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Elder Benjamin Franklin
Biographical Sketch On The Life Of Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was born February 1, 1812, in what is now Belmont county, Ohio, nearly opposite to Wheeling, West Virginia. He was descended in the fourth generation from a brother of the philosopher, Dr. Benjamin Franklin. When he was near twenty-one years of age he came with his father's family to Henry county, Indiana, and settled about three miles south of Middletown. Here he met, soon after, and married, Miss Mary Personet. There were born to them eleven children, nine of whom lived to be men and women. While with his father he became a skilled cabinet maker and followed this until he left off all manual labor and gave himself to preaching. Joseph and Isabelle Franklin were members of the Protestant Methodist church and were people of strong faith. But in their new home there was no Protestant Methodist church. In 1834 Samuel Rogers, from Kentucky, moved into the community and became a neighbor of the Franklins. Mr. Rogers at once began to preach to the people in a school house. There was such strong prejudice against what they called "Campbellism" as to cause the closing of the school house against him. Mr. Franklin had this prejudice also; but he felt a sense of injustice done to his neighbor, and gave him sympathy and support. The result was that he soon became convinced that Mr. Rogers was preaching true gospel, and became a member of the new church which was organized that same year. Altogether there were about forty, who, "believing, were baptized." Among these were Benjamin, Josiah, Daniel and Joseph Franklin, Jr., and John I. Rogers, son of Samuel Rogers. All of these became preachers. Josiah and Joseph Franklin died quite early. The others all lived to give thirty-five years or more to the ministry. There was a younger brother, David Franklin, who became a Christian half a dozen years later and gave his life thereafter to the ministry. Benjamin Franklin went into the Restoration with all the zeal that characterized this work in Kentucky and Indiana. He began to speak in public immediately after his baptism and in less than a year was filling appointments at sundry places. He was always more of an evangelist than a minister. Even while acting as the regular minister of churches, which he did much of the time for twenty years, he would find occasions for holding "protracted meetings," and was always successful in such work. During the last half of his public ministry he was in the evangelistic field exclusively. He kept no record of converts, but estimated that he had led about seven thousand persons into "the obedience of faith." In this work he traveled over most of the central states, and made many journeys into Eastern and Western states, and into three provinces of the Dominion of Canada. In his early years he made several changes of residence, living at two places in Henry county and three in Wayne county, Indiana. From 1850 to 1864 he lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. From 1864 till the year of his death, 1878, he lived in Anderson, Indiana. His body lies in an Anderson cemetery.
By the time of his last editorial venture the discussion between radicals and conservatives (often called "progress" and "old fogies.") was on. The editor of the American Christian Review was ultra conservative, and was easily the leader on that side. The periodical grew wonderfully and distanced all competitors for several years. The great Civil War of the sixties, was the first thing to weaken its influence. Thereafter the tide turned against the editor. He made heroic efforts and worked incessantly, editing the Review, holding evangelistic meetings in many states and in Canada and carrying on an immense correspondence. Ten years before his death he was an invalid, and should have closed his editorial work. But his partisan friends would not hear of it. They christened his paper the "Old Reliable," and insisted that it was the only hope of saving the Restoration. Their insistence held him to the work until his magnificent physical constitution was wrecked, and he died prematurely when some months less than sixty-seven years of age. The writing and publishing of two volumes of his best sermons, "The Gospel Preacher, Volumes I and II," contributed in no small degree to his physical break down. But these volumes contained his best work, and have had a very wide circulation. About half a dozen of his oral debates were printed in book form. Perhaps the tract entitled, "Sincerity Seeking the Way to Heaven," had the widest circulation of anything from his pen. It is still in print, (1903) and many copies are sold every year. Although the American Christian Review was always issued from Cincinnati, Mr. Franklin, in 1864, moved his family to Anderson, Indiana. In the third year of the Review, Geo. W. Rice became a full and equal partner, and was thereafter the general business manager, contributing largely to its success. The firm was known under the title of "Franklin and Rice." -Joseph Franklin, Churches of Christ, ed. John T. Brown, pages 420-421
Obituary For Benjamin Franklin 25 Oct. 1878 It became our
painful duty to record in today's Democrat the very sudden, although not
unexpected, death of Rev. Benjamin Franklin at his home near this city on
Tuesday evening last, of heart disease. Although Mr. Franklin has been troubled
with the disease that finally ended his useful life, for many years yet for a
few weeks past been almost free from its effects and he and his friends were
hopeful that he might recover entirely from it, but this improvement in his
health proved but temporary, or like the calm that precedes the storm, and on
Tuesday afternoon last at three o'clock he first complained of the return of the
smothering sensation that always accompanies that disease, and in less than two
hours he had breathed his last, and a life full of valuable service to humanity
and valiant work in the cause of God, was thus abruptly terminated.
