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Sarah "Sally" Franklin Bache

Sarah “Sally” Franklin Bache (September 11, 1743 – October 5, 1808) was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Deborah Read. She was a dedicated republican and was very interested in politics. During the American Revolutionary War, Sarah was 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.

Early Life and Education

Sarah Franklin had two older brothers. Francis Folger Franklin, born in 1732, died from smallpox at the age of four. Sarah's half-brother, William Franklin, born around 1731, was illegitimate.

When Sarah was born in 1743, Benjamin Franklin was thirty-seven and intently focuses on furthering his career and wealth. It is reported that Franklin was more removed from his infant daughter after she was born and didn't show much affection towards her. Scholars believe this is due the the previous loss of Francis. Franklin was deep into his experimentation with electricity by the time Sarah was a young child. And by her early teenage years, Sarah's father was sent to Europe. Growing up, Sarah did not have a very close relationship with her father, who traveled often. Benjamin Franklin did not really know his daughter. He did not take the time to get to know her, the things she liked to do, or aid in her education. It was not unusual for men during this time, particularly founding fathers, to take a more aloof approach towards their daughters' education than towards their sons' education. Daughters of founding fathers were typically given the education they would need to be good housewives as this would be their most important job. Another founding father that was fairly absent throughout the education of his daughters was Thomas Jefferson.

Though later in his life Franklin began to consider men and women as more equal intellectually, he did not take the same approach to his own children and grandchildren. The education Sarah received was typical for women of her status during the 18th century. She was taught reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as spinning, knitting, and embroidery. Franklin also had Sarah enrolled in dance school. When Franklin left for Europe in Sarah's early adolescence, he left Deborah Read to take care of the "Education of my dear child." It is also possible that Sarah learned French. Benjamin Franklin once gave Sarah a copy of of the book Pamela in a French translation to "help her with her French. She must have already read it in English."

Marriage and Family

At age 24 Sarah Franklin married 30 year old Richard Bache on October 29, 1767. At the time, Bache was a merchant in Philadelphia and New York. 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. Dr. Franklin replied that he trusted his wife’s judgment of the situation and told his wife to be frugal with their money. 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. 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.

Sarah Franklin Bache and Richard Bache had eight children together through the course of their marriage:

• Benjamin Franklin Bache (1769-1798), married Margaret Markoe. The couple had four children. Benjamin Franklin Bache died during the Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic.
• William Bache (1773-1820), married Catharine Wistar. Their son was Benjamin Franklin Bache.
• Sarah Bache (1775-1776)
• Elizabeth "Eliza" Bache (1777-1820), married John E. Harwood. The couple had four children, one of these four was Andrew A. Harwood.
• Louis Bache (1779-1819), married Mary Ann Swift and had three children. He also had one child with his second wife, Esther Egee.
• Deborah Bache (1780-1865), married William J. Duane and had 9 children.
• Richard Bache Jr. (1784-1848), married Sophia Dallas and had 9 children.
• Sarah Bache (1788-1863), married Thomas Sergeant and had 4 children.

Revolutionary War Years

Like her father, Sarah was a Patriot during the American Revolutionary War. She worked closely with the other women in Philadelphia, who would later be called the Ladies Association of Philadelphia, to aid the war effort. These women would buy linen to sew shirts for the Continental Army. Each shirt that was crafted by these women was marked with the name of the woman who sewed it. Over 2,000 shirts were sewn in the Bache household. 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.”

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. The family moved for a short time to Chester County, Pennsylvania. Sarah and her family returned to their home shortly after their initial fleeing. In September 1777 the family was again forced to take refuge away from Philadelphia. This time the group initially went to a friend's home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, from here they traveled to Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Sarah and her family remained there until Philadelphia was evacuated the next summer.

Post-Revolutionary War Life and Relationship with Benjamin Franklin

Sarah Franklin Bache's relationship with her father Benjamin Franklin was strained throughout her adulthood. After her marriage to Richard Bache without her father's knowledge, Benjamin Franklin established a more casual attitude towards his only daughter. Evidence of this exists in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, "which constructs an image of a strong, powerful, and savvy patriarch, written for a make audience." The autobiography hardly mentions Franklin's wife, Deborah Read, and doesn't mention his daughter Sally at all. 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.

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. "She was no match for a father who thought he knew more about bringing up boys than anyone else on Earth." Sarah had to make due with the promise that her son would receive the best education possible during his time with his grandfather.

Benjamin Franklin returned to the United States from France in 1785. Franklin moved in with his daughter and her family, who lived in the Franklin mansion. He spent the last five years of his life surrounded by his daughter and grandchildren. When Benjamin Franklin was writing up his will at the end of his life, he left Sarah and Richard nearly all of his personal property in Pennsylvania, along with Louis XVI's miniature, which was set with 408 diamonds. Sarah's father died on April 17, 1790 at Franklin Court.

Sarah Franklin Bache died from cancer on October 5, 1808 at sixty-four years old. She died at her family's home just outside of Philadelphia along the Delaware River.