Volume One of the Documentary History abstracts all contemporary references to Franklin. If the allusions also appear in the Papers, that edition is cited, but since the editors of the Papers did not attempt to print or to calendar all meetings Franklin attended or all contemporary allusions to him, many references found below are not in the Papers. Naturally the Documentary History becomes more detailed as BF became older. The latter volumes will have to be more selective, but at least for the first three volumes (until his departure from America in 1757), I have tried to include all references regarding Franklin's whereabouts and his opinions. I will be grateful to those persons who contact me (lemay@udel.edu) with additions and corrections. When I update entries with additions or corrections, I give the date of the revision immediately after the particular entry (e.g., "added 2/12/98" wink .
For the period before BF's birth, 1657 to 1706, the Documentary History mainly lists key dates in the lives of Franklin's parents and siblings. For the period of his infancy and childhood, 1706 to 1715, it adds events that influenced Franklin's immediate Boston world and anecdotes that he later recalled. Beginning with 1715, every year has a brief introduction calling attention to the most important events in Franklin's life and in his immediate world.
I had originally planned to publish the DH as a series of books complementing the biography, but putting the information online makes it more widely available and allows additions and corrections to be made easily. I confess to having some nostalgia concerning the non-appearance of the DH as a series of books, but how many libraries and individuals could afford seven large volumes of Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History? Further, the possibilities for indexing the materials are so much greater in the online format. The bottom line is that I believe that the DH will be more accessible and more useful online than as a series of expensive, ponderous volumes.
J. A. Leo Lemay
Acknowledgements. I am greatly indebted to my friend Richard Duggan for suggesting that I put the DH online and for imaginatively transforming my comparatively unattractive computer files to an handsome online display. My research assistant for 1996-97, Donna Lehmann, has read the DH for me, saving me from many errors (since I quote so many eighteenth-century spellings, it is too tedious to use spellcheck), oversights, and infelicities. My long-standing old friend Paul M. Zall has also done me the incredible favor of reading the DH and giving me his suggestions and corrections. Alas, I alone am responsible for all the mistakes that remain.
Sigla (full bibliographical references for the DH through 1747 are given in the bibliography, found at the end of part two, "Rising Citizen, 1730-1747." wink
A = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Genetic Text. Ed. Lemay and Zall.
BF = Benjamin Franklin
BG = Boston Gazette
BNL = Boston News Letter
c. = circa
d. = died
JF = James Franklin
m = married
NEC = New England Courant
NCE = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Norton Critical Edition.
P = The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
PCSM = Proceedings of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts
PMHS = Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society
PMHB = Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
RRC = Report of the Record Commissioners of Boston
Note: References cited only once or twice are given in the DH text and are not in the bibliography.
I began compiling Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History as a source for a biography of Franklin. I gradually came to think that it had scholarly value of its own, though I still intend it to be the basic documentation for the biography. Since the Documentary History (DH) is arranged chronologically, the dates in the biography can be readily checked in the DH, where bibliographical references are given. The DH calendars but does not print Franklin's writings. It refers to The Papers of Benjamin Franklin far more frequently than to any other source, citing the Papers for the innumerable scholarly contributions made by that great edition. Since The Papers of Benjamin Franklin is also arranged chronologically, the date itself in the DH can serve as a reference to the Papers. For the user's convenience, however, the materials in the Papers are cited by volume and page in the DH. For example, the chronology begins with the birth of Josiah Franklin (BF's father) and cites the prefatory roman numeral pages 50-51 of volume one and the genealogial chart on roman numeral page 69. In those instances when a writing by Franklin is not in the Papers, the DH cites The Canon of Benjamin Franklin: New Attributions and Reconsiderations (Canon)and, if printed therein, Benjamin Franklin: Writings (W). Of course, a few new attributions occur in the DH; brief justifications for these are found in the DH and more detailed ones in the biography. The DH also lists Franklin's attendence and participation in the meetings of the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company, and other organizations, as well as references to Franklin in private letters and in the contemporary periodical press. Beginning with the appointment of Franklin and Meredith as Pennsylvania's official printers (30 Jan 1730), the DH records the meetings of the Pennsylvania Assembly because Franklin made sure to be in Philadelphia during the legislative sessions. Beginning with Franklin's election as clerk to the assembly (15 Oct 1736), the DH chronicles the most important assembly business because Franklin kept the minutes; and beginning with Franklin's election as a representative (9 May 1751), it includes brief discussions of most assembly sessions where Franklin played an active part.
