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Facts about Benjamin Franklin
Find lots of quick and interesting facts about Benjamin Franklin. Ben Franklin is one of the most well known and loved founders of the United States of America. He signed the
Declaration
of Independence, the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War and the
Constitution of the United States. Benjamin Franklin was a writer, publisher, scientist, inventor and diplomat.
He discovered many of the laws governing the use of electricity and created several useful inventions, such as bifocals and the lightning rod! On this page of
basic facts about Benjamin Franklin, you will find things such as his birthdate, day of death, names of his children and offices he held, as well as many other less well known
but interesting facts about Benjamin Franklin.
You can browse through our Benjamin Franklin store to find all kinds of interesting books and gifts
about Benjamin Franklin.
Read the interesting story of Benjamin Franklin and Electricity here.
Read about Benjamin Franklin Inventions here.
Read Ben Franklin Quotes here.
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| Benjamin Franklin |
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Facts about Benjamin Franklin
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| When was
Benjamin Franklin born? |
January 17, 1706 |
| Benjamin Franklin Birthplace |
On Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts |
| Parents'
names |
Josiah Franklin - December 23, 1657 - January 16, 1745 (he was 92!)
Abiah Folger - August 15, 1667 - May 8, 1752
Josiah and Abiah married on November 25, 1689, she was his second wife
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| Parents'
occupations |
Josiah Franklin was a fabric dyer when he lived in England, after moving to
Boston in 1682, he became a tallow chandler, which means he made candles and soap
from tallow, which is animal fat |
| Number of
siblings |
17 |
| Birth
order |
Benjamin Franklin was the 15th of Josiah Franklin's 17 children, the first seven were born to
Josiah's first wife - Anne Child, the first three in England, and the next four in Boston where they moved in 1682:
Elizabeth - 1678 - 1759
Samuel - 1681 - 1720
Hannah - 1683 - 1723
Josiah Jr. - 1685 - 1715 (disappeared at sea)
Ann - 1687 - 1729
Joseph (1) - February 6, 1688 - February 11, 1688
Joseph (2) (named after first Joseph) - June 30, 1689 - July 15, 1689, Anne died as a result of this birth
Josiah remarried in late 1689 and had 10 more children with Abiah Folger, all of them born in Boston:
John - December 7, 1690 - January 30, 1756
Peter - November 22, 1692 - July 1, 1766
Mary - September 26, 1694 - 1730
James - February 4, 1696 - February, 1735
Sarah - July 9, 1699 - May 23, 1731
Ebenezer - September 20, 1701 - February, 1702 (drowned)
Thomas - December 7, 1703 - August 17, 1706
Benjamin - January 17, 1706 - April 17, 1790
Lydia - August 8, 1708 - 1758
Jane - March 27, 1712 - 1795
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Books about Benjamin Franklin
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| Nicknames and Pseudonyms |
Water American - Ben Franklin earned this nickname while in England as a young man, his British circle of friends tended to
drink lots of beer, but Franklin always drank water!
Poor Richard or Richard Saunders - This was Franklin's adopted pseudonym which he used for his hugely popular "Poor Richard's
Almanack."
The First American - Franklin earned this title due to his early support for colonial unity.
Silence Dogood - This was the pen name Franklin used as a 15 year old boy for a series of letters that were published in his brother James
Franklin's newspaper "The New England Courant."
The Newton of Electricity - For his groundbreaking experiments in electricity.
The Prophet of Tolerance - Franklin was a strong believer that religious teaching increased public virtue and character and consequently
he was a supporter of churches of various denominations. He was not necessarily a believer in Christ's deity, but strongly agreed with the moral
teachings of denominations of all kinds. At one point he helped finance the erection of a building for the use of preachers of all denominations.
Because he was so friendly to believers of all denominations, he earned this title of tolerance.
The Patron Saint of Advertising - Ben is sometimes called this because of his masterful advertising skills in an age when advertisements were
not as common and ubiquitous as they are today. Franklin was a master at advertising both products and ideas, primarily using his newspapers and other
publications to persuade people to by products such as his "Franklin Stove," and his ideas, such as the necessity for breaking away from England as an
independent nation.
