1From Benjamin Franklin to Jonathan Shipley, 24 June 1771 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Yale University Library This letter is the first that survives in a correspondence that continued for the rest of Franklin’s life. The acquaintance had in all likelihood originated through Shipley’s brother William, whom Franklin had known for more than fifteen years. By 1771 it embraced the Bishop’s whole family, and was thriving as the green bay tree. Jonathan Shipley (1714–88) was...