Ben Franklin
(1706-1790)
HIs Childhood.
Benjamin Franklin was born in a small house on Milk Street in Boston, next to the Old South Church, on January 6, 1706. He was the youngest son of five generations of youngest sons. He had eleven living brothers and sisters. His father, Josiah Franklin, made soap and candles for a living. His mother, Abiah, raised the children. According to Franklin, it was a crowded, noisy, and happy home.
His inventions
Ben Franklin created the Franklin Stove, Lightning rod, Bifocals, and the glass harmonica.
More about his life.
He was the 6th President of Pennsylvania. Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. He made many useful things in his life time. (see inventions tab) There are many places named after him.
Ancestry
Franklin's father was a tallow chandler, a soap-maker, and a candle-maker. Benjamin Franklin's mother, Abiah Folger, was born into a Puritian family among those that fled to Massachusetts to establish a purified Congregationalist Christianity in New England, when King Charles I of England began persecuting Puritans