Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-11-17
FRANKLIN AND HIS SISTER,

FRANKLIN ANU HIS olo lth
Jane, The Youngest of the Family, and tho |
Only One who survived Benjamin--Her
vencrntion for Her Gifted Brother.
Mr.. Paul Leicester Ford, author OF
"The True George Washington, dur
| ing the coming year will contribute to
| The Century Magazine a series of
papers on 1.-THE Many Sided Franklin. !"
| In the November number he writes OF
Franklin's Family Relations. Mr..
Ford says:
or all his sisters, the youngest, Jane,
was, SO Franklin told her, lever my
peculiar favorite;" and he took pride
| in the news that she had 'grown a
celebrated beauty Evidently it was
not merely fraternal view, for the
girl was married at Is, the brother
writing her, upon the event, that he
had .almost determined" to send her
"a teatable, but when / considered the
character of good housewife was far
preferable to that of being only a pretty
gentlewoman, l concluded to send you
spinning wheel, which hope you
will accept as small token of my sim
cere' love and Affection And in this
monitory strain the aged brother of 20
continued:
"Sfster, farewell, and remember that
modesty as it makes the most homoly
virtue amiable and charming, SO the
i, want of it infallibly renders the most
perfect beauty disagreeable and odious.
But when that brightest of female
virtues shines among other projections
of body and mind in the same person,
it makes the woman more lovely than
an angel. Excuse this freedom, and
Use the same with me. l am, dear
Jenny, your loving brother. "
A very large progeny resulted from
this marriage, in all of whom Franklin
took an interest. My compliments
to my new niece, Miss Abiah, and pray
her TO accept the enclosed piece of gold
to cut her toeth it may afterwards buy
nuts for them TO crack he wrote of
one arrival; and gave material help to
, the children as they grew up, aiding
one to sell the soap he made; taking
second as an apprentice in his printing
office, and afterward assisting in his
establishment in that business; en-
| deavoring to get government position
for IL third: and, on the marriage of u
fourth, sending a gift of fifty pounds,
. lawful money! to be laid out in
} furniture as my sistor shall think
proper. From this niece he received
IN exuherant acknowledgment, declar-
ing that:
my Heart, has ever been susceptible
] of the warmest gratitude for your fire.
quent Benefactions to the whole Family
I but your last kind, unexpected, as
0 well rs undiserved, Noble presents in
r particular to me, calls for particular
I acknowledgment from me. Except
j then, dearest sir, my most sincere and
hearty Thanks, with promise, that
your Kindness shall ever be gratefully
5 remembered and your donation be made
o the best use of.
= Jane herself carried this admiration
d even to the point of veneration; yet
: when absent from her brother she ex
o pressed her regret, having had time
t to reflect and see my error, in that
O suffered my diffidence or the awe Of
:, your superiority to prevent the ia
/. miliarity might have taken with you,
o and which your kindness to me might
It have convinced me would be accept
% able" Her feeling was further showr
Il by her often-repeated prayer that he
W pardon my bad writing and confused
% oomposure, which led the brother IL
:, answer that "you need not be afralt
81 in whiting to me about your bad spell
d ing; for, in my opinion, as our alpha
g bet now stands, the bad spelling, o
+, what is called so, is generally the best
70 as conforming to the sound Of the let
1t tors and of the words. - Her husband
1t death left her large family to rear
+, and but for Beniamin's constant ekin,
N of her means it would have Jared hare
D. with the widow. She told her brothe
le that her happiness was derived iron
l. "yr Bounty without witch must hav
ID been distressed as much as man
er Others and assured him that sh
9. could not "find expression suitable t
ii acknowledge my gratitude; how / al
st by my dear brother enabled to liv
(, at ease in my old age" MY self an
4, children have always been tax upo
lie you," she wrote to him, "but you
ig great and uncommon goodness ha
he carried you cheerfully under it,
lg Jane and Benjamin outlived all thei
no brothers and sisters, and Franklin
SO upon the death of one of the last, sal
III to her "Of these thirteen there no
OF remain but three. AS our number d
en- minishes, let our affection to eac
If other rather increase. In one of he
ed later letters the sister REQUIRED to thi.
sll writing "You once told me, my def
brother, that as our number of brethre
and sisters lessened the affection
those of us that remained should il
crease to each other. You and l al
les now left; my affection for you h;
always been SO great see no room fl
increase, and you have manifested you
", for me in such large measure that
Die have no reason to suspect its strength.
ITS Jane Mecom alone of Josiah Franklin
ter II children survived the famous sol
a and in his will Franklin left to her :
ter house and lot ! have in Unity Stree
he Boston, gave her "the yearly sum
st, fifty pounds sterling, and left sms
he sum Of money to her descendants
of s
ed =