[1] The county was named for Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the United States.

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans.

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but keeping title to about 7,500 square miles.

In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.

These tribes included: Ottawa, Chippewa, Sac and Fox, Peoria, and Potawatomi.

The last time a Democratic candidate has carried Franklin County was in 1964 by Lyndon B. Johnson.

[18] † means a community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.

The city of Ottawa is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships.