Josiah Franklin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Businessman
- tallow chandler
- soap boiler
Josiah Franklin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 December 1657 Ecton, Northamptonshire, England |
| Died | 16 January 1745 (aged 87) |
| Resting place | Granary Burying Ground, Tremont Street, Boston |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Father of Benjamin Franklin |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Child (1677–1689) Abiah Folger (1689–1744) |
| Children | 17, including James, Benjamin, and Jane |
| Parents |
|
Josiah Franklin Sr. (23 December 1657 – 16 January 1745) was an English businessman and the father of Benjamin Franklin. Born in the village of Ecton in Northamptonshire, England, he emigrated to Massachusetts Bay in British America. He was the ninth child of blacksmith Thomas Franklin (1598–1682), and his first wife, Jane White (1617–1662).
Thomas was the son of Henry Franckline (1573–1631) and Agnes Joanes (1574–1646). Thomas Franklin remarried and had more children. Josiah Franklin worked as a fabric dyer in Ecton. Franklin immigrated to the American colonies in 1682. He married twice and had 17 children: ten boys and seven girls. In Boston, he was a member of the Congregational Old South Church where he served as a tithingman.[1]
Josiah Franklin married his first wife, Anne Child (1655–1689), in 1677 and they had seven children:[2] Elizabeth (1678–1759), Samuel (1681–1720), Hannah (1683–1723), Josiah Jr. (1685–1715), Anne (1687–1729), Joseph (1688–1688), Joseph II (1689–1689). Anne died from complications giving birth to Joseph II. Upon moving to Boston, Josiah took up the trade of tallow chandler and soap boiler because the trade he was born to was not in demand in New England.[citation needed]
Marriage to Abiah Folger
In November 1689, Josiah Franklin married his second wife, Abiah Folger (1667–1752), in the Old South Church. Abiah of Nantucket, Massachusetts, was the daughter of Peter and Mary Morrill Foulger.[3] Peter Foulger was a schoolmaster, a miller and a surveyor.[citation needed]
With Josiah, Abiah bore 10 children: John (1690–1756), Peter (1692–1766), Mary (1694–1730), James (1697–1735), Sarah (1699–1731), Ebenezer (1701–1702), Thomas (1703–1706), Benjamin (1706–1790), Lydia (1708–1758), and Jane (1712–1794).[citation needed]
