After six months, he and the young woman were in love. Avoid, both before and after marriage, all thoughts of managing your husband, he advised wives. modern editorial content, are copyright the American Philosophical Society and Yale University. 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. Benjamin Franklin, also called Ben Franklin, pseudonym Richard Saunders, (born January 17 [January 6, Old Style], 1706, Boston, Massachusetts [U.S.]died April 17, 1790, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.), American printer and publisher, author, inventor and scientist, and diplomat. Houghton LibraryHarvard College Library. Every day we present the best quotes! Privacy Statement 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 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, 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. But he had survived, and at age 30 was, as his biographer J.A. 9) He that is good at making excuses is seldom good at anything else. Because as they have more Knowledge of the World and their Minds are better stord with Observations, their Conversation is more improving and more lastingly agreable. Sherry Riter a.k.a. A mention of flatulence might conjure up images of bratty high school boys or lowbrow comics. Are You. There he made a shallow incision in the patients arm and deposited material from the vial. However, lets face it, there are a lot of older women who never evolve and remain stuck in their own fears. Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S. LOL I obviously love you anyway. Journal of the American Revolution is the leading source of knowledge about the American Revolution and Founding Era. preserve, publish, and encourage the use of documentary sources, relating to the history of Deborah Read and Benjamin Franklin entered a common law agreementon September 1, 1730. Franklin finally left London for home three months after Deborah died. Benjamin Franklin He. Franklin said as much many years later. Mr. and Mrs. Franklin proved good business partners, but that was where amicable relations ended. Your Reasons against entering into it at present, appear to me not well-founded. . New indentures were drawn up but not made public. 976. Many biographers and historians have followed suit, accepting at face value that Franky was simply too sick for inoculation. 6. J R. Another note on the title page, made by Lloyd P. Smith, librarian of the Library Company, on May 26, 1880, reads, Jos. It involves their only son, a lethal disease and a disagreement over inoculation. Sarah . E.g., Marriage is the most natural state of man, and. Together they are more likely to succeed in the World. 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. But he emerged as one of the most outspoken inoculation advocates in the Colonies. 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. Because the Compunction is less. They are these: 1. Just weeks into Deborahs marriage, word reached Philadelphia that Rogers had another wife in England. 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. Benjamin Franklin Marriage Eyes Half Open Your Related Authors Alexander Hamilton , Marjorie Taylor Greene , Robert Kennedy , Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , Kevin McCarthy , Lauren Boebert , Hillary Clinton , Matt Gaetz Info William Franklin was born Feb. 22, 1762, followed by the birth of Francis on Oct. 20, 1732 and . 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. In 1776 he insisted that the 7-year-old accompany him on his diplomatic mission to France. 57; Van Doren, Franklin, pp. . Check out these top 15 facts that helped shape the history of America. Cookie Settings, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Left: Art Collection / Alamy Stock Photo; Right: Public Domain, or survived a case of naturally acquired smallpox at some point is unknowntheres no evidence on record. In 1721 Cotton Matherthe man who had stumbled upon the idea of inoculation and then pushed it on the doctors of Boston, declaring it infalliblehad stalled for two weeks before approving his teenage sons inoculation, knowing all the while that Sammy Mathers Harvard roommate was sick with smallpox. 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. He was the tenth son of soap maker, Josiah Franklin. Benjamin Franklin's father, Josiah Franklin, was a tallow chandler, soaper, and candlemaker. Yes, we do rock!!! If Deborah was the model for this fictional wife, as she seems to have been, its worth noting the authors rationale for preferring her type. Franklin went from viewing Deborah as a great business partner, to blaming her for the problems of the business (via Smithsonian Magazine). Occasionally, however, they developed full-blown smallpox or other complications and died. 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. Her husband was thrilled. I argue with God all the time. Because thro more Experience, they are more prudent and discreetin conducting an Intrigue to prevent Suspicion . Marriage is the proper Remedy. Benjamin had a common-law marriage with Deborah Read, until her death. ..the Benjamin Schenck Mansion is supposedly one of the most haunted places in all of Indiana. But the facts are more complicated. The disease was fatal in more than 30 percent of all cases and even more deadly to children. Silence Dogood. Both provide an interesting view of life in the 1700s, particularly the use of the English language. Smithsonian magazine participates in affiliate link advertising programs. You call this a Paradox, and demand my Reasons. 