44 
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 6, 1706,—according to 
the old style of reckoning time,—in a modest dwelling near the head 
of Milk street, Boston. Just across the way was the South Meet- 
ing-house, belonging to the Third Church of Christ, of which 
Franklin’s parents were members, and at its services were constant 
attendants. In this sanctuary the little infant, on the day of his 
birth, was baptized by Samuel Willard, the minister, who duly en- 
tered the fact in the church record. With our modern ideas of 
sanitary precaution, it might now seem to us somewhat imprudent to 
take into the open air, even for a very short distance, a delicate 
neonatus, whose earthly pilgrimage was spanned by an existence of 
only a few hours, and to carry him to an unwarmed meeting-house, 
in the midst of a New England winter, even for the purpose of re- 
ceiving the rite of Christian baptism; but our pious forefathers 
thought otherwise. At the same time, prayers were offered up for 
the speedy recovery of the mother; and the knowledge of this fact 
was a source of great comfort and consolation to the family house- 
hold. 
Benjamin’s father, Josiah Franklin, was English-born,—coming 
from Northamptonshire, where the family had lived for many gene- 
rations; the same county from which also the family of George 
Washington came. For a long period the men had been rigorous 
toilers, earning their livelihood by the sweat of their brow, and 
many of them were blacksmiths. Benjamin’s mother, Abiah Folger, 
was a native of the island of Nantucket, and his father’s second 
wife. Her father, Peter Folger, was a man of such distinguished 
probity that when he was acting as one of five commissioners ap- 
pointed to measure and lay out the land on that island, it was de- 
creed that any three out of the five might do the business provided 
he was one of them. What a commentary on his integrity, and 
what a tribute to his personal worth! ‘The resemblance between 
the philosopher and Peter Folger, a later kinsman, as seen in his 
portrait, is very striking; and it may well have been said by his 
neighbors that in his younger days Benjamin favored his mother’s 
family in looks. 
Franklin’s father owned a few books, mostly theological, and on 
these the lad used to browse, and pick up whatever he could in 
order to satisfy his inquiring mind, though he found it dry picking. 
There is no better exercise for a bright boy than to turn him loose 