Anthony Afterwit - Mr. Afterwit was another Franklin pseudonym who wrote humorous letters about married life from the male point of view. These
letters appeared in Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette.
Polly Baker - Franklin used the Polly Baker pseudonym to examine the unfair treatment women received in early colonial society. Ms. Baker
had several children out of wedlock and was punished by society for her "crimes," while the men went scott free.
Alice Addertongue - Miss Addertongue was another Franklin pseudonym. She was ostensibly a 35 year old widow who provided gossip about
local members of society in the Pennsylvania Gazette.
Caelia Shortface and Martha Careful - Franklin used this pseudonym to write letters mocking his former employer Samuel Keimer
because he stole some of Franklin's publishing ideas. The letters were published in the American Weekly Mercury newspaper which
was published by Keimer's competitor Andrew Bradford.
Busy Body - The Busy Body letters were published in the American Weekly Mercury and were basically humorous gossip stories about local
businessmen and the battle of the sexes, written from the standpoint of Miss Body, a fictitious local gossip.
Benevolous - The name Benevolous was used by Franklin while he was in London in a series of letters written to dispel negative assertions about Americans made by
the British press. They were published in British newspapers.
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| Benjamin Franklin Education |
Benjamin Franklin went to South Grammar School (now Boston Latin School) for less than two years starting in September 18. He was 8 years old when
he began. This is the only formal education Ben had. He became a writer, inventor and polymath through his own reading and studies later on.
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| Religious
Views |
Ben Franklin was born into a Puritan family. His mother's family was among the first to flee England during the persecution of Protestants by
Catholic King Charles I. Puritanism emphasized personal Bible study and having a personal relationship with God. As a young man, Franklin
apparently chose to believe in God generally speaking, but disregarded the claims of Christ's personal deity. Franklin believed in God's goodness
and that he played a providential role in the affairs of mankind. He believed that God should be worshipped, prayed to and adored and that the soul
was immortal and would be eternally rewarded or punished by God based on one's choices in life. He also believed that man's number one duty to God was to do good to others, hence
his lifelong efforts to improve the plight of his fellow man. Franklin was a close friend and publisher of George Whitefield, the most famous
preacher of the First Great Awakening. He supported many churches of different denominations with financial donations for building meeting houses.
His support for local churches extended more out of his belief that churches provided meeting places to support the community and improve civic
virtue and character, however, rather than an agreement with all of the doctrines being taught. Franklin wrote the following statement in a letter
to Ezra Stiles, the President of Yale University in 1790, about a month before he died: "As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly
desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it
has received various corrupt changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his divinity; tho' it is a
question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and I think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an Opportunity
of knowing the Truth with less Trouble." |
| First
Occupation |
Franklin's father wanted him to be a clergyman but was not able to afford to send him to many years of religious schooling. Instead
young Benjamin was apprenticed to his older brother James who owned a printing shop. There Ben learned the skills of printing, writing and
typesetting. Typesetting was the method used in those days to print paper where letters were placed tightly together, covered with ink and
pressed onto paper. As an adult these skills would make Franklin famous as an author, publisher and printer when he opened his own printing
shop some years later. |
| Occupations |
Briefly indentured as a cutler, which means he made and repaired knives and other cutting tools - 1717
Apprenticed to his brother James as a printer - 1718
Hired in the shop of Samuel Keimer as a journeyman printer in Philadelphia - 1723
Works for printers Samuel Palmer and John Watts in England, teaches swimming lessons in the River Thames - 1724-1726
Works in clothing and hardware store of merchant Thomas Denham in Philadelphia as a bookkeeper and shopkeeper - 1726
Works for printer Samuel Keimer in Philadelphia - 1727
Establishes his own printing shop with Hugh Meredith - June, 1728
Purchases The Pennsylvania Gazette from Samuel Keimer - 1729
Elected Official Printer for the colony of Pennsylvania - 1730
Franklin buys out his printing partner Hugh Meredith, becoming sole owner of the printing firm - 1730
Franklin becomes a franchisor by buying the printing press and types for a partner in South Carolina in return for one third of the profits