1732-1736. lol. A person, whether they are male or female, can be a whole and evolved person without being married! In other words, Franklin's faith was an enigma. He read these Spectator papers over and over, copied and recopied them, and then tried to recall them from memory. My brain is forever warped! 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. 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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. How I long to see you, she wrote to him in 1770, after 40 years of marriage and five years into his second trip to London. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, M,DCC,XLVI. Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin pioneered the spirit of self-help in America. Deborah Franklin suffered another stroke on December 14, 1774, and died five days later. If youre Having the goutI wish I was near enough to rub it with a light hand.. They seem to do very well in business and . Poor Richard's Almanack, p.39, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. Benjamin Franklin (2013). the state in which you will find solid happiness. A customer had bought paper on credit, and Deborah had forgotten to note which paper he had bought. 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. His sons were William Franklin and Francis Folger Franklin, and his daughter was Sarah Franklin Bache. He had planned to use the dowry to pay the remaining debt for the printing house which added to 100 pounds. More substantive evidence suggests the delay was due to Franklins oft-expressed antipathy to organized religion. A bachelor in his twenties was frowned upon and Franklin at age 24 was set to find a wife. Without industry and frugality nothing will do, and with them everything. 2. Also, if the mate is not good, even the sex is bad!!! As for the letter, it seems to me he had a lot of experience to be able to go on with so much knowledge. [Original source: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, vol. Improve yourself, find your inspiration, share with friends, Benjamin Franklin (2004). The grateful part, Im not so sure! Add to Favorite List. Franklin laid into Deborah for the error, deeming her careless. One problem, though the couple's only son was not inoculated, contracted smallpox, and ultimately died. 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. The second, Sarah Franklin born in 1743. Marriage is the most natural state of man, and therefore the state in which one is most likely to find solid happiness. 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. In a sense, though, this was Franklins portrait, too: With no likeness of Franky to work from, the artist had Benjamin sit for it. . God made it this way, in his words he said woman is not without the man or man with out the woman. Please select which sections you would like to print: John Welsh Centennial Professor of History and English Literature, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 196875. He came to be regarded as the greatest promoter of smallpox inoculation in the British colonies. Franklin family members worked in the smith trade for nearly 300 years. , I would love to be in a room with Albert Einstein and Ben Franklin!!! Benjamin Franklin was a printer, publisher, author, inventor, scientist, and diplomat. 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 1. What would Benjamin Franklin say about the Purkapile's marriage? 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. "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. 5. But still I advise you to marry directly; being sincerely Your affectionate Friend. In May 1771, on a kinder note, he wrote: I am much pleased with the little Histories you give me of your fine Boy.I hope he will be spared, and continue the same Pleasure and Comfort to you, and that I shall ere long partake with you in it., Over time, Benjamin, too, came to regard the grandson he had yet to lay eyes on as a kind of reincarnation of his dead son. "Founding Father," "Inventor," and "diplomat" are all terms usually applied to Benjamin Franklin. I certainly agree with you about misused or misspelled words. Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards. Corrections? Now a me limbs are soft an tender. Who Said It? I was always interested in books about finances, which caused me to discover Ben's "The Way to Wealth.". American author, scientist, and statesman. Weel, a but one. With less than three years of formal schooling, he taught himself almost everything he knew. He had celebrated her faithfulness, compassion and competency as a housekeeper and hostess in a verse titled I Sing My Plain Country Joan. But he seems never to have written her an unabashed expression of romantic love. That way, if Rodgers returned, Deborah couldn't be charged with bigamy (which brought a life sentence). 1. Benjamin Franklin's Favorite Sister Benjamin Franklin, the tenth of Josiah Franklin's sons, was six years old when Jane, the seventh daughter, was born on March 27, 1712. 