Sarah Franklin Bache (September 11, 1743 – October 5, 1808), sometimes known as Sally Bache, was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Deborah Read. She was a leader in relief work during the American Revolutionary War and frequently served as her father's political hostess, like her mother before her death in 1774. Sarah was also an important leader for women in the pro-independence effort in Philadelphia. She was an active member of the community until her death in 1808.[2]
Born Sarah Franklin and known as "Sally" throughout her life, she was the only surviving child of her parents, Deborah Read and Benjamin Franklin. Their son Francis Franklin died of smallpox at age four. Also in their household was her older half-brother William Franklin, her father's illegitimate son whom her parents raised from infancy.
When Sarah was born in 1743, Benjamin Franklin was thirty-seven and intently focused on furthering his career and wealth. Growing up, Sarah did not have a very close relationship with her father. Franklin's reserved nature towards his daughter may have been partially due to the previous loss of Francis.[3] But Franklin was also deep into his experimentation with electricity by the time Sarah was a young child, and by her early teenage years, he had left for Europe.[4][5]
Franklin would begin to consider men and women as more intellectually equal later in his life, but he did not take this approach to his own children and grandchildren.[5] It was not unusual for men during this time to take a more aloof approach towards their daughters' education than towards their sons' education. Daughters were typically given the education they would need to be good housewives as that would be their most important job.[6] The education Sarah received was thus typical for women of her status during the 18th century. She was taught reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as spinning, knitting, and embroidery.[5] Franklin also had Sarah enrolled in dance school.[3] When Franklin traveled to Europe in Sarah's early adolescence, he left Deborah Read to take care of the "Education of my dear child."[5] It is also possible that Sarah learned French. Benjamin Franklin once gave Sarah a copy of Samuel Richardson's Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded in a French translation to "help her with her French. She must have already read it in English."[7]
Marriage and family
Sarah married Richard Bache on October 29, 1767. At the time, Bache was a merchant in Philadelphia and New York.[2] Sarah's family was concerned about this match, particularly her half-brother William. He wrote a letter to their father that said if Sarah married Richard Bache the couple would always be dependent on him for financial assistance.[8][4] Dr. Franklin replied that he trusted his wife's judgment of the situation and told his wife to be frugal with their money.[8] The marriage went on without the knowledge of Sarah's father and for the next year he denied the fact that he had a son-in-law at all. Though he was not initially pleased with the marriage between his daughter and Bache, Franklin received his son-in-law "with open arms" when they finally met in 1771.[5] After the couple married, they lived in the Franklin's house in Philadelphia along with Sarah's mother. When Deborah Read died in 1774 of a stroke, the couple still lived in the house.[2] The couple had eight children together:[9]
Benjamin Franklin Bache (1769–1798; died during the Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic). A publisher, he was jailed and awaiting trial under the Sedition Act at the time of his death. Married to Margaret Hartman Markoe. The couple had four children.[8][10] Her mother died in 1790.[10]
Sarah Franklin Bache (December 1, 1775 – August 17, 1776)[11]
Eliza Franklin Bache (September 10, 1777 – 1820) married John Harwood. Their son was Andrew A. Harwood.
Louis Franklin Bache (October 7, 1779 – October 4, 1818), married Mary Ann Swift and had three children. He also had one child with his second wife, Esther Egee.[8] He was a Lt. Col. in the Pennsylvania State Militia Volunteers during the War of 1812. Assigned by Pennsylvania Gov. Snyder to defend the City of Philadelphia against the British.[12]
Richard Franklin Bache (March 11, 1784 – March 17, 1848), married Sophia Durrell Dallas, the eldest daughter of Arabella Maria Smith and Alexander J. Dallas. Bache, Jr. became a politician in Texas.
