Benjamin Franklin Research Paper

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Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Josiah Franklin was born on January 6, 1706 in Boston. His father, Josiah Franklin, was a businessman who married two wives. His first wife’s name was Anne Child. Anne Child gave birth to seven of Josiah’s children. Anne Child died while giving birth to Josiah’s seventh child in 1689. Josiah Franklin married his second wife, Abiah Folger, in 1689 and had ten more children with her. Benjamin Franklin was the youngest but two, in other words, he was the 8th child of Abiah’s and the 15th child of Josiah’s. Benjamin Franklin was married to Deborah Read. They had three children: William Franklin, Francis Folger Franklin, and Sarah Franklin Bache. One of their sons, Francis Folger Franklin, was born on October 20, 1732…show more content…
He was taking a week vacation, and decided to write about himself because his sons wanted to know about his life. Franklin talks about how he lived a felicity life, and he thanks God for it. Even though Franklin made errors – which were of course inevitable, everyone makes errors in life. He says that he is thankful to God for a successful life. When Franklin was searching the registers in Ecton, a village in Northamptonshire, England, he came across an account for his ancestry’s births, marriages and burials from the year 1555. He couldn’t come across any records before that year. He found out that he was the youngest son of the youngest son for five generations back. Franklin talks about his grandfather, Thomas Franklin, and his sons: Thomas, John, Benjamin, and Josiah. One of Thomas’s sons, Benjamin, who is also Franklin’s uncle, is the man Franklin was named after. Josiah and Benjamin were good brothers to one another, therefore Josiah decided to name Franklin after his brother, Benjamin. Franklin says how Thomas, Franklin’s uncle, was a smith, how John was a dyer, and Benjamin was a silk dyer. Benjamin lived up to a great age. He wrote poetry. He gave a collection to his grandson, Samuel Franklin, who lived In Boston at the…show more content…
Then he talks about how he was born, and how he was the youngest son of Josiah’s. He includes details about his brothers. His oldest brothers were apprentices in trading. Franklin was put into grammar school at the age of eight. Franklin knew how to read at a young age. He says, “I do not remember when I could not read,” in his autobiography. We usually have certain memory from the age of four and above. From Franklin stating that he doesn’t remember when he started reading, one can assume that he starting reading before the age of four. His friends told him that he could become a good scholar and encouraged him to do so. His uncle, Benjamin also agreed to it and gave Franklin some sermons that Benjamin had. Franklin continued on in grammar school, however due to his large family, Josiah couldn’t afford to keep Franklin in grammar school and so he was then put into a writing and arithmetic school. Franklin was very good in writing, however he didn’t understand mathematics and no progress was made in it. When Franklin turned ten, he had to go back home to help his father in his business, which was a tallow-chandler and sope-boiler business. Franklin started cutting wick for candles, filling dipping mold and molds for cast candles, going to the shop,
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