Governor William Franklin Home Site<
Beverly Rancocas Rd. and John F. Kennedy Way
Click here for Map / Directions
William Franklin was the son of Benjamin Franklin. He served as the Royal Governor of New Jersey from 1763-1776. During that time, he had his official governor's residence first in Burlington and then in Perth Amboy.
From 1770-1785, William also owned property at this site. [1] In 1785, ownership was transferred to Temple Franklin, who was William's son and Benjamin's grandson. [2]
The story of William's term as Royal Governor, which ended with his arrest in 1776, is told in detail in the Proprietary House entry on the Perth Amboy page.
1. ^ William Franklin's property is usually referred to in contemporary documents as having been at Rancocas.
Using modern-day boundaries, the community of Rancocas within Westampton is about eight tenths of a mile east of this sign.2. ^ Benjamin Franklin, William Temple Franklin, The Works of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Volume VI (Philadelphia: William Duane, 1809) Page 490
Available to be read at Google Books hereWalter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin, An American Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003) Pages 434-435