Josiah Franklin

Josiah Franklin
Name	Josiah Franklin
Birth date	23 December 1657
Birth place	Ecton, Northamptonshire
Death date	16 January 1745
Death place	Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay
Spouse	* Anne Child (m. 1677; died 1689) * Abiah Folger (m. 1689)
Children	17, including Benjamin Franklin, James Franklin, Jane Franklin Mecom
Occupation	Tallow chandler, soap boiler

Josiah Franklin was an English-born American businessman and the father of one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin. A Puritan who emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he established himself as a tallow chandler and soap boiler in Boston. His values of hard work, frugality, and civic duty profoundly influenced his famous son's character and philosophy.

Early life and background

Josiah Franklin was born on 23 December 1657 in the village of Ecton, Northamptonshire, England. He was the son of Thomas Franklin, a blacksmith and farmer, and Jane White. His family had a long history in the region, with ancestors who were part of the dissenting religious tradition. Growing up during the tumultuous period following the English Civil War and the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy, Josiah was raised in a Puritan household that valued literacy and religious devotion. Seeking greater religious freedom and economic opportunity, he decided to join the wave of migration to the American colonies.

Family and children

Josiah Franklin was married twice, first to Anne Child in 1677 in Ecton. Together they had three children before emigrating to Boston. After Anne's death in 1689, he married Abiah Folger, daughter of Peter Folger, a prominent early settler of Nantucket. With his two wives, Josiah fathered a total of seventeen children, making for a large and bustling household. Among his notable children were the printer and newspaper publisher James Franklin, the beloved sister and correspondent Jane Franklin Mecom, and his youngest son, the statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin. This extensive family was central to life in his North End home.

Career and business

Upon arriving in Boston around 1683, Josiah Franklin initially worked as a dyer of cloth, a trade he had learned in England. Finding little demand for this skill in the colonies, he adapted and established a successful business as a tallow chandler and soap boiler on Milk Street. This enterprise involved rendering animal fat to make candles and soap, essential commodities in colonial life. He was a member of the Old South Church and his shop sign, featuring a blue ball, became a local landmark. His practical trade provided a modest but stable livelihood for his large family and embedded him in the commercial fabric of Massachusetts.

Religious and civic life

A devout Congregationalist, Josiah Franklin was a steadfast member of the Old South Meeting House congregation in Boston. He served as a vestryman and actively participated in parish affairs, reflecting the Puritan integration of faith and community governance. While not holding high political office, he fulfilled typical civic roles for a tradesman of his standing, likely serving in local capacities like the town watch. His life exemplified the Puritan ideals of piety, hard work, and communal responsibility that were foundational to the early New England social order.

Relationship with Benjamin Franklin

Josiah Franklin's relationship with his youngest son was complex and highly influential. Although he could only afford two years of formal schooling for Benjamin Franklin at the Boston Latin School, he instilled in him a lifelong love of reading and debate. He apprenticed the young Benjamin to his brother James in the printing trade, a decision that set the course for his future career. Their disagreements, particularly over Benjamin's skeptical writings for The New-England Courant and his subsequent flight to Philadelphia, are well-documented. Despite these tensions, Benjamin's autobiography credits his father's example with shaping his own virtues of industry, frugality, and public service.

Death and legacy

Josiah Franklin died in Boston on 16 January 1745 at the age of 87 and was interred in the Granary Burying Ground. While he lived a life typical of a respectable colonial tradesman, his legacy is inextricably linked to the achievements of his son, Benjamin Franklin. The values of ingenuity, self-reliance, and civic virtue he embodied are seen as a direct precursor to the American Enlightenment ideals his son later championed. His home and shop on Milk Street are noted in histories of Boston, and his family narrative is a classic tale of colonial aspiration and influence.

Category:1657 births Category:1745 deaths Category:American Puritans Category:People from colonial Boston Category:People from Northamptonshire Category:Franklin family