Franklin County has an area of 697 square miles. It was formed in 1785 from Henry and Bedford and later added to from Patrick, and it was named for Benjamin Franklin. General Jubal A. Early lived in this county. Henry County has an area of 444 square miles. It was formed in 1776 from Pittsylvania and named for Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia. Henry lived in the county from 1779 to 1784.