Sarah Franklin Bache (September 12, 1788 – October 6, 1863), married Thomas Sergeant (1782–1860), who later was appointed as an associate justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and postmaster of Philadelphia.[13] GrandParents of Margaret Mason Perry (of the Perry family of Rhode Island) who married John La Farge
Revolutionary War years
Sarah Bache was an ardent Patriot during the American Revolutionary War. She did extensive relief work. While Benjamin Franklin was in France he received a letter from François Barbé-Marbois in which he wrote, “If there are in Europe any women who need a model of attachment to domestic duties and love for their country, Mrs. Bache may be pointed out to them.”[2]
She raised money for the Continental Army and is known for her involvement in the Ladies Association of Philadelphia. In 1780, under her leadership, the group made 2,200 shirts for the soldiers in the Continental Army at the army's winter quarters at Valley Forge.[7] The women often met to work together at The Cliffs, a country estate owned by Samuel R. Fisher on the Schuylkill River, two miles north of Philadelphia. After her father's return in 1775 from a diplomatic mission to France, she frequently acted as his political hostess, as her mother had died in 1774.
Sarah had to flee from Philadelphia twice during the war. The first time happened in the later months of 1776. The approaching British army forced Sarah to leave Philadelphia with her children and aunt, Jane Mecom.[7] The family moved to Chester County, Pennsylvania but returned to Philadelphia after a short time. In September 1777 the family was again forced to take refuge away from Philadelphia, this time at a friend's home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and then in Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Sarah and her family remained there until Philadelphia was evacuated the next summer.[2]
Later life and relationship with Benjamin Franklin
Bache loved music and reading, and was considered a skilled harpsichordist.
Sarah Franklin Bache's relationship with her father was strained throughout her adulthood. After her marriage to Richard Bache without her father's knowledge, Benjamin Franklin had a detached attitude towards his only daughter. Evidence exists in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin which "constructs an image of a strong, powerful, and savvy patriarch, written for a male audience."[14] The autobiography hardly mentions Franklin's wife, Deborah Read, and fails to mention his daughter Sally at all.[3][14] When the American Revolutionary War ended, Benjamin returned to Philadelphia and lived with his daughter and her family for the remaining years of his life.[2]
Benjamin Franklin really enjoyed his grandchildren, particularly Benjamin Franklin Bache. When Franklin returned from England in 1775 he became enthralled by his young grandson. So much so that the following year Franklin took his young grandson back to Europe with him in spite of the protests made by Sarah.[4] "She was no match for a father who thought he knew more about bringing up boys than anyone else on Earth."[5] Sarah had to make do with the promise that her son would receive the best education possible during his time with his grandfather.
When Benjamin Franklin died in 1790, he left most of his estate to Sarah and her husband. Among the items bequeathed to her was a small portrait of Louis XVI surrounded by diamonds, which she sold to finance a trip to London.[15][16] In 1794, she and her family moved to a farm outside Philadelphia, to the north along the Delaware River.
Sarah Franklin Bache died from cancer on October 5, 1808 at age 65 and is buried in Christ Church Burial Ground at Fifth and Arch Streets in Philadelphia, the same resting grounds as her parents.[2]
References
^"Mrs. Richard Bache (Sarah Franklin, 1743–1808)". Metropolitan Museum of Art.
^ abcdefgEllet, E. F. (Elizabeth Fries), 1818-1877. (1998). Revolutionary women in the War for American Independence : a one-volume revised edition of Elizabeth Ellet's 1848 landmark series. Diamant, Lincoln., Ellet, E. F. (Elizabeth Fries), 1818-1877. Westport, Conn.: Praeger. ISBN0275962636. OCLC 38304353.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ abcAldridge, Alfred O. (1967). Benjamin Franklin : philosopher and man. Lippincott. OCLC 612354380.
^ abcTise, Larry E. (1998). The American counterrevolution : a retreat from liberty, 1783-1800 (1st ed.). Mechanicsburg, Penn.: Stackpole Books. ISBN0585347220. OCLC 47009059.
