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MEMOIRS

OF

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

To William Franklin, Esq., Governor of to be to recall all the circumstances of it;

New Jersey.

TWYFORD,* 1771.

you

and to render this remembrance more durable to record them in writing. In thus employing myself I shall yield to the inclination so natural to old men, of talking of themselves and their own actions; and I shall indulge it without being tiresome to those, who, from respect to my age, might conceive themselves obliged to listen to me, since they will be always free to read me or not. And lastly, (I may as well confess it, as the denial of it would be believed by nobody,) I shall perhaps not a little gratify my own vanity. Indeed, I never heard or saw the introductory words" Without vanity I may say," &c., but some vain thing immediately followed. Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves, but I give it fair quarter, wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others who are within his sphere of action: and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd, if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts

DEAR SON,—I have ever had a pleasure in obtaining any little anecdotes of my ancestors. You may remember the enquiries I made among the remains of my relations, when were with me in England, and the journey I undertook for that purpose. Imagining it inay be equally agreeable to you to learn the circumstances of my life, many of which you are unacquainted with, and expecting the enjoyment of a few weeks' uninterrupted leisure, I sit down to write them. Besides, there are some other inducements that excite me to this undertaking. From the poverty and obscurity in which I was born, and in which I passed my earliest years, I have raised myself to a state of affluence and some degree of celebrity in the world. As constant good for tune has accompanied me even to an advanced period of life, my posterity will perhaps be desirous of learning the means, which I employed, and which, thanks to Providence, so well succeeded with me. They may also And now I speak of thanking God, I desire deem them fit to be imitated, should any of with all humility to acknowledge that I attrithem find themselves in similar circumstances. bute the mentioned happiness of my past life -This good fortune, when I reflect on it, to his divine providence, which led me to the My which is frequently the case, has induced me means I used, and gave the success. sometimes to say, that if it were left to my belief of this induces me to hope, though I choice, I should have no objection to go over must not presume, that the same goodness the same life from its beginning to the end: will still be exercised towards me, in continurequesting only the advantage authors have, ing that happiness or enabling me to bear a faof correcting in a second edition the faults tal reverse, which I may experience as others of the first. So would I also wish to change have done; the complexion of my future some incidents of it for others more favourable. fortune being known to him only, in whose Notwithstanding, if this condition was deni-power it is to bless us, even in our afflictions. ed, I should still accept the offer of re-com- Some notes, one of my uncles (who had the uencing the same life. But as this repeti- same curiosity in collecting family anecdotes) tion is not to be expected, that which resem- once put into my hands, furnished me with bles most living one's life over again, seems several particulars relative to our ancestors. From these notes I learnt that they lived in the same village, Ecton in Northamptonshire

The seat of Dr. Shipley, Bishop of St. Asaph.
VOL. I-A

of life.

on a freehold of about thirty acres, for at least three hundred years, and how much longer could not be ascertained.*

Thomas, my eldest uncle, was bred a smith under his father, but being ingenious, and en couraged in learning (as all my brothers This small estate would not have sufficed were) by an esquire Palmer, then the princifor their maintenance without the business of pal inhabitant of that parish, he qualified hima smith, which had continued in the family self for the bar, and became a considerable down to my uncle's time, the eldest son being man in the county; was chief mover of all always brought up to that employment; a public-spirited enterprizes for the county or custom which he and my father followed with town of Northampton, as well as of his own regard to their eldest sons. When I searched village, of which many instances were relatthe registers at Ecton, I found an account of ed of him: and he was much taken notice of, their marriages and burials from the year and patronized by lord Halifax. He died in 1555 only, as the registers kept did not com- 1702, the 6th of January; four years to a day mence previous thereto. I however learnt before I was born. The recital which some from it, that I was the youngest son of the elderly persons made to us of his character, I youngest son for five generations back. My remember, struck you as something extraorgrandfather Thomas, who was born 1598, liv-dinary, from its similarity with what you ed at Ecton, till he was too old to continue his business, when he retired to Banbury in Oxfordshire, to the house of his son John, with whom my father served an apprenticeship. There my uncle died and lies buried. We saw his grave stone in 1758. His eldest son Thomas lived in the house at Ecton, and left it with the land to his only daughter, who with her husband, one Fisher of Wellingborough, sold it to Mr. Isted, now lord of the manor there. My grandfather had four sons, The first that I can give account of, is my great grand who grew up: viz. Thomas, John, Benjamin, father, as it was a custom in those days among young and Josiah. Being at a distance from my pain his travels he went upon liking to a taylor; but he men too many times to goe to seek their fortune, and pers, I will give you what account I can of them from inemory: and if my papers are not lost in my absence, you will find among them many more particulars.†