over a six year period, the first of many franchise arrangements - 1731
Franklin started printing America's first German-language newspaper, Philadelphische Zeitung, the paper failed - May, 1732
Published first edition of Poor Richard's Almanack - December 28, 1732
Becomes official printer for New Jersey - 1740
Publishes The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle, one of America's first magazines, it failed after six issues - 1741
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| Trips
abroad |
England, 1724-1726, went to get printing equipment for a business deal that fell through, he stayed for two years earning money
as a printing apprentice to pay for his way back to America
England, June 23, 1757 - August, 1762, went to England as agent of the Pennsylvania Assembly, later of Massachusetts, Georgia and
New Jersey as well
Northern England and Scotland, August 8 - November 2, 1759, went on a tour of England and Scotland
Austrian Netherlands and Dutch Republic, August - September, 1761
England, December 9, 1764 - March 1775, back again as agent of the Pennsylvania Assembly
Germany, June 15 - August 16, 1766
France, August 28 - October 8, 1767
Ireland and Scotland, August 25 - November 30, 1771
Canada, March 26 - May 30, 1776 - on a mission to persuade the Canadians to join the colonies in their fight for independence
France, October 27, 1776 - July 22, 1785 - as United States Ambassador to France
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| Benjamin Franklin Autograph |
Benjamin Franklin Autograph
View more Declaration of Independence Signatures here.
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Facts about Benjamin Franklin -
His Family
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| Date
of marriage, wife's name |
Deborah Read - married September 1, 1730
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| Children's
names, birth order, occupations |
William Franklin - born 1731, died November 17, 1813 (William's mother is not known for sure) William became the last Royal
Governor of New Jersey, this put him on the opposite side of his father during the American Revolution, William and his father
were never reconciled and he fled the colonies with the retreating British army
Francis Folger Franklin - born October 1732, died 1736 from smallpox
Sarah Franklin (known as Sally) - born September 11, 1743, died October 5, 1808, Sarah married Richard Bache in October 29, 1767, she
was a strong patriot during the Revolutionary War, raising money for the Continental Army, supervising the creation of shirts for
the soldiers during the winter at Valley Forge and hosting her father's political gatherings,
Sally also cared for her father Ben Franklin in his old age
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| Famous
relatives |
Ben Franklin's mother was Abiah Folger, she was born on Nantucket, Massachusetts into a large family in 1667. Another Folger descendant
was James Folger who founded the Folgers Coffee Company in 1860. James was the great-grandfather of Abigail Folger who was murdered in
1969 by the Charles Manson family, along with her friend Sharon Tate and others.
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Fact about Benjamin Franklin -
The Revolutionary War
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| How he got
involved in the independence effort? |
One reason Ben Franklin became so determined to fight for liberty was a result of something that happened in his youth. Ben's older
brother James, to whom he was apprenticed as a printer, was a tyrannical and unjust employer. In fact, in his autobiography, Franklin
made the following statement, [James'] "harsh and tyrannical treatment of me might be a means of impressing me with that aversion to arbitrary
power that has stuck to me through my whole life."
In 1757, Benjamin Franklin went to England to represent the citizens of Pennsylvania in their grievances against the Penn family, who were
the Crown appointed governors of Pennsylvania since its inception. Franklin
ended up staying in England for nearly twenty years, eventually becoming the representative of Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Jersey and Massachusetts
to the Royal Crown. Over the years, Franklin thought the British government's treatment of the colonists was growing more and more tyrannical. In
1772, Franklin's patience finally came to an end. He anonymously received some letters that were written by Governor Thomas Hutchinson of
Massachusetts. In the letters, Hutchinson urged the British Crown to send troops to Boston to quell the increasingly agitated citizens. Franklin
viewed this as a horrible violation of the rights of British citizens and he sent the letters back to America to have them published publicly.
Franklin eventually confessed publicly that it was he who had exposed the letters and was publicly reprimanded by the British government. Later
that year he left England for good and joined the independence effort back in Philadelphia.
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| Did he see
military action during the war? |
Franklin did not see military action during the war.
