Josiah Franklin
| Josiah Franklin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Josiah Franklin December 23, 1657 Ecton, Northamptonshire, England |
| Died | January 16, 1745 (age 88) Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay. |
| Resting place | Granary Burying Ground on Tremont Street |
| Residence | Boston, MA |
| Nationality | English |
| Ethnicity | English |
| Citizenship | English |
| Occupation | Tallow chandler and soap boiler |
| Known for | Father of Benjamin Franklin |
| Religion | Old South Church in Boston, Congregational |
| Spouse | Anne Child 1677-1689; Abiah Folger 1689-1744 (d 1720) |
| Children | Elizabeth Franklin Douse, Samuel Franklin, Hannah Franklin Cole, Josiah Franklin Jr., Anne Franklin Harris, Joseph Franklin I, Joseph Franklin II, John Franklin, Peter Franklin, Mary Franklin Holmes, James Franklin, Sarah Franklin Davenport, Ebenezer Franklin, Thomas Franklin, Benjamin Franklin, Lydia Franklin Scott, Jane Franklin Mecom |
| Parents | Thomas Franklin, Jane White Franklin |
| Relatives | Benjamin Franklin |
Josiah Franklin (December 23, 1657 - January 16, 1745) was an English-born businessman best known as the father of Benjamin Franklin. Josiah was born in the tiny town of Ecton, Northamptonshire, England on December 23, 1657. Josiah was the ninth and the last child of his parents, Thomas Franklin, blacksmith and farmer, and his wife Jane White Franklin. Thomas Franklin remarried and had other children. Josiah Franklin was an industrious young man who worked as a fabric dyer in Ecton. In Boston he was a member of Old South Church where he served as a tithingman,[1] a prominent and highly respected member of the congregation.
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[edit] Anne Child
He emigrated to the American colonies in 1682. He married twice and had 17 children, ten boys and seven girls. In 1677 Josiah Franklin had married his first wife, Anne Child, in Ecton, England. Over the next few years, the couple had three children: Elizabeth, Samuel, and Hannah. Upon moving to Boston, he took up the trade of tallow chandler and soap boiler because the trade he was born to was not in demand in New England. After the family moved to Boston, Massachusetts, the couple had four more children, including Josiah Jr., Ann, Joseph (I), and Joseph (II). The first Joseph died soon after birth, and the next child was named for him. In 1689 Anne Child Franklin died of complications while giving birth to her seventh child in Boston.
[edit] Abiah Folger
In November 1689, Josiah Franklin married his second wife, Abiah Folger, in the Old South Church. Abiah of Nantucket, Massachusetts, was the daughter of Peter and Mary Morril Folger. Peter Folger was a schoolmaster and a miller. Abiah went on to bear Josiah ten more children: John (1690), Peter (1692), Mary (1694), James (1697), Sarah (1699), Ebenezer (1701), Thomas (1703), Benjamin (1706), Lydia (1708), and Jane (1712).
[edit] Benjamin Franklin
Josiah insisted that each of his sons must learn a trade. He had great dreams of Benjamin becoming a minister, but Josiah could only afford to send his son to school for two years. As young Benjamin loved to read, he apprenticed him to his brother James, who was a printer. Later, Benjamin Franklin borrowed books from his friends and taught himself arithmetic, grammar, and philosophy. Benjamin had a very strong relationship with his father, who had a great influence on Benjamin.
Benjamin Franklin was born January 17th 1706, and died at the age of 84, April 17th 1790.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Dictionary definition of "Tithing" and Dictionary definition of "Tithingman". Webster's Online Dictionary. Retrieved June 9 2008.
- ^ http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm
- Feinstein, Stephan, Read About Benjamin Franklin. Enslow elementary, 2006.
- Gaustad, Edwin S, Benjamin Franklin. Oxford University Press, 2006.
- Lemay, Joseph A. Leo, The Life of Benjamin Franklin. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006.
- Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Dover Publications, 1996.
