1From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 10 May 1762 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I received this Morning my dear Polley’s kind Present of two Tickets for the Latin Play at Hackney, enclos’d in her agreable little Letter of the 8th. for both which she will please to accept my Thanks. I am oblig’d also to Mrs. Tickell and to her for the kind Invitation of Dining on the Day of the Play. But I think we are engag’d for that Day to Dine at...
2From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 30 March 1761 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Yale University Library As you have been so good as to forgive my long Delay of writing to you and answering your always agreable Letters, I shall not now trouble you with the Apology I had written on that head in one of my Pieces of Letters never finish’d. Supposing the Fact, that the Water of the Well at Bristol is warmer after some time pumping, I think your manner of accounting for...
3From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 17 May 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Feehan Memorial Library, St. Mary of the Lake Seminary; transcript (part MS , part printed): Library of Congress. I send my dear good Girl the Books I mention’d to her last Night. I beg her to accept them as a small Mark of my Esteem and Friendship. They are written in the familiar easy Manner for which the French are so remarkable, and afford a good deal of philosophic and practical...
4From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 24 May 1762 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society According to Promise I write on Monday to let my good Girl know how her Mama does; but so late in the Day that I fear I might as well have let it alone till Tuesday. She is not yet quite well, but so well as to be abroad ever since Morning. I went early into the City, Din’d there, and return’d hoping for the Pleasure of a Dish of Tea with her; when I learnt...
5From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, [1759?] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Library of Congress At length I have found an Hour, in which I think I may chat with my dear good Girl; free from Interruption. The Attention you have always shown to every thing you think agreable to me, demands my most grateful Acknowledgements. I have receiv’d the Garters you have so kindly knit for me; they are of the only Sort that I can wear, having worn none of any kind for 20...
6From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 16 May 1767 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (two letters): American Philosophical Society I am unluckily so much engag’d that I cannot have the Pleasure of being at Bromley on Sunday or Monday. present my best Respects to the good Doctor and Mrs. Hawkesworth, and to the Miss Blounts, and to Mrs. Rogers. I should rejoice in the Opportunity of making your Journey to Town more agreable than in the Stage, if I could possibly embrace it....
7From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, [November 1760?] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Library of Congress It is, as you observed in our late Conversation, a very general Opinion, that all Rivers run into the Sea , or deposite their Waters there. ’Tis a kind of Audacity to call such general Opinions in question, and may subject one to Censure: But we must hazard something in what we think the Cause of Truth: And if we propose our Objections modestly, we shall, tho’...
8From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, [October? 1768] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I return my dear Polly her Letters with Thanks for the Sight of them. Dr. Hawkesworth’s Account of Mr. Stanley’s Loss of Hair, is full and Satisfactory. Young Mr. Henckell has left our well-spelt Letters with me for you: but those I take the Liberty to keep. We are all well and all love you. Adieu. Yours affectionately For John Hawkesworth, LL.D., essayist,...
9From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 26 March 1767 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society We want to hear how our dear Polly does after the Loss of her Two great Teeth together; whether the Jaw is easy and not swell’d &c. Sir Cha. Blount call’d in Cravenstreet last Night, and we learnt with Pleasure that your Friend Dolly and all that Family were well. Dr. Hawkesworth is to spend this Evening there, and I am mortified that I cannot be with them....
10From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 27 June 1763 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I received here your kind little Letter of April 14. with your good Mama’s Favour of the same Date. I write this Line chiefly to acknowledge it, having wrote to you lately, and little now to add. I congratulate you on your Dolly’s Recovery, which you mention as nearly compleated, assuring you that I do, as you suppose, participate your Pleasure. Tell her...
11From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Hewson, 8 July 1772 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I arrived here yesterday in my Return from the North. This Morning I had the Pleasure of receiving yours of the 6th. I am sorry that my Engagements here will not permit to be in London on your Wedding Day, but I repeat my Wishes of Happiness to you on that Occasion, and pray that you may have many Returns of that Day each happier than its Predecessor, from...
12From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, [1760–1762] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Among the surviving letters between Franklin and Mary Stevenson are two from him and two from her bearing incomplete dates or none at all, which cannot be even approximately placed by other evidence, although they seem to belong to the general period from May 1, 1760, when Franklin and Polly agreed to correspond on subjects of moral and natural philosophy,...
13From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, [12–16 December 1764] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I have once more the Pleasure of writing a Line to my dear Polly from Cravenstreet, where I arrived on Monday Evening in about 30 Days from Philadelphia. Your good Mama was not at home, and the Maid could not tell where to find her, so I sat me down and waited her Return, when she was a good deal surpriz’d to find me in her Parlour. She has this Afternoon...
14From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 13 September 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Library of Congress I have your agreable Letter from Bristol, which I take this first Leisure Hour to answer, having for some time been much engag’d in Business. Your first Question, What is the Reason the Water at this Place, tho’ cold at the Spring, becomes warm by Pumping? it will be most prudent in me to forbear attempting to answer, till, by a more circumstantial Account, you assure...
15From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson Hewson, 24 July 1770 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Library of Congress I wrote a few Lines to you last Week in answer to yours of the 15th. Since which I have been in the Country; and returning yesterday found your good Mother was come home and had got a Letter from you of the 20th. She has just put it into my hands, and desires me to write to you, as she is going into the City with Miss Barwell to buy things. Whether she will have time...