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| Accomplishments during the war |
Ben Franklin was appointed by the Second Continental Congress to the "Committee of Five," which was given the task of drafting the
Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote the original draft, but with strong input from the other members who also revised Jefferson's
original draft when it was complete. The other three members of the committee were John Adams, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman.
Franklin voted to accept the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, famously saying that "We must all hang together, or assuredly we
shall all hang separately." He signed the document along with the other members of Congress in August.
Ben Franklin served Congress in various important positions, including as Commissioner to Canada, Ambassador to France and as a member of the Committee
of Secret Correspondence dealing with spying and foreign intelligence, while serving as Ambassador to France, Franklin was responsible for persuading
the French to give large amounts of money, supplies and manpower, including ships, soldiers and experienced military leaders to the American war
effort, this was probably Franklin's most significant contribution to the war effort.
Franklin was one of three commissioners appointed by Congress to negotiate the terms of peace with Britain at the end of the war. The Treaty of
Paris, as the peace treaty was known, was signed on September 3, 1783. The other commissioners were John Jay and John Adams.
Though not during the period of the Revolutionary War, but still a significant moment in the founding of the United States, Ben Franklin was a
delegate to the Constitutional Convention and a signer of the United States Constitution in 1787.
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Facts about Benjamin Franklin -
Offices |
| Which government offices did he hold? |
Clerk of the Pennsylvania Colonial Assembly, October 15, 1736 - 1751
Deputy Postmaster at Philadelphia, October 5, 1737 - 1753
Common Council of Philadelphia, October 4, 1748
Justice of the Peace for Philadelphia, June 30, 1749
Representative from Philadelphia to the Pennsylvania Colonial Assembly, May 9, 1751 - 1764
Alderman of Philadelphia - October 1, 1751
Deputy Postmaster General of North America, August, 10 1753 - January 31, 1774
Commissioner to Albany Congress from Pennsylvania, June-July 1754
Pennsylvania Assembly's Representative to the Crown in England, February 3, 1757 - 1762
23rd Speaker of the House of the Pennsylvania Assembly, May 26, 1764 - October 1, 1764
2nd time Pennsylvania Assembly's Representative to the Crown in England, October 26, 1764 - March 1775
Colonial Agent to the Crown from Georgia, April 11, 1768 - May 2, 1774
Colonial Agent to the Crown from New Jersey, November 8, 1769 - March 1775
Colonial Agent to the Crown from Massachusetts, October 24, 1770 - March 1775
Philadelphia's Representative to Second Continental Congress, May 6, 1775 -
1st United States Postmaster General, 1775 - 1776
Committee of Secret Correspondence (dealing with foreign intelligence and espionage) - November 29,
Commissioner to Canada, 1776
Served on Committee to write the Declaration of Independence, June 1, 1776
Delegate from Philadelphia to Pennsylvania state convention, July 8, 1776
President of Pennsylvania convention July 16, 1776
Delegate to Congress from Pennsylvania Convention, July 20, 1776
United States Minister to France, September 26, 1776 - 1785
Named One of the Commissioners to Negotiate Peace with Great Britain, June 8, 1781
United States Minister to Sweden, 1782 - 1783
6th President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, October 18, 1785 - December 1, 1788
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| Which
party was he in? |
After the Revolutionary War was over, two main political forces developed in the United States, the Federalists who advocated a strong central
union of the states, and the anti-Federalists who advocated for a weaker central government. Benjamin Franklin was a Federalist who strongly
supported the new United States Constitution with its strong central government. |
| Did
he hold any office under the Royal government? |
Yes, Benjamin Franklin was Deputy Postmaster General for North America for the British Crown from 1753 - 1774. As such, he was responsible for
overseeing all of the Crown's postal operations in North America, which he did masterfully, streamlining procedures, creating new and more efficient
routes and reducing by 50% the time it took to receive letters during his tenure.
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Facts about Benjamin Franklin -
Interesting Personal Information
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| Ben Franklin Firsts |
Published America's first political cartoon "Join or Die." The cartoon appeared in a pamphlet published by Franklin called
The Plain Truth and featured a snake cut into sections representing the divisions between the colonies and encouraged unification
against challenges from the Indians and French on the west and from French and Spanish marauding ships on the east coast.
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Benjamin Franklin's Join or Die Cartoon
Click to enlarge |
Ben Franklin created a design of thirteen linked circles and a "Fugio" which was used on the first United States coin, the Fugio cent of 1787.
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Benjamin Franklin's Fugio Cent
Click to enlarge |
Franklin created the first lending library in the United States in 1730 in Philadelphia. Members paid dues
with which books were purchased and all members had access to the books. This was the first lending library in the United States, but it was
not a public library. It was privately owned by the members.
While in France in the 1760s, Benjamin Franklin became friends with the Swedish Ambassador to France, Count Gustaf Philip Creutz. As a result
of this friendship, Sweden became the first nation to recognize the sovereignty of the United States government (after England).
Benjamin Franklin appeared on one of the very first postage stamps issued by the United States Post Office. The stamps were issued in 1847, one of
Benjamin Franklin for 5 cents and the other of George Washington for 10 cents.
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Benjamin Franklin
Postage Stamp
Click to enlarge |
Franklin was behind the establishment of the first volunteer firefighters association in Pennsylvania - the Union Fire Company.
Ben Franklin was a primary driver behind the first successful fire insurance company in the colonies. The Philadelphia Contributorship was formed
in 1752 and Franklin was an original board member. They insured 143 people in the first year and each person paid equal payments, the funds of which
were to be used to pay for the losses any member incurred due to loss by fire. In the first year there were no losses however. Ben Franklin also
proposed life insurance, crop insurance and annuities to help pay for widows and orphans.
In 1751 Benjamin Franklin began raising money to help his friend Dr. Thomas Bond in establishing a hospital to help the sick in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Hospital was the first public hospital in the colonies and still exists today. Before its founding, there was no public medical help
for the poor or for the mentally ill.
Franklin arranged for Philadelphia's first street cleaner, a poor man who swept the streets twice a week. Property owners would pay a small amount
in order to have the street sweeper keep the street clean in front of their homes or businesses.
Ben Franklin was a witness to two of the world's first manned balloon flights in France in 1783.
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| Benjamin Franklin Quotes |
"It is that particular wise and good God, who is the Author and Owner of our system, that I propose for the Object of my praise and
adoration. For I conceive that He has in Himself some of those passions He has planted in us, and that, since He has given us reason
whereby we are capable of observing His wisdom in the Creation, He is not above caring for us, being pleas'd wit our praise and offended
when we slight Him, or neglect His Glory. I conceive for many reasons that He is a good Being, and as I should be happy to have so wise,
good and powerful a Being my Friend, let me consider in what Manner I shall make myself most acceptable to Him." - Articles of Belief
and Acts of Religion, November 20, 1728
"Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." - Poor Richard's Almanack, October, 1735
"They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." -
Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately." - At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
"Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." - Ben Franklin's proposed Seal of the United States, July, 1776
More
Benjamin Franklin Quotes here
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| Selected
works of Benjamin Franklin and their dates |
The Taking of Teach the Pirate, or The Downfall of Piracy
- about the death of Blackbeard the Pirate, written by a young Ben at 12 years of age in 1719.
A Dissertation upon Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain - Franklin's first political pamphlet, published in 1725.
Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion - An early statement of Benjamin Franklin's religious beliefs, he later repudiated
some of what he said at this time, 1728
A Modest
Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency - The writing of this paper helped Franklin secure the job of printing
Pennsylvania's paper currency, 1729
Poor Richard's Almanack - This yearly almanac was Ben Franklin's first claim to fame, it was full of weather forecasts,
witty sayings, poems, calendars, proverbs and practical advice, 1732-1758
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Poor Richard's Almanac
Click to enlarge |
Plain Truth - This
pamphlet contained the first political cartoon ever printed in the United States, 1747
Constitutions of the Publick Academy in the City of Philadelphia - This publication laid the foundation for the University of Pennsylvania, 1749.
Experiments and Observations on Electricity, made at Philadelphia in America - This was the first publication of Franklin's
electrical experiments and observations. They were compiled and printed by John Fothergill, an English physician and scientist, April, 1751.
The Way to Wealth - This is a compilation of
sayings and advice about creating, saving and investing wealth from the Poor Richard's Almanack's, 1758.
