A biography about an influential historical figure who died in Ironton—written by a Lexington, Ky., man who grew up in Lawrence County—was recently released; area residents will have the chance to get a copy and meet the author this Monday in Ironton.

Caleb Franz wrote his first book about John Rankin. He said the promotion of the book is going well.

“I’m especially excited about making it back to Ironton and going into depth about Rankin’s connections to the area,” Franz said.

The local book signing is at 6 p.m. on Nov. 25 at First Presbyterian Church in Ironton. Attendees can purchase a copy of the book and Franz will sign it. If someone already has a copy of it they can bring it with them for signing. 

Rankin, according to Franz, is a “largely forgotten” figure in American history—outside of the Ohio River Valley. Even then the scale of his impact “is not fully appreciated the way it could be, largely because nobody knows the full context of his story.” 

“When he was alive, a lot of people—especially in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana—considered him to be the father of abolitionism,” Franz said. “Many people would call him the Martin Luther of their cause.”

This highlights Rankin’s role in the formation of the American abolitionist movement. Rankin worked with William Lloyd Garrison who was an abolitionist, journalist and social reformer. 

“Rankin considered Garrison to be his anti-slavery father,” Franz said. “That is significant. Garrison discovered Rankin at a very important time when he embraced the cause of immediate emancipation.” 

Franz said the idea was if a slave has the right to freedom then he or she has the right to freedom now and not in a generation or through some other sort of scheme. 

“He completely embraced that,” he said.

Garrison started The Liberator, republishing Rankin’s letters on American slavery. He got Rankin involved in the formation of the American anti-slavery society. 

Franz said many people who think of abolitionists think of New England, but there was another side of the coin. That took place in Appalachia or the Ohio River Valley. 

“These were people who were much more geographically affected by slavery,” Franz said. “In New England it’s very removed geographically from the dangers. To a certain degree, everyone was risking something by standing up against slavery.”

This was especially true in the Ohio River Valley, Ripley, and later on Ironton, where Rankin’s story largely took place, Franz said. There was significant risk in which Rankin had bounties put on his head. He had assassination attempts against him. 

“He was the victim of mob violence,” he said. “It took a lot of faith and fortitude to be able to stand up to something like this.”

Franz’s greatest inspiration for his book was when he discovered Rankin as a teenager. Growing up in Ironton, Franz learned the Lawrence County Museum & Historical Society is based where Rankin died. Franz’s father, Randy, came home one day and was “ecstatic” about this figure he had discovered. 

“That really stuck with me,” Franz said. “I forgot about it for a little bit. I was reminded of him when I was starting to work on this idea for my first book. I loved this idea of the abolitionist and the Ohio River Valley.” 

It is not a story that was told enough—in Franz’s opinion. The significance of this region in the trajectory in American history is another factor in his decision to write the book.

In 2022, Franz was reminded of John Rankin. He did more digging into Rankin’s story and his significance. 

“I realized what a special figure he was,” he said. “Especially, for someone who died quite figuratively and literally in my back yard.”

It “astonished” Franz that so little was written about Rankin.

“His story needed to be brought to light and studied more,” he said. “Hopefully this book is just the beginning of the scholarship surrounding John Rankin.”

Franz is a 2014 graduate of Ironton High School and an Eagle Scout who was a member of Ironton’s Troop 106.

“(Scouts) was the most influential aspect of my upbringing,” he said. “It contributed to my love of this kind of history and these kinds of stories.” 

After high school, Franz entered the Ohio Army National Guard for six years. He now lives in Lexington, Ky., with his wife.

Franz said Rankin’s story is significant in the context of American and Ironton history. 

“It’s a really important story in the level of appreciation that people in this area can develop and understand,” he said. “Rankin was a titan of abolitionism. He was this figure who bridges the founding era to the 13th Amendment. Ironton is right there at the tail end of that story where (Rankin) spent his twilight years.” 

In addition to the upcoming book signing, those interested in purchasing Franz’s book may do so via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and any other main retailer where people purchase books.