knew of me." "Had he died," said you, "four

gives a lively account. Some think we are of a French free line; a line free from that vassalage which was extract, which was formerly called Franks; some of a common to subjects in days of old; some from a bird of one skilled in heraldry, who told him there is two of long red legs. Your uncle Benjamin made inquiry coats of armour, one belonging to the Franklins of the north, and one to the Franklins of the west. However, been worth while to concern ourselves much about these things, any further than to tickle the fancy a

our circumstances have been such as that it hath hardly

little.

kept such a stingy house, that he left him and travelled farther, and came to a smith's house, and coming on a fasting day, being in popish times, he did not like

there the first day; the next morning the servant was called up at five in the morning, but after a little time came a good toast and good beer, and he found good *Perhaps from the time, when the name of FRANK-housekeeping there; he served and learned the trade of LIN, which before was the name of an order of people, was assumed by them for a surname, when others took surnames all over the kingdom.

a smith.

In queen Mary's days, either his wife, or my grandmother, by father's side, informed my father that they kept their bible fastened under the top of a joint-stool that they might turn up the book and read in the bible, that when any body came to the dore they turned up the stool for fear of the aparitor, for if it was discovered, they would be in hazard of their lives. My grand

father was a smith also, and settled at Eton in North

As a proof that FRANKLIN was anciently the common name of an order or rank in England, see Judge Fortescue, De laudibus Legum Anglie, written about the year 1412, in which is the following passage; to show that good juries might easily be formed in any part of England. "Regio etiam illa, ita respersa refertaque est posses-amptonshire, and he was imprisoned a year and a day soribus terrarum et agrorum, quod in ea, villula tam parva reperiri non poterit, in qua non est miles, armiger, vel pater-familias, qualis ibidem Frankleri vulga. riter nuncupatur, magnis ditatus possessionibus, nec non libere tenentes et alii valecti plurimi, suis patri-Northamptonshire, on the 18th of October, 1598; married moniis sufficientes ad faciendum juratam, in forma præ

notata

Moreover, the same country is so filled and reprenished with landed menne, that therein so small a thorpe cannot be found wherein dweleth not a knight, an es quire, or such a householder, as is there commonly called a Franklin, enriched with great possessions; and also other freeholders and many yeomen able for their livelihoodes to make a jury in form aforementioned."Old Translation.)

Chaucer too calls his country gentleman, a Franklin; and after describing his good housekeeping, thus characterises him:

"This worthy Franklin bore a purse of silk, Fix'd to his girdle, white as morning milk. Knight of the Shire, first Justice at th' Assize, To help the poor, the doubtful to advise. In all employments, generous, just, he proved; Renown'd for courtesy, by all beloved. Copy of an original letter, found among Dr. Franklin's papers, from Josiah to B. Franklin. LOVING SON,-As to the original of our name there is various opinions; some say that it came from a sort of title of which a book, that you bought when here,

on suspicion of his being the author of some poetry that touched the character of some great man. He had only one son and one daughter; my grandfather's name was

Henry, my father's name was Thomas, my mother's

name was Jane. My father was born at Ecton or Eton,
to Miss Jane White, niece to Coll White, of Banbury, and
dren of us who were happy in our parents, who took
died in the 4th year of his age. There was nine chil-
great care by their instructions and pious example to
breed us up in a religious way. My eldest brother had
but one child, which was married to one Mr. Fisher, at
Wallingborough, in Northamptonshire. The town was
lately burnt down, and whether she was a sufferer or
not I cannot tell, or whether she be living or not. Her
father dyed worth fifteen hundred pounds, but what her
circumstances are now I know not. She hath no child.
If you by the freedom of your office, makes it more like-
ly to convey a letter to her, it would be acceptable to
There is also children of brother John and sister
Morris, but I hear nothing from them, and they write
not to me, so that I know not where to find them. I
have been again to about seeing
but have

me.