Volume One of the Documentary History abstracts all contemporary references to Franklin. If the allusions also appear in the Papers, that edition is cited, but since the editors of the Papers did not attempt to print or to calendar all meetings Franklin attended or all contemporary allusions to him, many references found below are not in the Papers. Naturally the Documentary History becomes more detailed as BF became older. The latter volumes will have to be more selective, but at least for the first three volumes (until his departure from America in 1757), I have tried to include all references regarding Franklin's whereabouts and his opinions. I will be grateful to those persons who contact me (lemay@udel.edu) with additions and corrections. When I update entries with additions or corrections, I give the date of the revision immediately after the particular entry (e.g., "added 2/12/98" wink .
For the period before BF's birth, 1657 to 1706, the Documentary History mainly lists key dates in the lives of Franklin's parents and siblings. For the period of his infancy and childhood, 1706 to 1715, it adds events that influenced Franklin's immediate Boston world and anecdotes that he later recalled. Beginning with 1715, every year has a brief introduction calling attention to the most important events in Franklin's life and in his immediate world.
I had originally planned to publish the DH as a series of books complementing the biography, but putting the information online makes it more widely available and allows additions and corrections to be made easily. I confess to having some nostalgia concerning the non-appearance of the DH as a series of books, but how many libraries and individuals could afford seven large volumes of Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History? Further, the possibilities for indexing the materials are so much greater in the online format. The bottom line is that I believe that the DH will be more accessible and more useful online than as a series of expensive, ponderous volumes.
J. A. Leo Lemay
Acknowledgements. I am greatly indebted to my friend Richard Duggan for suggesting that I put the DH online and for imaginatively transforming my comparatively unattractive computer files to an handsome online display. My research assistant for 1996-97, Donna Lehmann, has read the DH for me, saving me from many errors (since I quote so many eighteenth-century spellings, it is too tedious to use spellcheck), oversights, and infelicities. My long-standing old friend Paul M. Zall has also done me the incredible favor of reading the DH and giving me his suggestions and corrections. Alas, I alone am responsible for all the mistakes that remain.
Sigla (full bibliographical references for the DH through 1747 are given in the bibliography, found at the end of part two, "Rising Citizen, 1730-1747." wink
A = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Genetic Text. Ed. Lemay and Zall.
BF = Benjamin Franklin
BG = Boston Gazette
BNL = Boston News Letter
c. = circa
d. = died
JF = James Franklin
m = married
NEC = New England Courant
NCE = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Norton Critical Edition.
P = The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
PCSM = Proceedings of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts
PMHS = Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society
PMHB = Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
RRC = Report of the Record Commissioners of Boston
Note: References cited only once or twice are given in the DH text and are not in the bibliography.
I began compiling Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History as a source for a biography of Franklin. I gradually came to think that it had scholarly value of its own, though I still intend it to be the basic documentation for the biography. Since the Documentary History (DH) is arranged chronologically, the dates in the biography can be readily checked in the DH, where bibliographical references are given. The DH calendars but does not print Franklin's writings. It refers to The Papers of Benjamin Franklin far more frequently than to any other source, citing the Papers for the innumerable scholarly contributions made by that great edition. Since The Papers of Benjamin Franklin is also arranged chronologically, the date itself in the DH can serve as a reference to the Papers. For the user's convenience, however, the materials in the Papers are cited by volume and page in the DH. For example, the chronology begins with the birth of Josiah Franklin (BF's father) and cites the prefatory roman numeral pages 50-51 of volume one and the genealogial chart on roman numeral page 69. In those instances when a writing by Franklin is not in the Papers, the DH cites The Canon of Benjamin Franklin: New Attributions and Reconsiderations (Canon)and, if printed therein, Benjamin Franklin: Writings (W). Of course, a few new attributions occur in the DH; brief justifications for these are found in the DH and more detailed ones in the biography. The DH also lists Franklin's attendence and participation in the meetings of the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company, and other organizations, as well as references to Franklin in private letters and in the contemporary periodical press. Beginning with the appointment of Franklin and Meredith as Pennsylvania's official printers (30 Jan 1730), the DH records the meetings of the Pennsylvania Assembly because Franklin made sure to be in Philadelphia during the legislative sessions. Beginning with Franklin's election as clerk to the assembly (15 Oct 1736), the DH chronicles the most important assembly business because Franklin kept the minutes; and beginning with Franklin's election as a representative (9 May 1751), it includes brief discussions of most assembly sessions where Franklin played an active part.