6) If your head is wax, don't walk in the sun. A year later he bought the towns second newspaper operation, renamed and reworked it, and began making a success of the Pennsylvania Gazette. At Keiths suggestion, Franklin returned to Boston to try to raise the necessary capital. But the rest, spot on, Ben, baby. Stephen Coss 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. To maintain their Influence over Men, they supply the Diminution of Beauty by an Augmentation of Utility. Deborah appears to have embraced it without qualmand over time seems to have accepted it as a surrogate for her son. But he never came. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. By that logic, risking her son to inoculation was unacceptable. Marriage is the most natural state of man, and. -Joseph Campbell Resolve to perform what you ought. the state in which you will find solid happiness. He is an incomplete Animal. In 1736 Francis, who was 4 years old, died from small pox. In the winter of 1731, a smallpox epidemic befell Philadelphia. 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. From the outset, his father hinted otherwise. Those things are trueup to a point. The wife of Thomas Godfrey, a mathematician who lived in part of Franklins house with his family and Junto member, tried to make a match between Franklin and a relatives daughter. William. As to Frankys general health, the best evidence is in Franklins 1733 piece in the Gazette celebrating a scolding wife. The argument that Franky was sickly is based primarily on one fact: Nearly a year passed between his birth and his baptism. When a me limbs were soft an tender. In London, Franklin discovered that the governor had lied to him. 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. 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. Happiness Marriage Anniversary Man. (Who that woman was and why he couldnt or wouldnt marry her remain mysteries to this day.) Deborah simply moved into Franklins home and printing house at what is now 139 Market Street. Husband of Deborah (Read) Franklin married 1 Sep 1730 [location unknown] Descendants Father of William Franklin , Francis Folger Franklin and Sarah (Franklin) Bache Died 17 Apr 1790 at age 84 in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States of America This article is a selection from the September issue of Smithsonian magazine. Benjamin Franklin's The Art of Virtue: His Formula for Successful Living. 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. 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. Benjamin Franklin: The Tamed Womanizer. Benjamin Franklin (1819). Reading Benjamin Franklin's letter in the year 2013, I have to agree with you, a lot of the things he wrote about marriage in the year 1745 appear to be funny to us today, because it just isn't true. They did consummate their marriage and have a child. Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in colonial Boston. Then he had his own romantic calamity: He learned that a young woman of his acquaintance was pregnant with his child. Marriage & Family Life Mary married Peter Folger in 1644. January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts; son of Josiah Franklin (tallow chandler and soap boiler who immigrated from England in 1683 to escape religious persecution) and . The procedure was a precursor to modern-day vaccination. Marriage and Children Deborah Read and Benjamin Franklin entered a common law agreement on September 1, 1730. The debauching a Virgin may be her Ruin, and make her for Life unhappy. How did a man who understood better than most the relative safety and efficacy of inoculation choose wrong? Francis and Sarah were born in his marriage to Deborah Read, while William was born out of wedlock. She and Ben were never legally married. I would have loved to see Franklin, Mark Twain, & George Carlin trade witticisms! Copyright 2014. 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. Author of, Alva O. It depends chiefly on two words, industry and frugality: that is, waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both. Benjamin Franklin. His love for Franky had brought him closer to Deborah. Though Deborah and Ben would enter into a common-law marriage that lasted over 40 years, they never officially wed. Those four decades held plenty of upset. Did it render the boy too sick to be inoculated? But if you will not take this Counsel, and persist in thinking a Commerce with the Sex inevitable, then I repeat my former Advice, that in all your Amours you should prefer old Women to young ones. Noooo! Benjamin Franklin was bedridden during the final year of his life, escaping severe pain only by the use of opium, and he died on April 17, 1790, at age 84. (Franklin immortalized his wifes fiery personality in various fictional counterparts, including Bridget Saunders, wife of Poor Richard. Many years later, Franklin admitted in a letter to his sister Jane that Frankys death devastated him. 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. His 1742 ballad in praise of her, as Lemay points out, touched upon every aspect of her domestic skills except motherhoodeven though she had mothered William Franklin since infancy and, shortly after Frankys death, had taken in young James Franklin Jr., the son of Bens deceased brother. A disagreement over inoculation, appear to me benjamin franklin on marriage well-founded stroke on December 14 1774., announced this pamphlet as just Published born out of wedlock the wish... 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