16From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 31 May 1770 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (draft): Library of Congress I receiv’d your Letter early this Morning, and as I am so engag’d that I cannot see you when you come to-day, I write this Line just to say, That I am sure you are a much better Judge in this Affair of your own than I can possibly be; in that Confidence it was that I forbore giving my Advice when you mention’d it to me, and not from any Disapprobation. My...
17From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 22 March 1762 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from Stan. V. Henkels, Catalogue No. 1262 (July 1, 1920), pp. 15–16. I must retract the Charge of Idleness in your Studies, when I find you have gone thro’ the doubly difficult Task of reading so big a Book on an abstruse Subject and in a foreign Language. The Question you were about to ask is a very sensible one. The Hand that holds the Bottle receives and conducts...
18From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 4 May 1764 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Since making up my Packet for your good Mother, I have receiv’d your Favour of the 1st. of March; and have only time now to acknowledge it, the Bearer Mrs. Empson being just going to the Ship; but purpose writing to you fully per next Week’s Packet. I beg Leave to reccommend her to your Friendly Advice and Civilities, as she is a Daughter of one of my good...
19From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 28 September 1768: phonetic spelling and transcription (Franklin Papers)
Transcribed from the text in phonetic spelling in Benjamin Vaughan, ed., Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces … by Benj. Franklin, LL.D. and F.R.S. (London, 1779), pp. 473–8. Dh i a bd sh ek sh yi n iu meek to rektif yi ii ng a ur alfabet, “ dh at it uil bi atended ui
20From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, [1767–1770] (Franklin Papers)
Fragment of draft: American Philosophical Society [ First part missing ] and a Train of various Amusements daily interfering, I as continually put off Writing till to-morrow; when I receiv’d the second Letter, I propos’d answering both together to-morrow; the same of the third; and now what a shameful Fault has this Procrastination led me into! a Fault which even my Polly with all her...
21From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Hewson, [late 1771?] (Franklin Papers)
AL (incomplete?): American Philosophical Society Voltaire in his Questions sur l’Encyclopedie , which I have been reading this Morning, gives Translations of several Greek Epigrams into French, to show that the latter Language was as capable of Correctness as the former. I had a mind to try if [I could] not render them more concisely in English, [but have] not succeeded; but you (or some of...
22From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 22 January 1770 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I received your Favour of Saturday early this Morning, and am as usual much obliged by the kind Readiness with which you have done what I requested. Your good Mother has complain’d more of her Head since you left us, than ever before. If she stoops or looks or bends her Neck downwards on any Occasion, it is with great Pain and Difficulty that she gets her...
23From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 10 June 1763 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Dartmouth College Library I wrote to my dear Friend’s good Mama to day, and said I should hardly have time to write to you; but finding a spare half Hour, I will indulge myself in the Pleasure of spending it with you. I have just receiv’d your most agreable Epistle of March 11. The Ease, the Smoothness, the Purity of Diction, and Delicacy of Sentiment, that always appear in your Letters,...
24From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 2 September 1769 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Yale University Library Just come home from a Venison Feast, where I have drank more than a Philosopher ought, I find my dear Polly’s chearful chatty Letter that exhilarates me more than all the Wine. Your good Mother says there is no Occasion for any Intercession of mine in your behalf. She is sensible that she is more in fault than her Daughter. She received an affectionate tender...
25From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson: Verses on Her Birthday, 15 June 1767 (Franklin Papers)
AD (two copies): American Philosophical Society To Miss Stevenson, on her Birthday, June 15. 1767. Addressed: To / Miss Stevenson Of these two copies, both in BF ’s hand, one survives among his own papers, the other among the papers of Mary Stevenson Hewson. The Hewson Papers were inherited by her descendants, James Sydney Bradford and Miss Frances Margaret Bradford, of Philadelphia, and...
26From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 4 May 1759 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from Smyth, Writings , III , 478–9. Hearing that you was in the Park last Sunday, I hop’d for the Pleasure of seeing you yesterday at the Oratorio in the Foundling Hospital; but, tho’ I look’d with all the Eyes I had, not excepting even those I carry in my Pocket I could not find you; and this Morning your good Mama, has receiv’d a Line from you, by which we learn that...
27From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 9 January 1765 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Your good Mama and myself are both of Opinion that the Christmas Gambols at Bromley last a great deal too long. We expected you three Days ago. Give my Compliments to Dr. Hawksworth, and tell him I have read three or four times, and every time with great Pleasure, his Dialogue in the Magazine between Mr. Sellaway and Friends in the Club. I call the Dialogue...
28From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 20 July 1768: phonetic spelling and transcription (Franklin Papers)
Transcribed from ALS (in phonetic spelling): American Philosophical Society Many writers, from the monk Orm in the early thirteenth century to George Bernard Shaw in the early twentieth, have experimented with methods of phonetic spelling. It was perhaps natural that Franklin, with his long exposure to the printed word and his varied and practical interests, should have been drawn into this...
29From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 17 June 1767 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Yale University Library We were greatly disappointed yesterday that we had not the Pleasure, promis’d us, of our dear Polly’s Company. Your good Mother would have me write a Line in Answer to your Letter. A Muse, you must know, visited me this Morning! I see you are surpriz’d, as I was. I never saw one before. And shall never see another. So I took the Opportunity of her Help to put the...
30From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 27 June 1769 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Library of Congress Agreable to your Orders delivered to me very punctually per Temple, I return you enclos’d Voltaire’s Verses. The Translation I think full as good as the Original. Remember that I am to have them again. I take this Opportunity to send you also a late Paper containing a melancholy Account of the Distresses of some Seamen. You will observe in it the Advantages they...