Free Book of Ages by Jill Lepore Page B

Leter you sent by our Neibour Jemmy Leach.
    I was a Llit t le suspicious w he i ther Excellency was a c cording to Ruel rule in A ad dress ing to my B b rother at this time ; but I did not write the address ; I never write any my self & and of L l ate, B b ecause H h e L l ives nearer than cous i en Willi a ms , I have sent them my letters to Dr. Lath or ro p s, who is very obliging to me, & and I thought he must know what wa i s R r ight, and I gave no D d irections about it , . b B ut I shall do it another time. He de[mands?] allways to be Respectfully Remembred to you when I write.
    I beleve there are a few of our Nantucket Relations who have still an Affection for us, but the war time which made such Havock every where Devided and scatered them about, those I was most Intimate with were Abisha Fougre; His Brother, and sons, Timothy won, the Jenkinss and Kezia Coffin, who was many years Like a sister to me and a grat friend to my children. She sent me two very Afectionate Leters when the Town was shut up Inviting me to come to Her and she would sustain me that was her word and had I Recd. them before I left the Town I should certainly have gone, but a Wise and Good Provedence ordered it other ways. She Took to the wrong side and Exerted Her self by Every method she could devise Right or rong to Accomplish her Designs, and Favour the Britons, went in to Large Traid with them, and for them, and by mismanagement and not suckceding in her Indevours has sunk Every Farthing they were Ever Posesed of and have been in Jail both Her Husband at nantuket and her self at Halifax. She was allway thought to be an Artfull Wooman, but there are such Extraordinary stories tould of her as is hard to be leved.
    The two Jenkins’ Seth and Thomas stood in the same Relation to us and always very Friendly and Afectionat to me. They were at Pheladelphia when I was there. You spok something for them at Congres). They were men of considerable Property and had a grat quantity of Oyl in there stores when a Vesel Belonging to the Tories went Down and Robd them of all, it was Proved that Kezia Pointed it out to Them, the owners Prosecuted her and she was Brought up to Boston to stand tryal, but I think there was no final condemnation at Court. She says they could not find Evedence. They say the Evedence was so strong that had they suffered them to come in to court it would have hangd her and so they supresd it not being willing it should Proceed so far. They settled at Provedence a few years whose Famelies I used to stop at when I went backwards and forwards and the were very kind to me sent there sons to carrie me from there to my [torn] and some therteen miles [torn]er [?] and Every other obliging thing in there Power, but Afterwards they settled a Township on North River. I forgot the Name. There is a City and Thomas Jenkins is the Mayer. I have not seen Ither of them since. I dont know if they come to Boston. If they do they do not know where to find me, and tho the Foulgers some of them sail out of this Place I Beleve it is the same case with them for I have not seen a Nantuket Person since I Lived hear, I have a Next Dore Neibour who Lived there wonce and I now and then hear somthing of them byHim. I know I have wrote and speld this worse than I do sometimes but I hope you will find it out. Remember my Love to your children and Grandchildren. Tell my Niece Betsey that I sent her Pocket Book to Mrs. Coffins Daughter and I dont doubt seh had it but she was at Halifax. I am yr Affectionat and Gratfull Sister
    Jane Mecom
    Addressed:
To/Doctr Benjamin Franklin Esqr/In/Philadelphia
    Endorsed:
Sister

APPENDIX F
Jane’sLibrary
    As a child, Jane Franklin would have been able to read any book in her father’s library, whose scantiness Benjamin Franklin mentioned in his autobiography, and whose contents are listed in an inventory of Josiah Franklin’s estate taken in 1744. She would also have read her uncle Benjamin’s writing, and she appears to have