These tombstones were photographed at the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
BENJAMIN
And FRANKLIN
DEBORAH
1790
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
SIGNER OF
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
SEPTEMBER 17, 1787
--------------------------------------
PRESENTED BY
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE SOCIETY
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
SEPTEMBER 17, 1987
The Body of
B. Franklin, Printer,
Like the Cover of an old Book,
Its Contents torn out,
And stript of its Lettering & Gilding,
Lies here, Food for Worms.
But the Work shall not be lost,
For it will as he believ'd
appear once more
In a new and more elegant Edition
Corrected and improved
By the Author.
---------
(This epitaph written by Franklin as a young
man, was not intended to be used. His nearby
gravestone was prepared in exact accordance
with the instructions contained in his will.)
-----------
This gravesite restored
by the Poor Richard Club
of Philadelphia
THE LAST RESTING PLACE OF
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
1706 - 1790
< 0 >
"VENERATED FOR BENEVOLENCE,
ADMIRED FOR TALENTS, ESTEEMED
FOR PATRIOTISM, BELOVED FOR
PHILANTHROPY."
WASHINGTON
< 0 >
"THE SAGE WHOM TWO WORLDS
CLAIMED AS THEIR OWN"
MIRABEAU
< 0 >
"HE TORE FROM THE SKIES THE
LIGHTNING AND FROM TYRANTS
THE SCEPTRE."
TURGOT
< 0 >
I have written several previous blog posts about Benjamin Franklin, since he is my first cousin, 8 generations removed. His mother, Abiah Folger (1667 - 1752) and my 7th great grandmother, Bethshua Folger (1650 - ?) were sisters. When we were visiting Philadelphia recently, seeing Franklin's house and burial site were on the top of my list of things to do.
The Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia was established in 1719. Five signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here.
This burial ground is easy to find, since it is across the street from the Visitor Center and National Park Visitor Center in Philadelphia. It is open to the public for a fee of $5 for adults. If it is closed, there is a wrought iron railing in an opening in the brick wall surrounding the cemetery, so you can see Franklin's grave. It is a tradition to leave a penny on Franklin's grave. The family plot was restored in 2017 (see the Christ Church webpage below for more information.
Benjamin and Deborah Franklin are buried to the right of his daughter, Sarah and her husband Richard Bache. Next to Benjamin's gravemarker is his son who died young, and Francis F. Franklin (1732 - 1736). There are nearby markers for Deborah's parents and other Bache family members.
For the Truly Curious:
The Christ Church webpage for the burial ground (including a map of the cemetery): https://christchurchphila.org/burial-grounds/
Christ Church Burial Ground, at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church_Burial_Ground
My "Surname Saturday" post for my FOLGER lineage: https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/11/surname-saturday-folger-of-watertown.html
Other posts about Benjamin Franklin: https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Franklin
-------------------------------
To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Benjamin Franklin's Burial Site, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 8, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/10/benjamin-franklins-burial-site.html, accessed [access date]).
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