^ abcdefBenjamin Franklin and women. Tise, Larry E. University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press. 2000. ISBN0585382778. OCLC 49414692.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^Kerrison, Catherine. (2018), Jefferson's Daughters, Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, ISBN9780525492450, OCLC 1050316872
^ abcLepore, Jill, 1966- author. (July 2014). Book of ages : the life and opinions of Jane Franklin. ISBN9780307948830. OCLC 863596284. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, by Benjamin Franklin, Appendix 1
^ ab"Margaret Hartman Markoe". Independence National Historical Park. U.S. National Park Service. December 1, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
^"Women of the American Revolution: Sarah Bache", American Revolution website
^Carl Edward Skeen, "Citizen Soldiers in the War of 1812," Ch. 8, Federal-State Relations, Vol. 1998, p. 141,
^Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States, Volume 7, p. 16
^ abConger, Vivian Bruce (2018). "Reading Early American Women's Political Lives: The Revolutionary Performances of Deborah Read Franklin and Sally Franklin Bache". Early American Studies. 16 (2): 317–352. doi:10.1353/eam.2018.0011. ISSN 1559-0895. S2CID 149642090.
^"Miniature portrait of Louis XVI - The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary". BenFranklin300.org. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
^"Sicard minaiature of Louis XVI". American Philosophical Society. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
Further reading
"Bache and Wistar Family Correspondence 1777-1895", Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library
Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Article in The Evening Bulletin, November 22, 1971, on the plans to convert The Cliffs to an historic farm
Article in The Evening Bulletin, January 27, 1975, on the plans to restore 16 historic houses, including The Cliffs
Article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 23, 1986, on the burning of The Cliffs
sarah, franklin, bache, september, 1743, october, 1808, sometimes, known, sally, bache, daughter, benjamin, franklin, deborah, read, leader, relief, work, during, american, revolutionary, frequently, served, father, political, hostess, like, mother, before, de. Sarah Franklin Bache September 11 1743 October 5 1808 sometimes known as Sally Bache was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Deborah Read She was a leader in relief work during the American Revolutionary War and frequently served as her father s political hostess like her mother before her death in 1774 Sarah was also an important leader for women in the pro independence effort in Philadelphia She was an active member of the community until her death in 1808 2 Sarah FranklinSarah Franklin Bache by John Hoppner 1793 1 BornSarah Franklin 1743 09 11 September 11 1743Philadelphia Province of Pennsylvania British AmericaDiedOctober 5 1808 1808 10 05 aged 65 Philadelphia Pennsylvania U S NationalityAmericanSpouseRichard Bache m 1767 wbr ChildrenBenjamin Franklin Bache William Franklin Bache Sarah Franklin Bache Eliza Harwood Louis Franklin Bache Deborah Duane Richard Bache Jr Sarah SergeantParent s Benjamin FranklinDeborah ReadSignature Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Marriage and family 3 Revolutionary War years 4 Later life and relationship with Benjamin Franklin 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksEarly life and education EditBorn Sarah Franklin and known as Sally throughout her life she was the only surviving child of her parents Deborah Read and Benjamin Franklin Their son Francis Franklin died of smallpox at age four Also in their household was her older half brother William Franklin her father s illegitimate son whom her parents raised from infancy When Sarah was born in 1743 Benjamin Franklin was thirty seven and intently focused on furthering his career and wealth Growing up Sarah did not have a very close relationship with her father Franklin s reserved nature towards his daughter may have been partially due to the previous loss of Francis 3 But Franklin was also deep into his experimentation with electricity by the time Sarah was a young child and by her early teenage years he had left for Europe 4 5 Franklin would begin to consider men and women as more intellectually equal later in his life but he did not take this approach to his own children and grandchildren 5 It was not unusual for men during this time to take a more aloof approach towards their daughters education than towards their sons education Daughters were typically given the education they would need to be good housewives as that would be their most important job 6 The education Sarah received was thus typical for women