31To Benjamin Franklin from Deborah Franklin, 20–27 November 1769 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society yisterday I reseved yours dated September the 9 whare in you was so kind as to sende me Sir John Pringels advise to me all I am much obliged to you and to so worthey a good man as Sir John but I muste tell you as well as I Can my disordor was for this reson my distres for my dear Debbeys misforten and hers being removed so far from her friend and such a...
32To Benjamin Franklin from Deborah Franklin, 30 June 1772 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I reseved by the packit which was to a cume by Capt. Laxly I am verey glad to hear that you continew well. I hope your friend Dr. Small is Safe a rived and is well my compleymantes to all that I am obliged to love and respeckt. You may see what blunders by the scratchin oute that I am not capabel of writin so I shall only say that I find my selef growing...
33To Benjamin Franklin from Deborah Franklin, 3 July 1767 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Sir John the bairer of this will tell you shold you be in London that I am as well as yousal. Salley who is att Burlinton ever senes wensday was verey well when shee set ought and I hearde ones from her mabey shee writes from thair to you. Billey and Mrs. Franklin was verey well I heard on thusday. This is Satterday the 4 of July our friend forster Came to...
34To Benjamin Franklin from Deborah Franklin, [8?–13 October 1765] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society In this letter Deborah Franklin was slightly more generous with periods than in the document immediately above, but the same problem recurs here of determining where she intended some of her sentences to end. The editors have therefore again surrounded their inserted periods and their substituted initial capital letters with brackets in order not to deprive...
35To Benjamin Franklin from Deborah Franklin (II), [16 May 1767] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society on thusday I reseved yours with one inclosed to Salley with the Ring. Yours is dated March 17. You cante thing what pleshuer thees dear littel letters give to me as I know you thinke of me ofen. The Bairer of this is mr. Franses the Eldest son of your old friend mr. Franses. He has bin in quite distres senes yisterday was week on a Counte of the faileor of...
36To Benjamin Franklin from Deborah Franklin, 4 October 1769 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society The preceding letter from Deborah, written on August 31, suggests that she had recovered her mental powers after her previous illness. Her spelling, syntax, and punctuation (or rather lack of it) were as always sui generis , and she remarked on her “in Conneckted staet”; but the sequence of her ideas was no more confused than usual, and she talked of the...
37Deborah Franklin: Household Accounts, [1 July 1765—1 October 1766] (Franklin Papers)
AD : American Philosophical Society Among the Franklin Papers is a three-page account in Deborah Franklin’s hand headed “July the 1 1765 Laid ought on all a Cashons [occasions] in house keeping and other necesarees.” There follow approximately 130 entries of financial transactions, although in about a dozen instances she seems to have failed to put down the amounts paid out. After the heading...
38To Benjamin Franklin from Deborah Franklin, 10–21 February 1765 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I am set down to Confab a littel with my dear child as it Semes a Sorte of a hollow day for we have an ox arosteing on the river and moste pepel semes plesd with the a fair but as I partake of none of the divershons I stay at home and flatter myselef that the next packit will bring me a letter from you. By the laste packit thair was a letter from mr....
39To Benjamin Franklin from Deborah Franklin, 9 August 1759 (Franklin Papers)
Extract: Associates of the Late Rev. Dr. Bray Extract of a Letter from Mrs Franklin in Philadelphia, to B F. in London, dated Aug. 9. 1759 “I went to hear the Negro Children catechised at Church. There were 17 that answered very prettily indeed, and 5 or 6 that were too little, but all behaved very decently. Mr. Sturgeon exhorted them before and after the Catechising. It gave me a great deal...
40To Benjamin Franklin from Deborah Franklin, 11 October 1770: Four Letters of Introduction (Franklin Papers)
ALS : (1) Historical Society of Pennsylvania; (2) and (4) American Philosophical Society; (3) Yale University Library In early October, 1770, four young men left Philadelphia together for London, two to study law and two to seek ordination in the Church of England. All were family friends of the Franklins, and for each Deborah wrote a note of introduction to her husband. The notes were written...