The Valley of the Shadow

Franklin County: 1860 Presidential Election Precinct Comparison




This table draws on data from the GIS to compare Franklin's precincts in the 1860 presidential election. Contested districts are defined as those where the victor did not receive more than 55 percent of the popular vote. In most respects the contested districts in Franklin fit the county average. The precinct that Breckinridge won by a significant margin is significantly poorer and more concentrated in corn that either the county as a whole or the Lincoln districts.
County Average Lincoln Districts Breckinridge Districts Contested Districts
Number of Districts 10 1 12
Lincoln:Breckinridge Vote Ratio 54:34 64:24 24:73 50:42
Mean Household Wealth $5892 $5764 $3553 $6137
Median Household Wealth $2200 $1925 $2450 $2500
Mean Farm Value $7314 $7559 $2050 $7231
Median Farm Value $6000 $6450 $1900 $6000
Corn as a percent of Total Grain 34% 34% 39% 34%
Wheat as a percent of Total Grain 37% 36% 16% 39%



The data are based on the GIS of Augusta and Franklin households--maps are derived from a D. H. Davison map of Franklin County, published in 1858, and Jedediah Hotchkiss map of Augusta County, published in 1870 and based on surveys completed "during the war." The maps have been georeferenced at the Virginia Center for Digital History, using ESRI Arc Info to produce a Geographic Information Systems map and database of households based on U. S. census data from the population, agricultural, and slaveowners schedules.
Note: Original precinct boundaries are not available. Precinct boundaries were established in the GIS using Theissen polygons around precinct stations as central places.

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