Volume One of the Documentary History abstracts all contemporary references to Franklin. If the allusions also appear in the Papers, that edition is cited, but since the editors of the Papers did not attempt to print or to calendar all meetings Franklin attended or all contemporary allusions to him, many references found below are not in the Papers. Naturally the Documentary History becomes more detailed as BF became older. The latter volumes will have to be more selective, but at least for the first three volumes (until his departure from America in 1757), I have tried to include all references regarding Franklin's whereabouts and his opinions. I will be grateful to those persons who contact me (lemay@udel.edu) with additions and corrections. When I update entries with additions or corrections, I give the date of the revision immediately after the particular entry (e.g., "added 2/12/98" wink .
For the period before BF's birth, 1657 to 1706, the Documentary History mainly lists key dates in the lives of Franklin's parents and siblings. For the period of his infancy and childhood, 1706 to 1715, it adds events that influenced Franklin's immediate Boston world and anecdotes that he later recalled. Beginning with 1715, every year has a brief introduction calling attention to the most important events in Franklin's life and in his immediate world.
I had originally planned to publish the DH as a series of books complementing the biography, but putting the information online makes it more widely available and allows additions and corrections to be made easily. I confess to having some nostalgia concerning the non-appearance of the DH as a series of books, but how many libraries and individuals could afford seven large volumes of Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History? Further, the possibilities for indexing the materials are so much greater in the online format. The bottom line is that I believe that the DH will be more accessible and more useful online than as a series of expensive, ponderous volumes.
J. A. Leo Lemay
Acknowledgements. I am greatly indebted to my friend Richard Duggan for suggesting that I put the DH online and for imaginatively transforming my comparatively unattractive computer files to an handsome online display. My research assistant for 1996-97, Donna Lehmann, has read the DH for me, saving me from many errors (since I quote so many eighteenth-century spellings, it is too tedious to use spellcheck), oversights, and infelicities. My long-standing old friend Paul M. Zall has also done me the incredible favor of reading the DH and giving me his suggestions and corrections. Alas, I alone am responsible for all the mistakes that remain.
Sigla (full bibliographical references for the DH through 1747 are given in the bibliography, found at the end of part two, "Rising Citizen, 1730-1747." wink
A = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Genetic Text. Ed. Lemay and Zall.
BF = Benjamin Franklin
BG = Boston Gazette
BNL = Boston News Letter
c. = circa
d. = died
JF = James Franklin
m = married
NEC = New England Courant
NCE = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Norton Critical Edition.
P = The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
PCSM = Proceedings of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts
PMHS = Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society
PMHB = Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
RRC = Report of the Record Commissioners of Boston
Note: References cited only once or twice are given in the DH text and are not in the bibliography.
I began compiling Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History as a source for a biography of Franklin. I gradually came to think that it had scholarly value of its own, though I still intend it to be the basic documentation for the biography. Since the Documentary History (DH) is arranged chronologically, the dates in the biography can be readily checked in the DH, where bibliographical references are given. The DH calendars but does not print Franklin's writings. It refers to The Papers of Benjamin Franklin far more frequently than to any other source, citing the Papers for the innumerable scholarly contributions made by that great edition. Since The Papers of Benjamin Franklin is also arranged chronologically, the date itself in the DH can serve as a reference to the Papers. For the user's convenience, however, the materials in the Papers are cited by volume and page in the DH. For example, the chronology begins with the birth of Josiah Franklin (BF's father) and cites the prefatory roman numeral pages 50-51 of volume one and the genealogial chart on roman numeral page 69. In those instances when a writing by Franklin is not in the Papers, the DH cites The Canon of Benjamin Franklin: New Attributions and Reconsiderations (Canon)and, if printed therein, Benjamin Franklin: Writings (W). Of course, a few new attributions occur in the DH; brief justifications for these are found in the DH and more detailed ones in the biography. The DH also lists Franklin's attendence and participation in the meetings of the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company, and other organizations, as well as references to Franklin in private letters and in the contemporary periodical press. Beginning with the appointment of Franklin and Meredith as Pennsylvania's official printers (30 Jan 1730), the DH records the meetings of the Pennsylvania Assembly because Franklin made sure to be in Philadelphia during the legislative sessions. Beginning with Franklin's election as clerk to the assembly (15 Oct 1736), the DH chronicles the most important assembly business because Franklin kept the minutes; and beginning with Franklin's election as a representative (9 May 1751), it includes brief discussions of most assembly sessions where Franklin played an active part.