mist of being informed. We received yours, and are glad to hear poor Jammy is recovered so well. Son John received the letter, but is so busy just now that he cannot write you an answer, but will do the best he can. Now with hearty love to, and prayer for you all I rest your affectionate father. Boston, May 26, 1739. JOSIAH FRANKLIN

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years later, on the same day, one might have supposed a transmigration." John, my next uncle, was bred a dyer, I believe of wool. Benjamin was bred a silk dyer, serving an apprenticeship in London. He was an ingenious man. I remember, when I was a boy, he came to my father's in Boston, and resided in the house with us for several years. There was always a particular affection between my father and him, and I was his godson. He lived to a great age. He left behind him two quarto volumes of manuscript, of his own poetry, consisting of fugitive pieces addressed to his friends. He had invented a short hand of his own, which he taught me, but not having practised it, I have now forgotten it. He was very pious, and an assiduous attendant at the sermons of the best preachers, which he reduced to writing according to his method, and had thus collected several volumes of them. He was also a good deal of a politician; too much so, perhaps, for his station. There fell lately into my hands in London, a collection he made of all the principal political pamphlets relating to public affairs, from the year 1641 to 1717; many of the volumes are wanting, as appears by their numbering, but there still remain eight volumes in folio, and twenty in quarto and in octavo, A dealer in old books had met with them, and knowing me by name, having bought books of him, he brought them It would appear that my uncle must have left them here, when he went to America, which was about fifty years ago. I found several of his notes in the margins. His grandson, Samuel Franklin, is still living in Boston.

to me.

Our humble family early embraced the reformed religion. Our forefathers continued Protestants through the reign of Mary, when they were sometimes in danger of persecution, on account of their zeal against popery. They had an English bible, and to conceal it, and place it in safety, it was fastened open with tapes under and within the cover of a joint stool. When my great grandfather wished to read it to his family, he placed the joint stool on his knees, and then turned over the leaves under the tapes. One of the children stood at the door to give notice if he saw the apparitor coming, who was an officer of the spiritual court. In that case the stool was turned down again upon its feet, when the bible remained concealed under it as before. This anec lote I had from uncle Benjamin. The family continued all of the church of England, till about the end of Charles II. reign, when some of the ministers that had been outed for their nonconformity, holding conventicles in Northamptonshire, my uncle Benjamin and my father Josiah adhered to them, and so continued all their lives: the rest of the family remained with the episcopal church.

My father married young, and carried his wife with three children to New England, about 1682. The conventicles being at that time forbidden by law, and frequently disturbed in their meetings, some considerable men of his acquaintance determined to go to that country, and he was prevailed with to accompany them thither, where they expected to enjoy the exercise of their religion with freedom. By the same wife my father had four children more born there, and by a second wife ten others—in all seventeen; of which I remember to have seen thirteen sitting together at his table, who all grew up to years of maturity, and were married; I was the youngest son and the youngest of all except two daughters. I was born in Boston in New England. My mother, the second wife of my father, was Abiah Folger, daughter of Peter Folger, one of the first settlers of New England; of whom honourable mention is made by Cotton Mather, in his ecclesiastical history of that country, entitled Magnalia Christi Americana, as "a goodly and learned Englishman," if I remember the words rightly. I was informed he wrote several small occasional works, but only one of them was printed, which I remember to have seen several years since. It was written in 1675. It was in familiar verse, according to the taste of the times and people; and addressed to the government there. It asserts the liberty of conscience, in behalf of the Anabaptists, the Quakers, and other sectarians, that had been persecuted. He attributes to this persecution the Indian wars, and other calamities that had befallen the country; regarding them as so many judgments of God, to punish so heinous an offence, so contrary to charity. This piece appeared to me as written with manly freedom and a pleasing simplicity. The six last lines I remember, but have forgotten the preceding ones of the stanza; the purpose of them was, that his censures proceeded from good will, and therefore he would be known to be the author.

"Because to be a libeller (said he)

I hate it with my heart;

From Sherburne town, where now I dwell,
My name I do put here;
Without offence, your real friend,-
It is Peter Folgier.