He was born in Belmont county, Ohio, February 1, 1812, making him 66 years, 8 months and 10 days old at the time of his death. In early life his religious training was in accordance with the Methodist doctrine, although he never united with that church. In 1836, at the age of 24, he united with the Disciples and was immersed near Middletown, Henry County, this State, by the great pioneer preacher, Samuel Rogers. Soon after this Mr. Franklin began the work of preaching the gospel to his fellow men. He served society in the various attitudes of farming, teaching, editing several different papers, publishing books, tracts, debates &c., and preaching the Gospel. By means of the periodicals and other publications issued from his hand he became well known to many thousands, as a writer and a publisher, with whom he had no personal acquaintance. He was actively engaged in the ministry of the Word for more than thirty years without the intermission of a single week, except in a few instances when compelled by sickness to lay by for a short time, and more than eight thousand people have been converted under his own personal appeals. He was entirely an extemporaneous speaker, never in his life having memorized a single discourse, either of his own composition or that of anybody else, and never more than three times in his life attempting to read a discourse. For years he has been editor of the American Christian Review, for which paper he wrote an article on the day of his death. On Sunday, the 20th inst., he preached in the Christian church of this place, and seemed unusually strong and well. On Monday, the 21st., he spent the day with his daughter, Mrs. S. Wright. On Tuesday, the day of his death, he was in his usual health almost up to the very hour of his death. He ate his dinner as usual on that day, and about half past 2 o'clock in the afternoon, he lay down saying he felt sleepy. He slept about half an hour, and when he awoke he complained of scarceness of breath. He died in his arm-chair, as any attempt to lie down seemed to increase his suffering which was intense. He was unable to converse with any of his family, though perfectly conscious of his coming death. He lived about two hours after his sufferings first commenced. The funeral took place from his residence west of town at 3 o'clock p.m., Thursday. Eight of his children were present, Joseph, the oldest son, living in Anderson, Mrs. Elizabeth Clifford, Glenwood, Mrs. Martha Smith, oldest daughter, Xenia, Mrs. Wm. Wright, Anderson, Mrs. Belle F. Rice, Miamiville, Ohio, Mrs. Martha Plummer, who lives on the farm where her father died, Benjamin and Alex. C. Franklin, of Indianapolis. He has been troubled with disease of the heart for many years, which terminated fatally on the 22d inst. A work entitled "The Living Pulpit of the Christian Church" contains the following: "It may be safely affirmed, that no preacher among the Disciples is more generally known than the subject of this sketch. He has been so long connected with the Press, and has traveled so extensively, that wherever among Christians, the Bible alone is the rule of faith and practice, there the name of Benjamin Franklin is as familiar as household goods. "As a writer, he lays no claim to elegance, his articles too frequently bearing unmistakable marks of haste in their preparation. But he is generally forcible, and, as a writer for the masses, has been quite successful. He has written a number of tracts, all of which have been very popular: and the one entitled "Sincerity Seeking the Way to Heaven," has bhad the largest sale of any tract every published by the Disciples. - Deaths And Administrations From Madison County, Indiana To The End Of 1880. Vol. 2, Zook.
Directions To The Grave Of Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was buried in Anderson, Indiana in the West Maplewood Cemetery. On I-69 take Exit 34 (Daleville/Chesterfield). Head west on West Main Street. (Hwy. 32). Go toward Anderson. Road changes names in Chesterfield to E. Main St. Continue through to W. Main St. Road will dead end into Hwy. 109. Turn left and immediately back to the right on University Blvd. Stay on University Blvd. until you turn right on Alexandria Pike. You will cross (E. Grand Avenue to the left and High St. to the right). You will see the cemetery on the left. Go into the first entrance into the cemetery (1st Drive). Before the obelisk on left SANSBERRY. See KENDALL, then YOUNG to the left. Follow line past YOUNG for four sections. Look for the white monument with a top that looks like a lectern with a Bible on it. Also buried in the plot is Benjamin's wife Mary who died in 1880. His son Joseph (1834-1912); Sarah E., wife of Joseph (1833-1910); Walter (1855-1904); and Zoe (1858-1899).
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In 1845, while living at Centerville, Indiana, he began his editorial
career. He bought a small printing office from Daniel K. Winder, who had for two
years published from New Paris, Ohio, a small monthly called the Reformer.
The paper was changed into a sixteen page pamphlet and was numbered "Vol. III."
It was issued from Centerville for two years and then transferred to Milton, in
the same county. About the same time he bought of Alexander Hall, The Gospel
Proclamation, which Mr. Hall had been conducting for two years at Loydsville,
Ohio, The two periodicals were merged and issued thereafter as the
Proclamation and Reformer, containing sixty-four pages. After another two
years the paper and its editor went to Hygeia, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati,
Ohio, where Elder D. S. Burnet was conducting a school for young ladies and at
the same time conducting a paper called the Christian Age. The two
editors formed a partnership, and for a time issued the two periodicals. This
arrangement was unsatisfactory and in a little while the interests of both were
united in The Christian Age, and removed to Cincinnati, where it became
the property of "The Christian Publication Society." Soon after these changes
Benjamin Franklin withdrew from the paper, promising not to issue any periodical
for two years. In 1856 he started the American Christian Review, of which
he continued to be the editor until his death, in 1878.
