When Benjamin Franklin was born on 6 January 1706, in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, his father, Josiah Franklin Sr., was 48 and his mother, Abiah Lee Folger, was 38. . [Benjamin Rush], in the copy belonging to the Library Company of Philadelphia.1 Paul L. Ford and Carl Van Doren accepted this attribution.2 However, the Library Companys copy belonged in fact to James Read of Reading, who acquired it in 1774; and the inscription, in Reads hand, actually reads By Mr. Franklin (the printer of it) I believe. He resembles the odd Half of a Pair of Scissars. I know you didnt see the misspelled words because you misspell just as atrociously. Because thro more Experience, they are more prudent and discreetin conducting an Intrigue to prevent Suspicion . Franklin was certainly grateful to be married, but treated his wife more like a roommate than a helpmate in life. Marriage is the most natural state of man, and therefore the state in which one is most likely to find solid happiness. Poor Richard's Almanack, p.40, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. Benjamin Franklin (2013). Deborah Read and Benjamin Franklin entered a common law agreementon September 1, 1730. When he met his grandson he, too, became infatuated with the boyso much so that he effectively claimed Benny for his own. You call this a Paradox, and demand my Reasons. Franklin said as much many years later. Stephen Coss But Franklin himself hinted that something else delayed his action and perhaps cost Franky his life. Benjamin Franklin Love, Marriage, Order Benjamin Franklin, Walter Isaacson (2003). Even with those deathswhich doctors attributed to smallpox contracted before inoculationthe inoculation death rate was negligible compared with the fatality rate from naturally acquired smallpox. Im sure it has nothing to do with my mother or daughter. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, M,DCC,XLVI. Benjamin Franklin made important scientific contributions regarding the nature of electricity. In 1727 Potter had ran away to the West Indies escaping creditors. If God expected me to stay married just so that I could say I was married, then he would not be the God of love that I know Him to be. In a June 1770 letter, an elated Deborah wrote to her husband that William Franklin believed Benny Bache is like Frankey Folger. Amazon.com: Benjamin Franklin: On Love, Marriage, and Other Matters (Audible Audio Edition): Benjamin Franklin, Adrian Cronauer, Recorded Books: Books Benjamin Franklin said, "Be assured, a Woman's Power, as well as Happiness, has no other Foundation but . (Franklin immortalized his wifes fiery personality in various fictional counterparts, including Bridget Saunders, wife of Poor Richard. Marriage is the proper Remedy. Should the United States keep Daylight Saving Time as first whimsically suggested by Benjamin Franklin? As a scientist, Franklin took great interest in inoculating against the disease. Franklin had ten siblings and seven step-siblings. You can not pluck roses without fear of thorns, Nor enjoy a fair wife without danger of horns. Benjamin, now 16, read and perhaps set in type these contributions and decided that he could do as well himself. Franklin never said his son was sick, but that he had not recovered sufficient Strength. Its possible that Franky had been ill, but was no longer showing symptoms of dysentery. I agree with him that marriage adds to each of us and makes us whole. . Benjamin Franklin pioneered the spirit of self-help in America. All rights reserved. In 1776 he insisted that the 7-year-old accompany him on his diplomatic mission to France. However, Benjamin Franklin was right and wrong about older women! the state in which you will find solid happiness. In October 1765, Deborah Franklin sent a gushing letter to her husband, who was in London on business for the Pennsylvania legislature. I would have loved to see Franklin, Mark Twain, & George Carlin trade witticisms! Perform without fail what you resolve. Survivors were often blind, physically or mentally disabled and horribly disfigured. Marriage and Children Deborah Read and Benjamin Franklin entered a common law agreement on September 1, 1730. I wonder if he spelled them right for 1748 or if he was like my Mom and daughter! Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston on a Sunday, which for the Puritans was reason enough for him to be morally weak; they believed that any child born on the Sabbath was conceived on the. William. Rogers squandered Deborahs dowry and racked up big debts before disappearing. Leo Lemay pointed out, better off financially and socially than any of his siblings and almost all of Philadelphias artisans. That fall, the Pennsylvania Assembly appointed him its clerk, which put him on the inside of the colonys politics for the first time. One of the foremost of theFounding Fathers,he helped draft theDeclaration of Independenceand was one of its signers, he represented the United States in France during theAmerican Revolution, and he was a delegate to theConstitutional Convention. The disease was fatal in more than 30 percent of all cases and even more deadly to children. public. It involves their only son, a lethal disease and a disagreement over inoculation. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. His father, Josiah Franklin (1657-1745), a native of England, was a candle and soap maker who married twice and had 17 children . And when she became pregnant with their first child, near the beginning of 1732, she had reason to hope she might have one. The debauching a Virgin may be her Ruin, and make her for Life unhappy. B.R. In August 1737, less than a year after Frankys death, he lashed out at her for mishandling a sale in their store. We tend to idealize our founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin. In London, Franklin discovered that the governor had lied to him. Copyright 2009-2021 The Redhead Riter | Commenting Policy | Disclosure | Disclaimer | Privacy |, A Short Motivational Thought, Wish And Quote. That didn't end well, as Potter absconded to the West Indies to escape paying some debts. It is the Man and Woman united that make the compleat human Being. In classic Franklin fashion, he doesnt say. If you get a prudent healthy Wife, your Industry in your Profession, with her good Economy, will be a Fortune sufficient. Recall Benjamin Franklin said, "Good wives usually make good husbands" and "The likeliest Way, either to obtain a good Husband, or to keep one so, is to be Good yourself". Benjamin loved the child and his new role as a dad, but that did not mean he opened up to be more of a loving husband to Deborah. Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard's Almanack, p.39, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. Benjamin Franklin (2013). A recurring theme was Benjamins belief that Deborah was irresponsible. Benjamin Franklin was born in a small house on Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts on January 6, 1706, the son of Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger. They entered a common-law agreement which protected them from bigamy if her runaway husband returned. Its more likely, though, that Benjamin and Deborah disagreed over inoculation for their son. Omissions? She moved into his house on September 1, 1730, in a common law marriage. Moist Banana Bread Recipe The Best Banana Bread Ever, 14 Reasons That You Should Read This Post, Wearing A Mask In The Midst Of PTSD Ignorance, in all your Amours you should prefer old Women to young ones, Because as they have more Knowledge of the World, frequently superior, every Knack being by Practice. January 6, 1705 [1 - April 17, 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin returned to Philadelphia in October 1726. Archives. Because the Sin is less. Possibly he was relieved. After expressing his regret over having failed to inoculate Franky, he added: This I mention for the Sake of Parents, who omit that Operation on the Supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a Child died under it; my Example showing that the Regret may be the same either way, and that therefore the safer should be chosen., Franklin took the blame for not inoculating Franky, just as he took the blame for Deborahs disastrous first marriage. Perhaps it was. Thank you for providing this, it was fun reading, with some valid points. Noooo! I know of no Medicine fit to diminish the violent natural Inclinations you mention; and if I did, I think I should not communicate it to you. My mother = The Energizer Bunny. 8) Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late. Young Franklin discovered a volume of The Spectatorfeaturing Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steeles famous periodical essays, which had appeared in England in 171112and saw in it a means for improving his writing. 171-3. While in London, Franklin wrote A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain (1725), a Deistical pamphlet inspired by his having set type for William Wollastons moral tract, The Religion of Nature Delineated. The grateful part, Im not so sure! Did it render the boy too sick to be inoculated? Much has been made of Franklin being a womanizer, especially in Europe. By 1736, Franklin had entered the most fulfilling period of his life so far. My brain is forever warped! At some point she was told that Rogers had died in the West Indies, but proving his deathwhich would have freed Deborah to remarry formallywas impractically expensive and a long shot besides. Josiah Franklin was born at Ecton, Northamptonshire, England, on December 23, 1657, the son of Thomas Franklin, a blacksmith and farmer, and his wife, Jane White. | READ MORE. This article is a selection from the September issue of Smithsonian magazine. But as in that earlier case, his public chivalry probably disguised his private beliefs. Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us - an ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings. When smallpox returned to Philadelphia in September 1736, he couldnt resist lampooning the logic of the English minister Edmund Massey, who had famously declared inoculation the Devils work, citing Job 2:7: So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of the foot unto his crown. Near the front of the new Poor Richards Almanac, which he was preparing to print, Franklin countered: Thus (tho tis lifes greatpreservation), Significantly, this verse was Franklins only comment on smallpox or inoculation through the first four months of the new outbreak. Some months later, after a bitter quarrel, Benjamin secretly left home, sure that James would not go to law and reveal the subterfuge he had devised. Franklin was not the gushy, romantic type, but, prior to his marriage, he had an affair with the wife of a friend and ended up getting her pregnant. The happy State of Matrimony is, undoubtedly, the surest and most lasting Foundation of Comfort and Love . On long-distance relationships: The biggest issue in Franklin's marriage to Reed was his frequent trips to London. Franklins enthusiasm for smallpox inoculation dated to 1721, when he was a printers apprentice to James in Boston. