After six months, he and the young woman were in love. I thought so too. Everyone, she wrote, thinks as much as though it had been drawn for him. For the better part of the next two years Deborahs letters to Benjamin focused on the health, charm and virtues of the grandson who resembled her dead son. His father thought him too young for such a venture, so Keith offered to foot the bill himself and arranged Franklins passage to England so that he could choose his type and make connections with London stationers and booksellers. Marriage is the proper Remedy. Survivors were often blind, physically or mentally disabled and horribly disfigured. You can not pluck roses without fear of thorns, Nor enjoy a fair wife without danger of horns. But it seems likely, given his understanding that Deborah and her mother had quickly thrown him over, that he felt at least a tinge of resentment. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Franklin started courting the girl and expected a large dowry for their marriage. Silence Dogood. Over 35 years of marriage, Benjamin Franklin had indirectly praised Deborah's work ethic and common sense through "wife" characters in his Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard's Almanac. In public, Franklin himself took the blame for not inoculating Franky. He had not been inoculated. 57; Van Doren, Franklin, pp. Around the time they married Franklin took custody of an illegitimate child, William. Thank you for providing this, it was fun reading, with some valid points. The inoculation issue was over, but Franklin let his anger boil over in other ways, and this is one example. 2.Ford, Franklin Bibliog., no. This was perhaps a nice justification for his self-indulgent behaviour in London and his ignoring of Deborah, to whom he had written only once. 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. Thus they continue amiable. Her husband was thrilled. Known to historians as Benjamin Franklin's favorite sister, Jane was eleven when her restless brother ran away from Boston to begin his career in Philadelphia. The final productwhich shows Franklins adult face atop a boys bodyis disconcerting, but also moving. Sometimes being married is actually BAD for a person and I dont think being single means less happiness. 1732-1736. 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 A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. Franklin and Madame Helvetius were both in advanced age, and it would be highly unlikely that she could have produced children even if they sustained an intimate relationship. 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? Benjamin Franklin Marriage Letter From an Original Letter to John Alleyne, Esquire, As it Appears in the Pennsylvania Packet, October 30, 1789 Long before Dear Abby and Ann Landers, Benjamin Franklin was offering advice to the lovelorn. Are You. He flat out denied such rumors, claiming he was an honest husband, even if he was not a loving one. But Franklin himself hinted that something else delayed his action and perhaps cost Franky his life. Im sure it has nothing to do with my mother or daughter. At 12 he was apprenticed to his brother James, a printer. The Gazette of April 17, 1746, announced this pamphlet as Just Published. Charles R. Hildeburn assigned it to Franklin on the authority of a note, which he quoted as By Benjamin Franklin. V rokoch 1779 - 1785 psobil ako prv americk vyslanec vo Franczsku (nahradil ho Thomas Jefferson ). -Joseph Campbell Resolve to perform what you ought. the state in which you will find solid happiness. He later repudiated the pamphlet, burning all but one of the copies still in his possession. . 9) He that is good at making excuses is seldom good at anything else. Sherry is ready to help you reach your full potential and Stop Living Comfortably Miserable. Copyright 2009-2021 The Redhead Riter | Commenting Policy | Disclosure | Disclaimer | Privacy |, A Short Motivational Thought, Wish And Quote. Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards. A visitor to the Franklin home in 1755 saw Deborah throw herself to the floor in a fit of pique; he later wrote that she could produce invectives in the foulest terms I ever heard from a gentlewoman.) But her correspondence leaves no doubt that she loved Benjamin and always would. If youre Having the goutI wish I was near enough to rub it with a light hand.. What would Benjamin Franklin say about the Purkapile's marriage? The grateful part, Im not so sure! The Way to Wealth. Did he envy it? How Many of the Signers of the U.S. Constitution Were Enslavers? Powered by WordPress. In a June 1770 letter, an elated Deborah wrote to her husband that William Franklin believed Benny Bache is like Frankey Folger. Yes, we do rock!!! 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. Did it render the boy too sick to be inoculated? A Note to our Readers 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. Stephen Coss is the author of the book The Fever of 1721: The Epidemic that Revolutionized Medicine and American Politics. He. Franklin agreed to take custody of the babya gesture as admirable as it was uncommonbut that decision made his need for a wife urgent and finding one problematic. Jednm z jeho najvch diplomatickch spechov v Pari bolo v roku 1783 dosiahnutie mierovej zmluvy s Vekou Britniou, m bola v podstate ukonen vojna o nezvislos USA. 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, Benjamin's son William Franklin was most likely born around 1730 out of an illegitimate relationship that later became a common-law marriage. He, meanwhile, became more eligible by the year. Just weeks into Deborahs marriage, word reached Philadelphia that Rogers had another wife in England. The budding friendship between the two young people soon developed into mutual attraction. Lemay, one of Franklins best biographers, is representative. He wrote that Franklin fully intended to inoculate the boy, but that Frankys sickness dragged on and smallpox took him before his recovery. Indeed, Lemay went even further in providing cover for Franklin, describing Franky as a sickly infant and a sickly child. This, too, has become accepted wisdom. 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. Benjamin Franklin is widely known as a paragon of reason and restraint, epitomized by the proverbs in the Poor Richard's Almanacks of 1733-1754 and its abbreviated version, The Way to Wealth of. Benjamin Franklin Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. 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. Benjamin accepted the form and function of married lifeeven writing about it (skeptically) in his newspaperbut kept his wife at arms length. Ha, ha..I think lots of older women are not so good in this day & age..bah humbug to waiting on a man & confounding ones self to be pleasing to him.. And in turn, Benjamin wouldn't be liable for the debts of Rogers as Deborah's common-law "husband." . Sabin wrote me he had ascertained that Franklin was the author. The editors do not know what evidence Sabin had, but their judgment is that the pamphlets style is too unlike Franklins to ascribe it to him. Whether Franklin himself was inoculatedor survived a case of naturally acquired smallpox at some point is unknowntheres no evidence on record. But we cant understand him fully without considering why he treated his wife so shabbily at the end of her life. Follow AzQuotes on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Many biographers and historians have followed suit, accepting at face value that Franky was simply too sick for inoculation. In all, Josiah would father 17 children. 