Volume One of the Documentary History abstracts all contemporary references to Franklin. If the allusions also appear in the Papers, that edition is cited, but since the editors of the Papers did not attempt to print or to calendar all meetings Franklin attended or all contemporary allusions to him, many references found below are not in the Papers. Naturally the Documentary History becomes more detailed as BF became older. The latter volumes will have to be more selective, but at least for the first three volumes (until his departure from America in 1757), I have tried to include all references regarding Franklin's whereabouts and his opinions. I will be grateful to those persons who contact me (lemay@udel.edu) with additions and corrections. When I update entries with additions or corrections, I give the date of the revision immediately after the particular entry (e.g., "added 2/12/98" wink .
For the period before BF's birth, 1657 to 1706, the Documentary History mainly lists key dates in the lives of Franklin's parents and siblings. For the period of his infancy and childhood, 1706 to 1715, it adds events that influenced Franklin's immediate Boston world and anecdotes that he later recalled. Beginning with 1715, every year has a brief introduction calling attention to the most important events in Franklin's life and in his immediate world.
I had originally planned to publish the DH as a series of books complementing the biography, but putting the information online makes it more widely available and allows additions and corrections to be made easily. I confess to having some nostalgia concerning the non-appearance of the DH as a series of books, but how many libraries and individuals could afford seven large volumes of Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History? Further, the possibilities for indexing the materials are so much greater in the online format. The bottom line is that I believe that the DH will be more accessible and more useful online than as a series of expensive, ponderous volumes.
J. A. Leo Lemay
Acknowledgements. I am greatly indebted to my friend Richard Duggan for suggesting that I put the DH online and for imaginatively transforming my comparatively unattractive computer files to an handsome online display. My research assistant for 1996-97, Donna Lehmann, has read the DH for me, saving me from many errors (since I quote so many eighteenth-century spellings, it is too tedious to use spellcheck), oversights, and infelicities. My long-standing old friend Paul M. Zall has also done me the incredible favor of reading the DH and giving me his suggestions and corrections. Alas, I alone am responsible for all the mistakes that remain.
Sigla (full bibliographical references for the DH through 1747 are given in the bibliography, found at the end of part two, "Rising Citizen, 1730-1747." wink
A = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Genetic Text. Ed. Lemay and Zall.
BF = Benjamin Franklin
BG = Boston Gazette
BNL = Boston News Letter
c. = circa
d. = died
JF = James Franklin
m = married
NEC = New England Courant
NCE = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Norton Critical Edition.
P = The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
PCSM = Proceedings of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts
PMHS = Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society
PMHB = Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
RRC = Report of the Record Commissioners of Boston
Note: References cited only once or twice are given in the DH text and are not in the bibliography.