of her status during the 18th century She was taught reading writing and arithmetic as well as spinning knitting and embroidery 5 Franklin also had Sarah enrolled in dance school 3 When Franklin traveled to Europe in Sarah s early adolescence he left Deborah Read to take care of the Education of my dear child 5 It is also possible that Sarah learned French Benjamin Franklin once gave Sarah a copy of Samuel Richardson s Pamela or Virtue Rewarded in a French translation to help her with her French She must have already read it in English 7 Marriage and family EditSarah married Richard Bache on October 29 1767 At the time Bache was a merchant in Philadelphia and New York 2 Sarah s family was concerned about this match particularly her half brother William He wrote a letter to their father that said if Sarah married Richard Bache the couple would always be dependent on him for financial assistance 8 4 Dr Franklin replied that he trusted his wife s judgment of the situation and told his wife to be frugal with their money 8 The marriage went on without the knowledge of Sarah s father and for the next year he denied the fact that he had a son in law at all Though he was not initially pleased with the marriage between his daughter and Bache Franklin received his son in law with open arms when they finally met in 1771 5 After the couple married they lived in the Franklin s house in Philadelphia along with Sarah s mother When Deborah Read died in 1774 of a stroke the couple still lived in the house 2 The couple had eight children together 9 Benjamin Franklin Bache 1769 1798 died during the Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic A publisher he was jailed and awaiting trial under the Sedition Act at the time of his death Married to Margaret Hartman Markoe The couple had four children 8 10 Her mother died in 1790 10 William Franklin Bache May 31 1773 1814 married Catherine Wistar Their son was Benjamin Franklin Bache surgeon Sarah Franklin Bache December 1 1775 August 17 1776 11 Eliza Franklin Bache September 10 1777 1820 married John Harwood Their son was Andrew A Harwood Louis Franklin Bache October 7 1779 October 4 1818 married Mary Ann Swift and had three children He also had one child with his second wife Esther Egee 8 He was a Lt Col in the Pennsylvania State Militia Volunteers during the War of 1812 Assigned by Pennsylvania Gov Snyder to defend the City of Philadelphia against the British 12 Deborah Franklin Bache October 1 1781 February 12 1863 married William J Duane a lawyer who was appointed as the 11th United States Secretary of the Treasury Richard Franklin Bache March 11 1784 March 17 1848 married Sophia Durrell Dallas the eldest daughter of Arabella Maria Smith and Alexander J Dallas Bache Jr became a politician in Texas Sarah Franklin Bache September 12 1788 October 6 1863 married Thomas Sergeant 1782 1860 who later was appointed as an associate justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and postmaster of Philadelphia 13 GrandParents of Margaret Mason Perry of the Perry family of Rhode Island who married John La FargeRevolutionary War years EditSarah Bache was an ardent Patriot during the American Revolutionary War She did extensive relief work While Benjamin Franklin was in France he received a letter from Francois Barbe Marbois in which he wrote If there are in Europe any women who need a model of attachment to domestic duties and love for their country Mrs Bache may be pointed out to them 2 She raised money for the Continental Army and is known for her involvement in the Ladies Association of Philadelphia In 1780 under her leadership the group made 2 200 shirts for the soldiers in the Continental Army at the army s winter quarters at Valley Forge 7 The women often met to work together at The Cliffs a country estate owned by Samuel R Fisher on the Schuylkill River two miles north of Philadelphia After her father s return in 1775 from a diplomatic mission to France she frequently acted as his political hostess as her mother had died in 1774 Sarah had to flee from Philadelphia twice during the war The first time happened in the later months of 1776 The approaching British army forced Sarah to leave Philadelphia with her children and aunt Jane Mecom 7 The family moved to Chester County Pennsylvania but returned to Philadelphia after a short time In September 1777 the family was again forced to take refuge away from Philadelphia this time at a friend s home in Bucks County Pennsylvania and then in Manheim Lancaster County Pennsylvania Sarah and her family remained there until Philadelphia was evacuated the next summer 2 Later life and relationship with Benjamin Franklin EditBache loved music and reading and was considered a skilled harpsichordist Sarah Franklin Bache s relationship with her father