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Acton Memorial Library |
Civil War Records of Franklin R. Knowlton
Service
| Co. | Regiment/Ship | From | To | Residence | Occupation | Notes |
| M | 1st Maine HA | Dec. 1863 | April 24, 1865 | wounded at Spottsylvania, May 19, 1864 and Petersburg, June 18, 1864; hospitilized at Augusta, Maine Oct. 17.; discharged disabled. |
Service Record (select pages from the National Archives): 7 Pages (PDF*)
Service Ledger (Town of Acton): x
Pension
| Co. | Regiment | Date Filed | Type | App. No. | Cert. No. | State | Beneficiary/Remarks |
| M L |
1st Maine HA | June 12, 1865 | Invalid | 71 827 | 46 779 | ||
| Nov. 1933 | Widow | 1 736 065 | Fl. | Ellen H. Knowlton |
Pension File (select pages from the National Archives): x
Grand Army of the Republic
Recorded as member no. 35 in the membership roster of Isaac Davis Post No. 138 G.A.R., Acton, Massachusetts. Served as Post Commander, 1892-1894 and 1909-1910. (Acton Memorial Library archives, 92.2.1).
Fifteen members of Isaac Davis Post No. 138 G.A.R. in front of the Telephone Office Building, West Acton, on May 30, 1924 (photograph, Acton Memorial Library archives 24.1.1)
Death
| Date | September 17, 1933 |
| Place | Acton, Mass. |
| Age | 86 |
| Cause | |
| Obituary | Concord Enterprise, September 20, 1933 |
| Funeral | |
| Burial | Mt. Hope Cemetery, Acton, Mass.; name on stone: Frank Roscoe Knowlton |
| Survived by | Ellen H. Knowlton |
Additional Information
Born 1847 in Swanville, Maine, Franklin Knowlton enlisted in the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery in 1863. For the first 18 months, he was assigned to the construction of Fort Sumner in Maryland. He fought at Spotsylvania, North Anna River, Totopotomy, and several engagements in the siege of Petersburg. One of these was the June 18th attack on Confederate earthworks later known as Fort Stedman, where, out of 900 men, the regiment lost 635 killed or wounded. This was the highest toll sustained by a single unit in a single action of the entire war. Knowlton was wounded and spent ten months in various hospitals before being mustered out as disabled in April 1865. After the war, he moved to West Acton and established the Knowlton Cigar Factory. He died September 17, 1933 and is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery, West Acton. (source: text from "Not Afraid to Go", exhibit at the Acton Memorial Library)
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Family from Swanville Maine. Son of Amasa and Olive Knowlton (source: obituary; see also 1870 census). Brother of Amasa and George.
Frank R. Knowlton is recorded in the 1890 special veterans census as a resident of Acton (source: 1890 Veterans Schedules. In: Ancestry.com [online database]).
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See also:
Henry L. Hosmer. The Town of Acton in the Civil War, 1861-1865. Tucson, AZ: The Author, 2001. 120, 121.
"Evelyn Knowlton (1891-1979): Formation of the Town of Acton and the Knowlton Cigar Factory." Acton Memorial Library Oral History #2.
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