in Hopkinton, January 16, 1741, died March 5, 1821; and the mother, born in Warner, N.H., December 17, 1746, died December 3, 1843, at the advanced age of ninetyseven years. The children of Samuel and Matilda (Gould) Emerson were: Emily, Nancy, Caroline, Harriet, Harriet (second), and Franklin J. The first Harriet died in infancy. The mother’s death occurred May 12, 1852.
Franklin J. Emerson, the only survivor of his parents’ children, received his education in the district schools and at the Hopkinton Academy. Although he was left fatherless at a tender age, his natural energy enabled him to advance without the usual parental aid. Since reaching manhood, he has attained prosperity by industrious farming in West Concord. He now owns an excellent farm of one hundred acres, which is kept in a high state of cultivation, and a new set of substantial buildings erected by him.
Mr. Emerson married Eliza J. Abbott, daughter of Levi and Eliza (Dimond) Abbott. Both he and Mrs. Emerson attend the Congregational church. The city had the advantage of his services in the Common Council and Zachary Taylor in 1848, and he has supported the Republican party since its formation.