1833-1965, undated, predominant 1897-1965
GUSN-368644
The papers in this collection illustrate and document the lives and activities of various members of the Franklin family and their descendants, including Benjamin Franklin, Clara (Stowell) Franklin, Nellie (Franklin) Bellatty, Lillian Jordan Franklin, and Ruth (Bellatty) Franklin, in 19th and 20th century New England, primarily in Boston, Massachusetts. The collection contains manuscripts and ephemera, including an autograph album; a bound and loose scrapbook containing materials such as news clippings, photographic materials, correspondence, and ephemera; dance cards; correspondence; and vital records, among others. The collection is arranged in six series. Folder titles were assigned by the processor.
manuscripts (document genre)
ephemera
family papers
.42 linear feet (1 letter-size document case)
An electronic finding aid is available through Historic New Englands Collections Access Portal. A paper finding aid is available in the Library & Archives.
The materials in this collection were collected by Ruth (Bellatty) Johnson and various relatives. Some items, such as the autograph album, were passed down through the Franklin family. Ruth (Bellatty) Johnson compiled the materials, and they were later donated to History New England by her niece, Ruth Brenninkmeyer, in 2019.
MS077
Ruth (Bellatty) Johnson (1908-2009) collection
2019
MS077
Collection of manuscripts, ephemera, and vital records documenting the lives and activities of various members of the Franklin family in the 19th and 20th centuries.
1833-1965, undated, bulk 1897-1965
Gift of Ruth Brenninkmeyer, 2019.
Newbury (Essex county, Massachusetts)
Roxbury (Boston, Suffolk county, Massachusetts) [neighborhood]
Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)
Portland (Cumberland county, Maine)
Newburyport (Essex county, Massachusetts)
Lynn (Essex county, Massachusetts)
Lawrence (Essex county, Massachusetts)
Johnson, Ruth Bellatty, 1908-2009 (Compiler)
manuscripts (document genre)
ephemera
family papers
Franklin, Lillian Jordan, 1887-1965
Franklin, Benjamin, 1813-1891
Franklin, Clarissa, 1813-1893
Bellatty, Nellie Louise, 1879-1957
Johnson, Ruth, 1908-2009
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
Clemenceau, Georges, 1841-1929
Historic New England
Family
New England
This collection is available for research.
Materials were rehoused for long-term preservation.
Collection
Accruals are not expected.
No materials have been removed from this collection.
Materials are primarily in English, with some French.
Item identification. Box #. Ruth (Bellatty) Johnson (1908-2009) collection (MS077). Historic New England, Library & Archives.
This collection was processed by Jordan Meyerl, Archives Cataloguer, 2022. The finding aid was updated by Jordan Meyerl, Senior Archives Cataloguer, in 2025.
This finding aid is Second Edition DACS-compliant.
Exterior view of the Swett-Ilsley House, Newbury, Mass., winter 1950-51
Benjamin Franklin (1813-1891) was born in Guilford, Vermont, to Jabez Jebish Frankling (1759-1829) and Sarah Darling (1771-1858). He married Clara (Clarissa) Stowell (1813-1893) in 1839. The couple had at least eight children, six of whom lived to adulthood, including Henry Augustus Franklin (1850-1910). Henry Augustus Franklin married Matilda P. Jordan (1855-1922) in 1874. The couple had nine children, including Nellie Louise Franklin (1879-1957) and Lillian Jordan Franklin (1887-1965). Lillian Jordan Franklin ran the Four High Tea House which operated out of Historic New Englands Swett-Ilsley House for twenty-five years, from 1940 until 1965. Nellie Louise Franklin married Charles E. Bellatty (1877-1978) in 1907. The couple had three daughters, including Ruth Bellatty (1908-2009). Ruth married twice, first to Ed McDonald and later to Albin W. Johnson. She died on March 9, 2009 in Blue Hill, Maine. Benjamin, Henry Augustus, Nellie, Lillian, and Ruth were descendants of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790).
The collection is arranged in 6 series:
Series I. Papers of Benjamin Franklin (1813-1891), 1838
Series II. Papers of Clara (Stowell) Franklin (1813-1893), 1833
Series II. Papers of Nellie (Franklin) Bellatty (1879-1957), 1897-1906, undated
Series IV. Papers of Lillian Jordan Franklin (1887-1965), 1888-1965 (bulk 1965)
Series V. Papers of Ruth (Bellatty) Johnson (1908-2009) 1913-1926
Series VI. Miscellaneous ephemera, 1839-1923
Historic New England is committed to implementing reparative language description for existing collections and creating respectful and inclusive language description for new collections. If you encounter language in Historic England's Collections Access Portal that is harmful or offensive, or you find materials that would benefit from a content warning, please contact info@historicnewengland.org.
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