Josiah Franklin !!install!! -

Josiah Franklin died in 1745 at the age of 87, a remarkably long life for the era. He lived long enough to see his son Benjamin become a successful printer and a rising figure in Philadelphia, though he did not live to see Benjamin become a world-renowned scientist and statesman.

was an English-born colonial artisan whose enduring legacy centers on his role as the patriarch of one of America’s most influential families, most notably as the father of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin . Though his son’s monumental achievements in science, diplomacy, and politics often overshadow him, Josiah’s life encapsulates the gritty reality, deeply religious focus, and upward drive of the early American working class. Early Life in England and Emigration josiah franklin

Josiah’s household was exceptionally large, even by colonial standards. He fathered a total of across two marriages. Josiah Franklin died in 1745 at the age