The Grand Leap of the Whale in that Chace up the Fall of Niagara is esteemed by all who have seen it, as one of the finest
Spectacles in Nature - This is one of Franklin's articles he published in London to refute ridiculous claims being made about the American
colonists by some in England - May 3, 1765
Causes of the American Discontents before 1768 - a review of relations between England and America up to 1768, 1768
The Sommersett Case and the Slave Trade - Franklin's first writing condemning slavery - June 20, 1772
Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One - This article was written by Franklin in London and published by the British journal
Public Advertiser and details American grievances against the king and British Parliament, September 11, 1773
An Edict by the King of Prussia - The second article published by Franklin in the Public Advertiser in London satirizing
the behavior of King George by declaring that England belonged under the rule of the Kingdom of Prussia because it was originally settled
by Anglo-Saxons from that country, September 22, 1773
Morals of Chess - the second known article to be written about the game of chess in America, December, 1786.
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - 1771-1788
Address to the Public - In later life Benjamin Franklin advocated for the abolition of slavery and the education of former
slaves. This address encourages the public to fund their education, November 9, 1779
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| Honors he received |
Elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Masons of Pennsylvania - 1734 and 1749
Received the Copley Medal by the British Royal Society for research into electricity (this award was equivalent to today's Nobel Prize)
- 1753
Honorary Master of Arts degrees from Harvard and Yale - 1753
Honorary Master of Arts degree from William and Mary - 1756
Inducted into the Royal Society in London - 1756
Inducted into the Royal Society of Arts - 1756
Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland - 1759
Honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law from Oxford - April 30, 1762
Elected Member of the Royal Society of Sciences - 1766
Elected to Royal Academy of Sciences at Gottingen, Germany - 1766
Honorary degrees from Cambridge, Oxford and the University of Edinburgh
Elected to Batavian Society of Experimental Science, Rotterdam - June 11, 1771
Inducted into the French Academy of Sciences - August 16, 1772
Elected to Royal Medical Society of Paris - June 17, 1777
Inducted into the Royal Society of Edinburgh - 1783
Elected member of Royal Academy of History of Madrid - 1784
Honored by the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society - 1785
Honored by the Medical Society of London - 1785
Elected member of Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 1789
Inducted posthumously into the International Swimming Hall of Fame - 1968
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Facts about Benjamin Franklin -
The end of his life
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| Date and age of retirement |
Benjamin Franklin retired officially from business at the age of 42 in 1748 after 20 years in the printing and publishing trade. He set up an
arrangement with his foreman David Hall to have David continue to run the printing shop while paying Ben a sum of 1,000 pounds from the proceeds every
year. This arrangement continued for the next 18 years giving Franklin the ability to live a life of leisure and time to pursue his many other
interests. He bought a 300 acre farm in New Jersey to which he intended to retire, but soon public affairs called him away from the farm for good. He lived another
42 years and became highly involved in civic affairs after this semi-official "retirement." Later in life, after many years of public service, Franklin retired from
his final publicly held office as 6th President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania on December 1, 1788.
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| Last Words |
A dying man can do nothing easy. |
Last Will and Testament |
I, Benjamin Franklin, of Philadelphia, printer, late Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States of America to the Court of France, now President
of the State of Pennsylvania, do make and declare my last will and testament as follows.... |
| Benjamin Franklin's death |
Benjamin Franklin had suffered for many years from a condition called empyema, a condition which causes the lungs to fill with pus, in
Franklin's case, due to pleurisy or inflammation of the lungs. In April of 1790, Franklin was bedridden and suffered with heavy breathing for many
days due to his fluid filled lungs. On a day when the pain wasn't so bad, Franklin got up and asked that his bed be made properly for a
dignified death. His daughter Sally said she hoped he would live for many more years, to which he replied, "I hope not." Soon an abscess burst
in his lungs and he went into a coma, passing away on April 17, 1790 with his grandsons William Temple and Bennie at his side. |
| Where
was Benjamin Franklin buried? |
Christ Church burial ground, Philadelphia |
| Epitaph
on gravestone |
Benjamin and Deborah Franklin 1790
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