171-3. 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. If you get a prudent healthy Wife, your Industry in your Profession, with her good Economy, will be a Fortune sufficient. the state in which you will find solid happiness. 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. Well today I am going to share something a little different. Well your mama saw no misspelled words and I have not gone back to see, lol. The couple had two children. Deborahs shocked indignation is apparent in the entry she subsequently made in the shop book, in the place where she should have entered the details about the paper stock. Its more likely, though, that Benjamin and Deborah disagreed over inoculation for their son. Franklin, Benjamin Date 17 April 1746 Reference Cite as " [Reflections on Courtship and Marriage, 17 April 1746]," Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-03-02-0030. One problem, though the couple's only son was not inoculated, contracted smallpox, and ultimately died. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) 1706, Jan. 17 Born, Boston, Massachusetts 1718-1723 Apprenticed as a printer to his brother James Franklin 1723 Moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1724-1726 Worked in London, England, as a journeyman printer 1727 Founded the Junto, a debating club, in Philadelphia 1729 Purchased the Pennsylvania Gazette 1730, Sept. 1 Inasmuch as some People aredeterd from having that Operation performd on their Children, I do hereby sincerely declare, that he was not inoculated, but receivd the Distemper in the common Way of Infection, he wrote. Improve yourself, find your inspiration, share with friends, Benjamin Franklin (2004). 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. It was November 1724. . Because the Compunction is less. A Quick Biography of. And hence there is hardly such a thing to be found as an old Woman who is not a good Woman. After living together for six months, Ben brought home his illegitimate son, William, whom Deborah was forced to raise. LOL I obviously love you anyway. Deborah assisted in the business by folding and stitching pamphlets, tending shop, purchasing old linen rags for paper makers. the United States, and research and development projects to bring historical records to the And as in the dark all Cats are grey, the Pleasure of corporal Enjoyment with an old Woman is at least equal, and frequently superior, every Knack being by Practice capable of Improvement. One might not look at Benjamin Franklin and think sex icon, but standards for popular fan craze in Ben's day were not centered on physical . Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Follow your bliss. By the spring of 1724 he was enjoying the companionship of other young men with a taste for reading, and he was also being urged to set up in business for himself by the governor of Pennsylvania, Sir William Keith. 6) If your head is wax, don't walk in the sun. Benjamin Franklin pioneered the spirit of self-help in America. The way to wealth is as plain as the way to market. Separate, she wants his Force of Body and Strength of Reason; he, her Softness, Sensibility and acute Discernment. Sherry Riter a.k.a. Noteworthy is Franklin's involvement in promoting the music of two of the . Your email address will not be published. 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. Benjamin Franklin, Advice to a Young Man on the Choice of a Mistress (1745) June 25, 1745 My Dear Friend, 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. By 1726 Franklin was tiring of London. A ship under sail and a big-bellied Woman, / Are the handsomest two things that can be seen common, Benjamin would write in June 1735. Weel, a but one. On another occasion, Franklin wrote of her many good qualities but conspicuously left out any mention of her being a good mother, a slap in the face at the time. A mention of flatulence might conjure up images of bratty high school boys or lowbrow comics. Marriage and Children Deborah Read and Benjamin Franklin entered a common law agreement on September 1, 1730. Records Commission. Marriage is the proper Remedy. Franklin laid into Deborah for the error, deeming her careless. And I must say I agree with him for much of it. All rights reserved. It is the man who should feel grateful that an older woman might deem him interesting enough, stimulating enough and attractive enough that she would choose to spend whatever precious time she has left on the earth with him! In October 1765, Deborah Franklin sent a gushing letter to her husband, who was in London on business for the Pennsylvania legislature. Much has been made of Franklin being a womanizer, especially in Europe. Franklin apparently proposed marriage, but she declined in deference to her deceased husband. His father, Josiah Franklin (1657-1745), a native of England, was a candle and soap maker who married twice and had 17 children . Poor Richard's Almanack, p.17, Barnes & Noble Publishing. 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. Our work has been featured by the New York Times, TIME magazine, History Channel, Discovery Channel, Smithsonian, Mental Floss, NPR, and more. And as far as an older woman being grateful that a man might take an interest in her, I think it is just the opposite. My brain is forever warped! Where there's marriage without love, there will be love without marriage. 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. Marriage is the most natural state of man, 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. By the time the Philadelphia epidemic ended that July, 288 people were dead, but that total included only one of the approximately 50 people who had been inoculated. 6. This was the flux that Franklins editors note referred to. Way University Professor and Professor of History, Brown University. In 1758, near the start of Franklins first extended stay in London, she sent the portrait or a copy of it to him, perhaps hoping it would bind him to her in the same way she imagined its subject once had. One of the foremost of the Founding Fathers, Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence and was one of its signers, represented the United States in France during the American Revolution, and was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Rogers squandered Deborahs dowry and racked up big debts before disappearing. The two young men enjoyed the theatre and the other pleasures of the city, including women. He had intended to have my Child inoculated, as soon as he should have recovered sufficient Strength from a Flux with which he had been long afflicted.. A bachelor in his twenties was frowned upon and Franklin at age 24 was set to find a wife. Despite what late night infomercials claim, the . 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