Valley of the Shadow
The Eve of War
Fall 1859–Spring 1861

1860 Census and Summaries

Party Activists, 1859-60


Democratic party activists in Franklin County outnumbered Republicans in nearly every precinct, but the younger Republican or People’s Party rallied more voters in the 1860 election.

Democrat Republican Total
Chambersburg, South Ward 54 45 99
Chambersburg, North Ward 35 27 62
Antrim 11 7 18
Concord 3 1 4
Dry Run 5 0 5
Fayetteville 5 1 6
Green Village 3 5 8
Guilford 4 0 4
Hamilton 3 3 6
Letterkenny 5 2 7
Loudon 3 1 4
Lurgan 4 1 5
Montgomery 4 7 11
Metal 1 5 6
Orrstown 5 7 12
Peters 3 1 4
Quincy 1 2 3
St. Thomas 4 1 5
Southampton 3 2 5
Sulphur Spring 1 2 3
Warren 3 0 3
Washington 3 3 6
Welsh Run 3 3 6
Total 166 126 292

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 Thiessen polygons around precinct stations as central places.