In 1740 there were only 12 colonies in North America, Georgia was just being settled and not yet a colony.

The Spanish controlled Florida, Georgia and most of the southeastern part of North America to the mouth of the Mississippi. St. Augustine was well established with a Spanish fort.

The French had just given up most of eastern Canada and New England to the English but still controlled the large waterways of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. Trade routes were established from Natchez on the lower Mississippi to what is now Nashville on the Cumberland River. The French had forts all along the Mississippi to Lake Superior.

The Cherokee Indians controlled the mountains of Tennessee, North Georgia and the mountains of North Carolina. Kentucky was unsettled and considered as hunting grounds by both the Cherokee and northern tribes. This shared hunting ground with its buffalo, turkey, bear and other wild life was a boundary between the two groups of Indians and therefore they did not live there.

The Appalachian mountains blocked settlers from moving west. Migration from the ports in New England by European settlers was down the Shenandoah valley as far south as the northeast tip of Tennessee. But most of the Scottsman and German settlers moved down the coast east of the mountains into North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

By the 1740's Virginia was already settled by the English and to find new land settlers moved into the Carolinas. When the civil war in England and rule of Cromwell in England came Virginians generally took the side of the king. Then (Mid 1600's), thousands of dissatisfied cavaliers, as the followers of the king were called, came over to Virginia.

The colony had as its governor for twenty-five years, William Berkeley, a narrow-minded, harsh and cruel man. In 1676 a young planter, Nathaniel Bacon, started a rebellion against him, accusing him of neglecting the interests of the Virginians who lived in the interior of the colony. The rebellion was suppressed, but in dealing with those who had taken part in it, Berkeley was so unreasonable that King Charles II called him back to England. Virginia was the most populous English colony in North America, and furnished many of the leaders who gave us our independence.

Cromwell to Crowell

In 1674 two bothers of Oliver Cromwell left England and settled in New Jersey. They fled from England, from the political storms that impended over the name and house of the late Protector.

While on the voyage, fearing that persecution would follow from the adherents of Charles II., then on the English throne, they resolved to change the name. This was done, with solemn ceremony, and by writing their name each on paper, and cutting from the paper the M and casting it in the sea.

In the quiet retreats of North Carolina, the aspiring blood of Cromwell found repose, and in the peaceful precincts of Halifax, the exquisite poetry of Gray was fully realized.

Some village Hampden, who with dauntless brest,

The petty tyrant of his fields withstood,

Some mute, inglorious Milton here may rest,

Some Cromwell guiltless of his country's blood.

John Crowell, who emigrated from New Jersey to Halifax, married a Miss Lewis. He died early, leaving several children. One of them Joseph, married Miss Barnes, a celegrated beauty. One of the daughters of these married Mumford, whose daughter was the wife of Hon. Wilie Jones.

Edward Crowell married Miss Rayburn, ant to Gov. Rayburn, of Georgia. Colonel John Crowell, late member of Congress from Georgia and Indian Agent, was a son of Edward.⁽¹⁾

It was said that during his time the chestnut trees were so thick that a squirrel could travel from the north Georgia mountains to the coast of South Carolina without touching the ground. This meant that overland travel was easy with all the shade, the undergrowth was light and there was plenty of lumber for building new homes.

Treaty of Utrecht

Only 27 years before (1713) the treaty of Utrecht⁽²⁾ was signed between France and England, with Acadia, Newfoundland, and Hudson's Bay territory going to England. Then considerable territory which the French had claimed was recognized as belonging to England. It was the beginning of the break up of New France.

The French were not building homes but trying to hold territory from New Orleans up the Mississippi to Lake Superior and the St. Lawrence, this was too much ground to hold. The territory claimed by the French was enormous. In 1682, La Salle, one of the most heroic and able Frenchman of this day, went down the Mississippi River to the Gulf. In honor of his king, Louis XIV, La Salle named the hole Mississippi valley Louisiana.

In place after place in the Mississippi valley and the region of the Great Lakes, the French planted forts in order to keep command of the principal routes of travel. Kaskaskia in Illinois, for example, Sault ste Marie, and Detroit occupied important strategic points.

The French became friends with most of the Indians and intermarried with them. This foothold by the French and their strong ties with Mississippi Indian tribes eventually led to the start of the War of 1812.⁽³⁾

The 1740's to 1750's were a critical time for the colonies. The French were trying to strengthen their hold on the Mississippi Valley and were struggling with the English for an empire in North America. In 1749 London Merchants and Virginia people formed the Ohio Company. They planned to take settlers into the upper Ohio valley. Governor Dinwiddle of Virginia sent a young surveyor named George Washington to tell the French to keep out of the upper Ohio valley.

The next year (1754) Washington came up into southern Pennsylvaina again, this time with a small army, but the French forced him to return home.

Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia 1740⁽⁴⁾

Personal:

The 12 Feb AWM criticized BF and the PG for favoring the popular anti-Proprietary party in reporting. He became the official printer for New Jersey on 18 April and remained so until the spring of his partnership with David Hall (16 April 1748). Frances (Read) Croker, Deborah's younger sister, died about 5 April and was buried at Christ Church on 8 April. At the Library Company election on 5 May, BF came in fifth. Several reasons probably account for his apparent loss of popularity. First, he opposed the Quaker position in the assembly and wanted to raise a militia (1 Jan). Second, the Proprietary party blamed him for not printing the governor's reasons for rejecting a bill (25 Jan). Third, the gentlemen among the Library Company members were angry with him for the newspaper note on closing the dancing assembly (1 May). And fourth, some members resented his attempt to clean up the environment by moving the tanners and tanyards from Dock Street.

His nephew James Franklin, who had lived with BF since at least 1737 and had studied, like William Franklin, with Alexander Annand (12 Dec 1739), was apprenticed to BF on 14 November and lived with the Franklins for seven more years. William Franklin continued studying with Alexander Annand.

Business:

The Pennsylvania Assembly of 1739-40 met from 31 Dec 1739 to 26 Jan, 27-28 March, 5-15 May, 2-11 July, 28 July-9 Aug, and 25 Aug-3 Sept. As clerk, BF was of course in attendence. The House usually met at 10am, conducted business for two to three hours, and met again at 2pm for two or three hours. For printing the paper currency issue of 10 Aug 1739 (approved 12 May), the assembly paid Franklin £60.18.4 for "Paper, and other Materials for the Paper Money," and £333.6.8 "for printing the Paper Money" (1 Sept). And as Clerk of the House and for printing, he was paid £113.2.0 (3 Sept). The new legislature met 14-16 Oct.

BF announced, 13 Nov, the forthcoming General Magazine and accused Andrew Bradford and John Webbe of stealing his plan for an American magazine. BF's price (9 pence per issue) undercut Bradford's proposed magazine (announced at 12 shillings a year) by 3 pence per issue.

C. W. Miller recorded forty imprints (nos. 186-224) for 1740, making it BF's most productive year, and recently a copy of another imprint, a 1740 edition of Isaac Watts's Psalms of David, surfaced. Three brief job printings were the Proprietors' Quit-Rent notice of 15 February, an arbitration bond (ante 15 May), and an indenture (ante 14 November). BF did two government printings for New Jersey: he printed its paper money bill (post 12 June) and its Votes (post 31 July). He was paid for printing at least six religious tracts: John Thomson's Essay upon Faith of Assurance (10 September); William Dewsbury's Sermon (ante 21 Sept); Ralph Erskine's Gospel Sonnets and The Querists (both 25 Sept); A Letter to Ebenezer Kinnersley (25 Sept); and Job Noble's An Alarm Sounded (see end of year). He also printed, perhaps for Israel Pemberton, Copy of Part of a Letter to David Barclay (post 27 June); and, as anti-Proprietary propaganda, Governor George Thomas's letter to the Board of Trade, My Lords (post 20 October [it most likely appeared in late September 1741). David Evans probably paid him to print a catechism, A Short Plain Help (see end of year). As usual, he printed his own best-selling Poor Richard (16 Nov; ref at 6 Nov) and a pocket version, plus John Jerman's American Almanac and a sheet almanac (all advertised 6 Nov). He also gambled on a school text, A new and Complete Guide to the English Tongue (31 July), and a valuable Collection of Charters ... of Pennsylvania (28 August). Of course he continued the Pennsylvania Gazette, which attained more than three full pages of advertisements on 22 May; and at the end of the year he printed the annual carrier's address (circa 30 December). One aberration, dated 1740 but evidently not completed before 1741, was printed at the "New Printing Office" but not by Franklin, nor was he paid to print it, nor did he bring it out at his own risk. For the anomaly, see Acquila Rose, Poems on Several Occasions (13 August 1741).

The year 1740 was unique in Franklin's printing career for the large number of religious imprints. Not only did he print more religious imprints for others than at any other time, but he also printed more at his own risk. He brought out six (counting two editions of Tennent) by ministers other than Whitefield: Gilbert Tennent's The Danger of an Unconverted Ministry (22 May; 2nd ed., 19 June), Samuel Finley's A Letter to a Friend (5 June), Sir Matthew Hale's Sum of Religion (19 June), Josiah Smith's The Character, Preaching, &c. of the Rev. Mr. Whitefield (3 July), and Isaac Watts's translation of the Psalms (see year-end). He also brought out no less than twelve works by Whitefield. The first was Three Letters from the Rev. Mr. Whitefield (10 April); then came A Letter to a Friend in London (8 May). Volumes of his sermons and journals were advertised on 22 May, and the second volume of his sermons and two more journals appeared on 14 August. BF advertised Whitefield's A letter to Some Church-Members of the Presbyterian Persuasion on 6 November, and a continuation of his American journal was advertised on 27 November. (For an alphabetical listing of all BF's 1740 Whitefield imprints, see the year-end.)

Franklin sponsored Thomas Smith (d. 1752), who had previously worked as a journeyman printer for James Parker in New York and for Franklin in Philadelphia, as his printing partner in Antigua, evidently on 21 January. By 16 April, Franklin identified Smith as of Antiqua in his accounts.

