Submitted by Susan Hadenchuk; vetted and edited by Cheri Todd Molter and Kobe Brown
Franklin K. Larabee, 1st Lieutenant, U.S. Army, was born in 1828 in Ashtabula, Ohio. In June of 1861 he enlisted for two years in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was discharged for promotion on March 24, 1864, and was commissioned into Company D of the 27th United States Colored Troops (USCT) in Ohio a few days later. Larabee was in charge of his company at the Battle of the Crater on June 30, 1864. He moved with the 27th USCT to Fort Fisher on January 12, 1865, where they were involved in mop‐up operations during the battle. Afterward, on February 22nd, the 27th USCT moved to Wilmington on and participated in the takeover of the city. Franklin was present during the exchange of prisoners at Castle Hayne, then proceeded to Goldsboro and Raleigh, where he was promoted to captain.
In late spring of 1865, Franklin was designated Superintendent of Sanitary Operations in Wilmington, a position he held until July of 1865. Franklin mustered out with his company on September 21, 1865, in Smithville, taking the train north to home. After the war, he was a farmer and carpenter. He moved his family to Atlanta, perhaps to find construction work. His daughter, Ruth, married a Southern man, Thomas Wynne. By 1880, Larabee had moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Franklin died on March 10, 1909, from pneumonia and was buried in Kansas City.