Benjamin Franklin (clergyman) facts for kids

Benjamin Franklin (born February 1, 1812 – died October 22, 1878) was an important leader in a religious movement called the Restoration Movement in America. He was especially key in the northern United States before the American Civil War. He is also known for guiding Daniel Sommer, whose actions later led to a formal split between the Churches of Christ and the Disciples of Christ in 1906.

Franklin grew up learning about the Methodist faith. However, he did not join any church until he became part of the Disciples.

About His Life

His Early Years

Benjamin Franklin was born in 1812 near what is now Belmont County, Ohio. People said he was a distant relative of the famous American Revolutionary War figure, also named Benjamin Franklin. Our Benjamin Franklin was the oldest son in a rather large family.

Around 1832 or 1833, when Franklin was about 21, his family moved. They settled on a farm about three miles (5 km) south of Middletown, Indiana in Henry County, Indiana. Franklin himself bought 80 acres (320,000 m²) of land there.

His Work and Ministry

Joining the Restoration Movement

In November 1834, a preacher named Samuel Rogers moved to Henry County from Kentucky. He was a pioneer in the Restoration Movement and became a neighbor to the Franklin family.

Rogers started preaching his ideas in a local schoolhouse. The local Methodist leaders did not like his teachings. However, Franklin's family was open to Rogers's ideas. In 1836, Benjamin Franklin was baptized by Rogers near Middletown, Indiana. Many others were also baptized at the same meeting. Several people from this group, including Franklin and three of his brothers, later became preachers.

Starting as a Preacher and Editor

In 1842, Franklin was chosen to be a lead evangelist for a part of Indiana. However, this plan did not last long because there wasn't enough money to pay the evangelists.

Franklin began preaching in New Lisbon, Indiana in 1842. He started his own newspaper called Reformer in 1845, which he soon renamed Western Reformer. In 1846, he moved to Milton, Indiana and printed the paper from his own shop. This paper later joined with another to become the Proclamation and Reformer in 1850.

Franklin also published the Christian Age with David S. Burnet. His last and most important publication was the American Christian Review, which he started in 1856. After Franklin's death, this paper was renamed the Octographic Review. Franklin is also believed to have helped start Butler University. Like many people in his movement, he was an abolitionist (someone against slavery) and a pacifist (someone who believes in peace and is against war).

After living in different places in Indiana and Ohio, Franklin settled in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1850. He lived there for 14 years. During the 1850s, Franklin changed his mind about missionary societies, deciding he was against them.

His Important Newspaper: The American Christian Review

In 1856, Franklin started publishing The American Christian Review. This newspaper shared very traditional views. He continued to publish it until he died in 1878. Its influence was strong at first, but it became less so after the American Civil War. Franklin worked very hard, writing many letters, publishing his paper, and traveling to give talks. He visited many U.S. states and Canada.

Franklin's last home was in Anderson, Indiana, where he lived from 1864 until his death.

A Traveling Speaker

In 1871, Franklin gave a series of sermons in Wellsburg, West Virginia. There, he met a young student named Daniel Sommer from Bethany College. Franklin became a lifelong mentor to Sommer. Sommer later took over Franklin's role as a publisher. Daniel Sommer became famous for his part in the 1889 Sand Creek Address and Declaration. This was a very strong statement that helped cause the split between the Disciples of Christ and the more traditional Church of Christ.

His Family Life

Benjamin Franklin married Mary Personet on December 15, 1833. They had eleven children together, and nine of them lived to adulthood. Franklin died suddenly at his home in Anderson, Indiana.