Activities and Social Life:

BF's monthly routines consisted of a Junto meeting every Friday night, a Masonic meeting the first Monday night of the month, a Library Company directors' meeting the second Monday night of the month, and a Union Fire Company members' meeting on the last Monday night of every month. Since the minutes of the Union Fire Company tend to be repetitive and are mainly of interest in recording BF's presence or absence, I hereafter print in full only the minutes of the first meeting of the year, and merely record BF's attendence and any changes (e.g., in venue, membership, etc) revealed by the minutes. The Library Company continued to be a favorite interest, with the directors continuing to meet at the Widow Roberts. He attended all fourteen meetings (the normal monthly directors' meetings, the annual election, and the special meeting of 28 May) during 1740. On the other hand, he paid the fines rather than attend the Union Fire Company meetings on all but two occasions, 25 Feb and 25 Aug (since there are no minutes for 27 Oct, he may have attended that meeting). The Union Fire Company continued to meet at David Evans's tavern, at the sign of the crown, in Market Street, near the Market (see 27 May 1731, 15 June 1738, and 18 Jan 1743).

Intellectual Interests:

On 7 April, the Library Company moved from the Widow Roberts "to the Upper Room of the Westernmost Office in the State House." When Isaac Greenwood came to Philadelphia to lecture on science, BF proposed that the Library Company lend him its air-pump and let him use a room adjoining the library for his lectures (28 May). BF took in subscriptions for Greenwood and no doubt attended the lectures himself. In the winter of 1740-41, BF began experimenting with the Pennsylvania fireplace (see December). He was selling prototypes of an early version by the winter's end (5 Feb 1741).

International Affairs:

In the Pennsylvania Gazette of 15 January, Franklin reprinted news from New York that war had been declared on Spain. And in the paper for 13 February (one day later than Bradford printed the news in the American Weekly Mercury), Franklin printed the actual declaration of war.

Pennsylvania Politics:

The third session of the Pennsylvania assembly of 1739-40 met from 31 Dec 1739 to 26 Jan, when the house adjourned to 14 April, but the governor recalled the assembly for 27 March; the fourth session met from 27 to 28 March; the fifth session, from 5 to 15 May, when the house adjourned to 11 Aug, but the governor recalled it for 2 July; the sixth, from 2 to 11 July, when the house adjourned to 18 Aug, but the governor recalled it for 28 July; the seventh, from 28 July to 9 Aug; and the eighth, from 25 Aug to 3 Sept. Despite a petition from a large number of Pennsylvanians (probably including BF) for a military force (1 Jan), the Pennsylvania assembly refused to act (5 Jan, 7 July). Governor George Thomas received instructions that Pennsylvania should raise and equip militia companies to support Admiral Edward Vernon's assault on Cartagena (12 and 14 April, 2 July). But, as the quarrel between Israel Pemberton, Jr., and Gov. Thomas revealed (cf. 23, 28 and 29 Feb), the governor had little power. Speaker Kinsey and the Quaker party controlled the Assembly and refused to support the war effort. On 8 July, the Assembly voted money "for the king's use," but the legislators voted to adjourn rather than complete the bill. Since the legislature would not pay for volunteers, not enough freemen volunteered to raise a substantial army. Consequently Gov. Thomas allowed indentured servants to enlist (16 April, 15 May, 2 July). By this means he raised seven companies of volunteers from Pennsylvania and one from the three lower counties. Speaker Kinsey and the Quaker party claimed that the governor, by enlisting indentured servants, deprived the citizens of their rightful property. The assembly voted £3,000 for the king's use in August if the governor would return the nearly three hundred indentured servants who had joined, But Governor Thomas refused. The assembly complained to England (19 Aug, 2 Sept). In the last days of the assembly of 1739-40 (20 Aug), Gov. Thomas bitterly recommended to the Board of Trade that the Quakers should be forever disqualified as representatives. Finally, the House issued a long diatribe against Gov. Thomas and adjourned without paying him anything for the year.

The first session of the 1740-41 Pennsylvania assembly met from 14 to 16 Oct.

Indian Affairs:

The Delawares again came to a treaty in Philadelphia, and the Delaware chief Sassoonan had no complaints, but three months later the Delawares complained that their land had been taken away without compensation. Gov. Thomas reminded them that the sale had been confirmed twice: by the Six Nations in 1736 and by the Delawares in 1737. He also said that there would be a treaty with the Six Nations in 1742 and invited the Delawares to attend.

Writings:

New Jersey assembly's reply to Governor Morris, 28 April; BF as "Obadiah Plainman" defended "the Meaner Sort," 15 May; "Obadiah Plainman" replied to "Tom Trueman," 29 May; BF's Statement of Editorial Policy, 24 July; General Magazine and Historical Chronicle advertisement accused Andrew Bradford and John Webbe of stealing his plan for the first American magazine, 13 Nov; BF replied to charges of denying Andrew Bradford the use of the mails, 11 Dec; Poor Richard for 1741 (see 6 Nov).

Foot Notes:

1. From Historical Sketches of NC, Wheeler.

2. War of Spanish Succession. (Dispute over throne of Spain)

3. The Frontiersmen by Allan W. Eckert, 1967

4. Excerpts from J. A. Leo Lemay, University of Delaware
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