Franklin's Father Josiah

Download or read book Franklin's Father Josiah written by Nian-Sheng Huang and published by American Philosophical Society. This book was released on 2000 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Josiah Franklin, a tallow chandler and soapmaker, remains a marginal figure in most biographies of his well-known son, Benjamin Franklin, due largely to a lack of written documentation. Biographers of Franklin included him mainly from a genealogical viewpoint, and few of them gave him further attention. Here, Huang has reconstructed Josiah Franklin's life based on fragmented yet valuable manuscripts in several archival sites in the Boston area, such as his bills, letters, subscriptions, participation in petitions, and court warrants for his legal disputes. She has also drawn info. from newspapers, diaries, business accounts, inventories, deeds, and probate records which were useful to assess his trade and financial circumstances. Illus.