I began compiling Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History as a source for a biography of Franklin. I gradually came to think that it had scholarly value of its own, though I still intend it to be the basic documentation for the biography. Since the Documentary History (DH) is arranged chronologically, the dates in the biography can be readily checked in the DH, where bibliographical references are given. The DH calendars but does not print Franklin's writings. It refers to The Papers of Benjamin Franklin far more frequently than to any other source, citing the Papers for the innumerable scholarly contributions made by that great edition. Since The Papers of Benjamin Franklin is also arranged chronologically, the date itself in the DH can serve as a reference to the Papers. For the user's convenience, however, the materials in the Papers are cited by volume and page in the DH. For example, the chronology begins with the birth of Josiah Franklin (BF's father) and cites the prefatory roman numeral pages 50-51 of volume one and the genealogial chart on roman numeral page 69. In those instances when a writing by Franklin is not in the Papers, the DH cites The Canon of Benjamin Franklin: New Attributions and Reconsiderations (Canon)and, if printed therein, Benjamin Franklin: Writings (W). Of course, a few new attributions occur in the DH; brief justifications for these are found in the DH and more detailed ones in the biography. The DH also lists Franklin's attendence and participation in the meetings of the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company, and other organizations, as well as references to Franklin in private letters and in the contemporary periodical press. Beginning with the appointment of Franklin and Meredith as Pennsylvania's official printers (30 Jan 1730), the DH records the meetings of the Pennsylvania Assembly because Franklin made sure to be in Philadelphia during the legislative sessions. Beginning with Franklin's election as clerk to the assembly (15 Oct 1736), the DH chronicles the most important assembly business because Franklin kept the minutes; and beginning with Franklin's election as a representative (9 May 1751), it includes brief discussions of most assembly sessions where Franklin played an active part.
Volume One of the Documentary History abstracts all contemporary references to Franklin. If the allusions also appear in the Papers, that edition is cited, but since the editors of the Papers did not attempt to print or to calendar all meetings Franklin attended or all contemporary allusions to him, many references found below are not in the Papers. Naturally the Documentary History becomes more detailed as BF became older. The latter volumes will have to be more selective, but at least for the first three volumes (until his departure from America in 1757), I have tried to include all references regarding Franklin's whereabouts and his opinions. I will be grateful to those persons who contact me (lemay@udel.edu) with additions and corrections. When I update entries with additions or corrections, I give the date of the revision immediately after the particular entry (e.g., "added 2/12/98" wink .
For the period before BF's birth, 1657 to 1706, the Documentary History mainly lists key dates in the lives of Franklin's parents and siblings. For the period of his infancy and childhood, 1706 to 1715, it adds events that influenced Franklin's immediate Boston world and anecdotes that he later recalled. Beginning with 1715, every year has a brief introduction calling attention to the most important events in Franklin's life and in his immediate world.
I had originally planned to publish the DH as a series of books complementing the biography, but putting the information online makes it more widely available and allows additions and corrections to be made easily. I confess to having some nostalgia concerning the non-appearance of the DH as a series of books, but how many libraries and individuals could afford seven large volumes of Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History? Further, the possibilities for indexing the materials are so much greater in the online format. The bottom line is that I believe that the DH will be more accessible and more useful online than as a series of expensive, ponderous volumes.
J. A. Leo Lemay
Acknowledgements. I am greatly indebted to my friend Richard Duggan for suggesting that I put the DH online and for imaginatively transforming my comparatively unattractive computer files to an handsome online display. My research assistant for 1996-97, Donna Lehmann, has read the DH for me, saving me from many errors (since I quote so many eighteenth-century spellings, it is too tedious to use spellcheck), oversights, and infelicities. My long-standing old friend Paul M. Zall has also done me the incredible favor of reading the DH and giving me his suggestions and corrections. Alas, I alone am responsible for all the mistakes that remain.
Sigla (full bibliographical references for the DH through 1747 are given in the bibliography, found at the end of part two, "Rising Citizen, 1730-1747." wink
A = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Genetic Text. Ed. Lemay and Zall.
BF = Benjamin Franklin
BG = Boston Gazette
BNL = Boston News Letter
c. = circa
d. = died
JF = James Franklin
m = married
NEC = New England Courant
NCE = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Norton Critical Edition.
P = The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
PCSM = Proceedings of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts
PMHS = Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society
PMHB = Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
RRC = Report of the Record Commissioners of Boston
Note: References cited only once or twice are given in the DH text and are not in the bibliography.