was strained throughout her adulthood After her marriage to Richard Bache without her father s knowledge Benjamin Franklin had a detached attitude towards his only daughter Evidence exists in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin which constructs an image of a strong powerful and savvy patriarch written for a male audience 14 The autobiography hardly mentions Franklin s wife Deborah Read and fails to mention his daughter Sally at all 3 14 When the American Revolutionary War ended Benjamin returned to Philadelphia and lived with his daughter and her family for the remaining years of his life 2 Benjamin Franklin really enjoyed his grandchildren particularly Benjamin Franklin Bache When Franklin returned from England in 1775 he became enthralled by his young grandson So much so that the following year Franklin took his young grandson back to Europe with him in spite of the protests made by Sarah 4 She was no match for a father who thought he knew more about bringing up boys than anyone else on Earth 5 Sarah had to make do with the promise that her son would receive the best education possible during his time with his grandfather When Benjamin Franklin died in 1790 he left most of his estate to Sarah and her husband Among the items bequeathed to her was a small portrait of Louis XVI surrounded by diamonds which she sold to finance a trip to London 15 16 In 1794 she and her family moved to a farm outside Philadelphia to the north along the Delaware River Sarah Franklin Bache died from cancer on October 5 1808 at age 65 and is buried in Christ Church Burial Ground at Fifth and Arch Streets in Philadelphia the same resting grounds as her parents 2 References Edit Mrs Richard Bache Sarah Franklin 1743 1808 Metropolitan Museum of Art a b c d e f g Ellet E F Elizabeth Fries 1818 1877 1998 Revolutionary women in the War for American Independence a one volume revised edition of Elizabeth Ellet s 1848 landmark series Diamant Lincoln Ellet E F Elizabeth Fries 1818 1877 Westport Conn Praeger ISBN 0275962636 OCLC 38304353 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b c Aldridge Alfred O 1967 Benjamin Franklin philosopher and man Lippincott OCLC 612354380 a b c Tise Larry E 1998 The American counterrevolution a retreat from liberty 1783 1800 1st ed Mechanicsburg Penn Stackpole Books ISBN 0585347220 OCLC 47009059 a b c d e f Benjamin Franklin and women Tise Larry E University Park Pa Pennsylvania State University Press 2000 ISBN 0585382778 OCLC 49414692 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link Kerrison Catherine 2018 Jefferson s Daughters Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group ISBN 9780525492450 OCLC 1050316872 a b c Lepore Jill 1966 author July 2014 Book of ages the life and opinions of Jane Franklin ISBN 9780307948830 OCLC 863596284 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a last has generic name help CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b c d Baetjer Katharine 2003 Benjamin Franklin s Daughter Metropolitan Museum Journal 38 169 11 doi 10 2307 1513106 ISSN 0077 8958 JSTOR 1513106 S2CID 191370507 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin Appendix 1 a b Margaret Hartman Markoe Independence National Historical Park U S National Park Service December 1 2020 Retrieved March 7 2021 Women of the American Revolution Sarah Bache American Revolution website Carl Edward Skeen Citizen Soldiers in the War of 1812 Ch 8 Federal State Relations Vol 1998 p 141 Lamb s Biographical Dictionary of the United States Volume 7 p 16 a b Conger Vivian Bruce 2018 Reading Early American Women s Political Lives The Revolutionary Performances of Deborah Read Franklin and Sally Franklin Bache Early American Studies 16 2 317 352 doi 10 1353 eam 2018 0011 ISSN 1559 0895 S2CID 149642090 Miniature portrait of Louis XVI The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary BenFranklin300 org Retrieved June 14 2019 Sicard minaiature of Louis XVI American Philosophical Society Retrieved June 14 2019 Further reading Edit Bache and Wistar Family Correspondence 1777 1895 Department of Rare Books and Special Collections Princeton University Library Benjamin Franklin The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Article in The Evening Bulletin November 22 1971 on the plans to convert The Cliffs to an historic farm Article in The Evening Bulletin January 27 1975 on the plans to restore 16 historic houses including The Cliffs Article in The Philadelphia Inquirer February 23 1986 on the burning of The CliffsExternal links Edit The Sarah Franklin Bache Papers 1768 1807 American Philosophical Society Sarah Franklin Bache at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sarah Franklin Bache amp oldid 1122011542, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