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his. My uncle Benjamin, too, approved of it, | after the authors of this transfer; we were and proposed to give me his short-hand vo- covered, complained of, and corrected by cur lumes of sermons to set up with, if I would fathers; and though I demonstrated the util:learn short-hand. ty of our work, mine convinced me that, that which was not truly honest could not be truly useful.

I continued however at the grammar school rather less than a year, though in that time I had risen gradually from the middle of the I suppose you may like to know what kind class of that year, to be at the head of the of a man my father was. He had an excellent same class, and was removed into the next constitution, was of a middle stature, well set, class, whence I was to be placed in the third and very strong: he could draw prettily, was at the end of the year. But my father, bur- a little skilled in music; his voice was sonothened with a numerous family, was unable, rous and agreeable, so that when he played without inconvenience, to support the expense on his violin and sung withal, as he was accusof a college education; considering, moreover, tomed to do after the business of the day was as he said to one of his friends in my presence, over, it was extremely agreeable to hear. He the little encouragement that line of life af- had some knowledge of mechanics, and on ocforded to those educated for it, he gave up his casion was very handy with other tradesmen's first intentions, took me from the grammar tools; but his great excellence, was his sound school, and sent me to a school for writing and understanding and solid judgment in prudenarithmetic, kept by a then famous man, Mr. tial matters, both in private and public afGeorge Brownwell. He was a skilful master fairs. It is true he was never employed in and successful in his profession, employing the latter, the numerous family he had to eduthe mildest and most encouraging methods. cate, and the strictness of his circumstances Under him I learnt to write a good hand pretty keeping him close to his trade: but I rememsoon, but failed entirely in arithmetic. At ber well his being frequently visited by leadten years old, I was taken to help my fathering men, who consulted him for his opinion in his business of a tallow-chandler and soap- in public affairs, and those of the church he boiler, a business to which he was not bred, belonged to, and who shewed great respect but had assumed on his arrival in New Eng- for his judgment and advice: he was also land, because he found that his dying trade, much consulted by private persons about their being in little request, would not maintain his affairs, when any difficulty occurred; and frefamily. Accordingly, I was employed in cut-quently chosen an arbitrator between contendting the wick for the candles, filling the moulds ing parties. for cast candles, attending the shop, going of errands, &c.

I disliked the trade, and had a strong inclination to go to sca, but my father declared. against it; but residing near the water, I was much in it and on it. I learnt to swim well, and to manage. boats; and when embarked with other boys, I was commonly allowed to govern, especially in any case of difficulty; and upon other occasions, I was generally the leader among the boys, and sometimes led them into scrapes, of which I will mention an instance, as it shows an early projecting public spirit, though not then justly conducted.

There was a salt marsh which bounded part of the mill-pond, on the edge of which at high water we used to stand to fish for minnows; by much trampling we had made it a mere quagmire. My proposal was to build a wharf there for us to stand upon, and I shewed my comrades a large heap of stones, which were intended for a new house near the marsh, and which would very well suit our purpose. Accordingly, in the evening when the workmen were gone home, I assembled a number of my playfellows, and we worked diligently like so many emmets, sometimes two or three to a stone, till we had brought them all to make our little wharf. The next morning the workmen were surprised, on missing the stones which formed our wharf; inquiry was made

At his table he liked to have, as often as he could, some sensible friend or neighbour to converse with, and always took care to start some ingenious or useful topic for discourse, which might tend to improve the minds of his children. By this means he turned our attention to what was good, just, and prudent, in the conduct of life; and little or no notice was ever taken of what related to the victuals on the table, whether it was well or ill dressed, in or out of season, of good or bad flavour,preferable or inferior to this or that other thing of the kind, so that I was brought up in such a perfect inattention to those matters, as to be quite indifferent as to what kind of food was set, before me. Indeed I am so unobservant of it, that to this day I can scarce tell a few hours after dinner of what dishes it consisted. This has been a great convenience to me in travelling, where my companions have been sometimes very unhappy for want of a suitable gratification of their more delicate because better instructed tastes and appetites.

My mother had likewise an excellent constitution: she suckled all her ten children. I never knew either my father or mother to have any sickness but that of which they died-he at 89 and she at 85 years of age. They lie buried together at Boston, where I some years since placed a marble over their grave, with this inscription:

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