Terms of Use And when Franklin sailed for London in 1757 he made no secret of his ambivalence about leaving his 14-year-old daughter with Deborah. Author of. | READ MORE. 1744 . Leonard W. Labaree. Keiths motives may have been more political than paternal, but with that, the couple interchangd some Promises, in Franklins telling, and he set out for London. It was a small matter, but Benjamin was incensed. He considered becoming an itinerant teacher of swimming, but, when Thomas Denham, a Quaker merchant, offered him a clerkship in his store in Philadelphia with a prospect of fat commissions in the West Indian trade, he decided to return home. Destructive 'Super Pigs' From Canada Threaten the Northern U.S. Did an Ancient Magnetic Field Reversal Cause Chaos for Life on Earth 42,000 Years Ago? The happy State of Matrimony is, undoubtedly, the surest and most lasting Foundation of Comfort and Love . Possibly he just lost his nerve. "Marriage is the most natural state of man, and . He had never been much interested in children, but after the birth of Francis Folger Franklin, on October 20, 1732, he wrote that they were the most delightful Cares in the World. The boy, whom he and Deborah nicknamed Franky, gave rise to a more ebullient version of Franklin than he had allowed the world to see. Benjamin Franklin had two sons and one daughter. * Are All My Recipes Grain Free? 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards. . This article is a selection from the September issue of Smithsonian magazine. Deborah assisted in the business by folding and stitching pamphlets, tending shop, purchasing old linen rags for paper makers. He read these Spectator papers over and over, copied and recopied them, and then tried to recall them from memory. When a me limbs were soft an tender. But one of the most eloquentand least expectedcommentators on the subject is Benjamin Franklin. - Benjamin Franklin | One Day Quotes. In March and April 1773 he wrote vaguely of coming home, and then in October he trotted out what had become his stock excuse, that winter passage was too dangerous. . Benjamin Franklin Schenck found in Indiana, Select Marriages Index, 1748-1993 Benjamin Franklin Schenck found in 1860 United States Federal Census Benjamin Franklin Schenck found in 1870 United States Federal Census Benjamin Franklin Schenck found in 1850 United States Federal Census Potential photos and documents Benjamin Franklin Schenck In June 1728, he launched a printing house with a partner, Hugh Meredith. It appears that Deborah, tired of arguing with her husband over the need to baptize their son, had it done while he was out of town. It is the most natural State of Man, and therefore the State in which you are most likely to find solid Happiness. He also became more empatheticits hard to imagine he would have written an essay like On the Death of Infants, which was inspired by the death of an acquaintances child, had he not been enraptured by his own son and fearful lest a similar fate should befall him. This letter was even funnier to me because Benjamin Franklin misspelled words that I restrained myself from correcting. The Practice of Inoculation for the Small-Pox, begins to grow among us, he wrote the next month, adding that the first Patient of Note, a man named J. Or did he fear that they would lose this new Franky, too? Created by Meks. Given Franklins notorious frugality, the commission was an extraordinary indulgencemost tradesmen didnt have portraits made of themselves, let alone their children. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, M,DCC,XLVI. Improve yourself, find your inspiration, share with friends, Benjamin Franklin (2004). she reminded me of a bit of Scottish verse I learned years ago (to be said in a broad Scots burr): Ahhhh, fer those days I weel remember, Protect and keep contributing to your investment." -Karen Gordon If you purchase an item through these links, we receive a commission. (Franklin denied it, writing he would do nothing unworthy the Character of an honest Man, and one that loves his Family.) But as month after month passed with no word on Benjamins voyage home, it became clear that history was repeating itself. 6. And I must say I agree with him for much of it. 4. Usually, inoculated patients became slightly ill, broke out in a few, smallish pox, and recovered quickly, immune to the disease for the rest of their lives. The second, Sarah Franklin born in 1743. What do you think about Benjamin Franklins wisdom about marriage, sex and the older woman? Records Commission. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The Way to Wealth. Benjamin Franklin is known as one of the country's most influential figures. I long regretted bitterly and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. "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. Benjamin Franklin (1819). Poor Richard's Almanack, p.40, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. Benjamin Franklin (2013). the United States, and research and development projects to bring historical records to the But he emerged as one of the most outspoken inoculation advocates in the Colonies. 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". When eighteen-year-old Benjamin Franklin ran away to Philadelphia, he boarded with the Read family and began his printing apprenticeship. A bachelor in his twenties was frowned upon and Franklin at age 24 was set to find a wife. Franklin was a great manscientist, publisher, political theorist, diplomat. Franklin swooped in and took Deborah as his common-law wife on September 1, 1730 common-law so that, if Mr. Potter returned, neither one would be in violation of bigamy laws. Franklin didnt return Benny Bache to his parents for nine years. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Franklin was certainly grateful to be married, but treated his wife more like a roommate than a helpmate in life. A Century of Printing: The Issues of the Press of Pennsylvania, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-03-02-0030, National Historical Publications and Deborah left him and moved back in with her mother. There was no money waiting, not for equipment, not even for his return passage. By that logic, risking her son to inoculation was unacceptable. preserve, publish, and encourage the use of documentary sources, relating to the history of She is best remembered as the grandmother of Benjamin Franklin. It seemed that whenever he decided to settle down, Franklin would have his pick of a wife. Franklin exchanged some promises about marriage with Deborah Read and, with a young friend, James Ralph, as his companion, sailed for London in November 1724, just over a year after arriving in Philadelphia. Franklin entered a common law marriage - a social contract which, after years of co-habitation, resulted in a . Franklin's mother, Abiah Folger, was actually Josiah's second wife. I was always interested in books about finances, which caused me to discover Ben's "The Way to Wealth.". Soon she took in the infant son her new husband had fathered with another woman and began running a small stationery store on the first floor. A Note to our Readers But still I advise you to marry directly; being sincerely Your affectionate Friend. 5) Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterward. in In the late 1760s, Deborah became ill and suffered a series . Smithsonian magazine participates in affiliate link advertising programs. . His mastery of the printers trade, of which he was proud to the end of his life, was achieved between 1718 and 1723. 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. Please select which sections you would like to print: John Welsh Centennial Professor of History and English Literature, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 196875. The answer isnt simple. At only 16 years of age, Benjamin Franklin submitted columns to the newspaper about fashion, religion, women's rights, marriage, etc., under the faade of a widow named Mrs. Marriage is the proper Remedy. He had not been inoculated. Those days from the present differ! 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. He is an incomplete Animal. This would mean that, contrary to what some biographers and historians have assumed, Frankys inoculation was not out of the question. Their first son, Francis, died at only four years old of smallpox. John and Abigail Adams had a storybook union that spanned half a century. Did I say a? Your Privacy Rights Author of, Alva O. Benjamin Franklin We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately. She saw him and thought I made, as I certainly did, a most awkward ridiculous Appearance.. He learned to read very early and had one year ingrammar schooland another under a private teacher, but his formal education ended at age 10. Sherry is ready to help you reach your full potential and Stop Living Comfortably Miserable. Franky was still Deborahs only child (the Franklins daughter, Sarah, would not be born for seven more years) and the legitimizing force in her common-law marriage. Addressing Frankys death in the Autobiography, he wrote: I long regretted bitterly & still regret that I had not given it [smallpox] to him by Inoculation. If he regretted not being able to give his son smallpox by inoculation, he would have said so. For the last 10 years of their 44-year marriage Read stayed in Philadelphia while Franklin spent all his time in Europe. 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. On one occasion, a customer bought some paper from the Franklins' business and Deborah forgot to mark down which kind of paper, meaning the customer could have gotten away with buying a high-quality paper for less than it was really worth. Deborah appears to have embraced it without qualmand over time seems to have accepted it as a surrogate for her son. The boy that seemed so mature because he was very distant during courtship may continue to be distant after marriage as well; if a wife is then looking for a closer and warmer relationship, she will spend the rest of her married life feeling cheated of that closeness. Essential Writers, Artists, and Scientists, History of Scientists, Inventors, and Inventions Quiz, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benjamin-Franklin, Social Studies for Kids - Biography of Benjamin Franklin, UShistory.org - The Electric Ben Franklin, Philanthropy Roundtable - Benjamin Franklin, Strange Science - Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Benjamin Franklin - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Through its grants program, the NHPRC supports a wide range of activities to Frank Benjamin Grouard (also known as Frank Gruard and Benjamin Franklin Grouard) (September 20, 1850 - August 15, 1905) was a Scout and interpreter for General George Crook during the American Indian War of 1876. Im glad you seemed to enjoy it as much as me! Houghton LibraryHarvard College Library. A Benjamin Franklin Reader, p.53, Simon and Schuster, There is a mistake in the text of this quote, Occupation: Founding Father of the United States. The matter of whether or not he had been inoculated may have created lasting marital discord, says Smithsonian Magazine. The circumstantial Advantages you have in View by postponing it, are not only uncertain, but they are small in comparison with that of the Thing itself, the being married and settled. Occasionally, however, they developed full-blown smallpox or other complications and died. 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. A customer had bought paper on credit, and Deborah had forgotten to note which paper he had bought. They entered a common-law agreement which protected them from bigamy if her runaway husband returned. Benjamin Franklin, Walter Isaacson (2003). Franklins initial reply, in June 1770, was detached, even dismissive: I rejoice much in the Pleasure you appear to take in him. In 1722 he wrote a series of 14 essays signed Silence Dogood in which he lampooned everything from funeral eulogies to the students of Harvard College. Franklin realized, as all the Founders did, that writing competently was such a rare talent in the 18th century that anyone who could do it well immediately attracted attention. In 1736 Francis, who was 4 years old, died from small pox. The way to wealth is as plain as the way to market. Paul L. Ford believed it was addressed to William Franklin; but William was only a lad of 14 or 15 in 1745. In the Autobiography he wrote that he should have beenashamd at seeing Miss Read, had not her Friendspersuaded her to marry another. If he wasnt ashamed, what was he? Updates? But as her health declined, she gave up her vow not to give him one moments trouble. When will it be in your power to come home? she asked in August 1770. The Redhead Riter is Witty, Intelligent & Addictive. His exact birthday is unknown, as is the identity of his mother, but he was born sometime around 1730, and . No desirable young woman with a dowry would want to marry a man with a bastard infant son. Im never going to get that picture out of my head now! Franklin laid into Deborah for the error, deeming her careless. The conventional wisdom is that their marriage was doomed from the beginning, by differences in intellect and ambition, and by its emphasis on practicality over love; Franklin was a genius and needed freedom from conventional constraints; Deborahs fear of ocean travel kept her from joining her husband in England and made it inevitable that they would drift apart. Survivors were often blind, physically or mentally disabled and horribly disfigured. His attitude was reflected in his Rules and Maxims for Promoting Matrimonial Happiness, which he published a month after he and Deborah began living together. 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