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The National Historical Publications and Never endeavor to deceive or impose on his understanding: nor give him uneasiness (as some do very foolishly) to try his temper; but treat him always beforehand with sincerity, afterwards with affection and respect., Whether at this point he loved Deborah is difficult to say; despite his reputation as a flirt and a charmer, he seldom made himself emotionally available to anyone. For more on the Daylight Saving debate, visit ProCon.org. It must be of Use to your Health, the having such an Amusement. At times he seemed impatient with Deborah: I am glad your little Grandson recovered so soon of his Illness, as I see you are quite in Love with him, and your Happiness wrapt up in his; since your whole long Letter is made up of the History of his pretty Actions. Did he resent the way she had anointed Benny the new Franky? He. And when, in February 1731, Philadelphians began coming down with smallpox, Franklins backing became even more urgent. Returned to Philadelphia, the painting took on a nearly magical significance a decade later, when family members noticed an uncanny resemblance between Sarah Franklins 1-year-old son, Benjamin Franklin Bache, and the Franky of the portrait. William Franklin. For the better part of a decade he lived with the Sioux tribe before returning to society. Franklin agreed to take in the child as his own. When eighteen-year-old Benjamin Franklin ran away to Philadelphia, he boarded with the Read family and began his printing apprenticeship. I certainly agree with you about misused or misspelled words. He would later admit that by degrees he forgot my engagements with Miss Read. In declaring this a great Erratum of his life, he took responsibility for Deborahs ill-fated marriage to a potter named John Rogers. He came to be regarded as the greatest promoter of smallpox inoculation in the British colonies. . Franklin was born the 10th son of the 17 children of a man who made soap and candles, one of the lowliest of the artisan crafts. Older women rock. She saw him and thought I made, as I certainly did, a most awkward ridiculous Appearance.. LOL I hope you have a great day! Benjamin Franklin was the George Clooney of his day. And in turn, Benjamin wouldn't be liable for the debts of Rogers as Deborah's common-law "husband." . Artist and date unknown) Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706. It was a small matter, but Benjamin was incensed. He had planned to use the dowry to pay the remaining debt for the printing house which added to 100 pounds. ( 337 ) $9.99. Death, Cause unspecified 17 April 1790 (Age 84) . Along the way, Franklin came to see marriage as more of an act of business (via Smithsonian Magazine). And we can imagine that for Deborah it was even worse. 1731-1813. A bachelor in his twenties was frowned upon and Franklin at age 24 was set to find a wife. And when Franklin sailed for London in 1757 he made no secret of his ambivalence about leaving his 14-year-old daughter with Deborah. Marriage & Family Life Mary married Peter Folger in 1644. The addressee is unknown; and the letter may in fact be an essay in the form of a letter. The second, Sarah Franklin born in 1743. I have this thing with words spelled or used incorrectly. Fifteen-year-old Deborah, standing at the door of her familys house on Market Street, laughed at the awkward ridiculous Appearance of the bedraggled 17-year-old stranger trudging down the street with a loaf of bread under each arm and his pockets bulging with socks and shirts. So what should we make of Benjamin Franklin? . Finding a bakery, he asked for three pennies worth of bread and got three great Puffy Rolls. Carrying one under each arm and munching on the third, he walked up Market Street past the door of the Read family, where stood Deborah, his future wife. How Many People Signed the U.S. Constitution? "A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short." -Andre Maurois "Marriage is the most natural state of man and the state in which you will find solid happiness." -Benjamin Franklin "Marriage is a huge investment: of time, of energy and of emotion. 1732-1736. Benjamin Franklin was born the 10th son of the 17 children of a man who made soap and candles, one of the lowliest of the artisan crafts. Ben Franklin was my first idol, when I was a young lad, & he remains one of my very favorite people wise, inventive, & ohh so witty! But he was married for 44 years. by Benjamin Franklin, Carl Japikse. LOL. Francis Folger Franklin, Ben's son. While Franklin was away from Deborah for over a decade, she sent him romantic letters but he only responded in terse replies. In April and July he assured her he would sail shortly. In an age that privileged the firstborn son, Franklin was, as he tartly noted in his Autobiography, the youngest Son of the youngest Son for five Generations back. He learned to read very early and had one year in grammar school and another under a private teacher, but his formal education ended at age 10. Just as people change over time so do words. Our work has been featured by the New York Times, TIME magazine, History Channel, Discovery Channel, Smithsonian, Mental Floss, NPR, and more. And I must say I agree with him for much of it. Marriage is the proper Remedy. Benjamin Franklin NICK NAMES Ben BIRTHDAY January 17, 1706 BORN ON DAY Sunday BIRTHPLACE Boston, Massachusetts Bay, British America. Franklin went from viewing Deborah as a great business partner, to blaming her for the problems of the business (via Smithsonian Magazine). There was no money waiting, not for equipment, not even for his return passage. He had been one of the few white men in Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts (as a successor of Thomas Mayhew), and was a teacher and translator for the Wampanoag Indians. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Then he had his own romantic calamity: He learned that a young woman of his acquaintance was pregnant with his child. 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