I began compiling Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History as a source for a biography of Franklin. I gradually came to think that it had scholarly value of its own, though I still intend it to be the basic documentation for the biography. Since the Documentary History (DH) is arranged chronologically, the dates in the biography can be readily checked in the DH, where bibliographical references are given. The DH calendars but does not print Franklin's writings. It refers to The Papers of Benjamin Franklin far more frequently than to any other source, citing the Papers for the innumerable scholarly contributions made by that great edition. Since The Papers of Benjamin Franklin is also arranged chronologically, the date itself in the DH can serve as a reference to the Papers. For the user's convenience, however, the materials in the Papers are cited by volume and page in the DH. For example, the chronology begins with the birth of Josiah Franklin (BF's father) and cites the prefatory roman numeral pages 50-51 of volume one and the genealogial chart on roman numeral page 69. In those instances when a writing by Franklin is not in the Papers, the DH cites The Canon of Benjamin Franklin: New Attributions and Reconsiderations (Canon)and, if printed therein, Benjamin Franklin: Writings (W). Of course, a few new attributions occur in the DH; brief justifications for these are found in the DH and more detailed ones in the biography. The DH also lists Franklin's attendence and participation in the meetings of the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company, and other organizations, as well as references to Franklin in private letters and in the contemporary periodical press. Beginning with the appointment of Franklin and Meredith as Pennsylvania's official printers (30 Jan 1730), the DH records the meetings of the Pennsylvania Assembly because Franklin made sure to be in Philadelphia during the legislative sessions. Beginning with Franklin's election as clerk to the assembly (15 Oct 1736), the DH chronicles the most important assembly business because Franklin kept the minutes; and beginning with Franklin's election as a representative (9 May 1751), it includes brief discussions of most assembly sessions where Franklin played an active part.
Volume One of the Documentary History abstracts all contemporary references to Franklin. If the allusions also appear in the Papers, that edition is cited, but since the editors of the Papers did not attempt to print or to calendar all meetings Franklin attended or all contemporary allusions to him, many references found below are not in the Papers. Naturally the Documentary History becomes more detailed as BF became older. The latter volumes will have to be more selective, but at least for the first three volumes (until his departure from America in 1757), I have tried to include all references regarding Franklin's whereabouts and his opinions. I will be grateful to those persons who contact me (lemay@udel.edu) with additions and corrections. When I update entries with additions or corrections, I give the date of the revision immediately after the particular entry (e.g., "added 2/12/98" wink .
For the period before BF's birth, 1657 to 1706, the Documentary History mainly lists key dates in the lives of Franklin's parents and siblings. For the period of his infancy and childhood, 1706 to 1715, it adds events that influenced Franklin's immediate Boston world and anecdotes that he later recalled. Beginning with 1715, every year has a brief introduction calling attention to the most important events in Franklin's life and in his immediate world.
I had originally planned to publish the DH as a series of books complementing the biography, but putting the information online makes it more widely available and allows additions and corrections to be made easily. I confess to having some nostalgia concerning the non-appearance of the DH as a series of books, but how many libraries and individuals could afford seven large volumes of Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History? Further, the possibilities for indexing the materials are so much greater in the online format. The bottom line is that I believe that the DH will be more accessible and more useful online than as a series of expensive, ponderous volumes.
J. A. Leo Lemay
Acknowledgements. I am greatly indebted to my friend Richard Duggan for suggesting that I put the DH online and for imaginatively transforming my comparatively unattractive computer files to an handsome online display. My research assistant for 1996-97, Donna Lehmann, has read the DH for me, saving me from many errors (since I quote so many eighteenth-century spellings, it is too tedious to use spellcheck), oversights, and infelicities. My long-standing old friend Paul M. Zall has also done me the incredible favor of reading the DH and giving me his suggestions and corrections. Alas, I alone am responsible for all the mistakes that remain.
Sigla (full bibliographical references for the DH through 1747 are given in the bibliography, found at the end of part two, "Rising Citizen, 1730-1747." wink
A = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Genetic Text. Ed. Lemay and Zall.
BF = Benjamin Franklin
BG = Boston Gazette
BNL = Boston News Letter
c. = circa
d. = died
JF = James Franklin
m = married
NEC = New England Courant
NCE = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Norton Critical Edition.
P = The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
PCSM = Proceedings of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts
PMHS = Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society
PMHB = Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
RRC = Report of the Record Commissioners of Boston
Note: References cited only once or twice are given in the DH text and are not in the bibliography.
I began compiling Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History as a source for a biography of Franklin. I gradually came to think that it had scholarly value of its own, though I still intend it to be the basic documentation for the biography. Since the Documentary History (DH) is arranged chronologically, the dates in the biography can be readily checked in the DH, where bibliographical references are given. The DH calendars but does not print Franklin's writings. It refers to The Papers of Benjamin Franklin far more frequently than to any other source, citing the Papers for the innumerable scholarly contributions made by that great edition. Since The Papers of Benjamin Franklin is also arranged chronologically, the date itself in the DH can serve as a reference to the Papers. For the user's convenience, however, the materials in the Papers are cited by volume and page in the DH. For example, the chronology begins with the birth of Josiah Franklin (BF's father) and cites the prefatory roman numeral pages 50-51 of volume one and the genealogial chart on roman numeral page 69. In those instances when a writing by Franklin is not in the Papers, the DH cites The Canon of Benjamin Franklin: New Attributions and Reconsiderations (Canon)and, if printed therein, Benjamin Franklin: Writings (W). Of course, a few new attributions occur in the DH; brief justifications for these are found in the DH and more detailed ones in the biography. The DH also lists Franklin's attendence and participation in the meetings of the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company, and other organizations, as well as references to Franklin in private letters and in the contemporary periodical press. Beginning with the appointment of Franklin and Meredith as Pennsylvania's official printers (30 Jan 1730), the DH records the meetings of the Pennsylvania Assembly because Franklin made sure to be in Philadelphia during the legislative sessions. Beginning with Franklin's election as clerk to the assembly (15 Oct 1736), the DH chronicles the most important assembly business because Franklin kept the minutes; and beginning with Franklin's election as a representative (9 May 1751), it includes brief discussions of most assembly sessions where Franklin played an active part.
Volume One of the Documentary History abstracts all contemporary references to Franklin. If the allusions also appear in the Papers, that edition is cited, but since the editors of the Papers did not attempt to print or to calendar all meetings Franklin attended or all contemporary allusions to him, many references found below are not in the Papers. Naturally the Documentary History becomes more detailed as BF became older. The latter volumes will have to be more selective, but at least for the first three volumes (until his departure from America in 1757), I have tried to include all references regarding Franklin's whereabouts and his opinions. I will be grateful to those persons who contact me (lemay@udel.edu) with additions and corrections. When I update entries with additions or corrections, I give the date of the revision immediately after the particular entry (e.g., "added 2/12/98" wink .
For the period before BF's birth, 1657 to 1706, the Documentary History mainly lists key dates in the lives of Franklin's parents and siblings. For the period of his infancy and childhood, 1706 to 1715, it adds events that influenced Franklin's immediate Boston world and anecdotes that he later recalled. Beginning with 1715, every year has a brief introduction calling attention to the most important events in Franklin's life and in his immediate world.
I had originally planned to publish the DH as a series of books complementing the biography, but putting the information online makes it more widely available and allows additions and corrections to be made easily. I confess to having some nostalgia concerning the non-appearance of the DH as a series of books, but how many libraries and individuals could afford seven large volumes of Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History? Further, the possibilities for indexing the materials are so much greater in the online format. The bottom line is that I believe that the DH will be more accessible and more useful online than as a series of expensive, ponderous volumes.
J. A. Leo Lemay
Acknowledgements. I am greatly indebted to my friend Richard Duggan for suggesting that I put the DH online and for imaginatively transforming my comparatively unattractive computer files to an handsome online display. My research assistant for 1996-97, Donna Lehmann, has read the DH for me, saving me from many errors (since I quote so many eighteenth-century spellings, it is too tedious to use spellcheck), oversights, and infelicities. My long-standing old friend Paul M. Zall has also done me the incredible favor of reading the DH and giving me his suggestions and corrections. Alas, I alone am responsible for all the mistakes that remain.
Sigla (full bibliographical references for the DH through 1747 are given in the bibliography, found at the end of part two, "Rising Citizen, 1730-1747." wink
A = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Genetic Text. Ed. Lemay and Zall.
BF = Benjamin Franklin
BG = Boston Gazette
BNL = Boston News Letter
c. = circa
d. = died
JF = James Franklin
m = married
NEC = New England Courant
NCE = Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography: A Norton Critical Edition.
P = The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
PCSM = Proceedings of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts
PMHS = Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society
PMHB = Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
RRC = Report of the Record Commissioners of Boston
Note: References cited only once or twice are given in the DH text and are not in the bibliography.
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