Deborah Read was the common-law spouse of
Deborah Read was the common-law spouse of Benjamin Franklin. They first met in 1723 as teenagers in Philadelphia. When their courtship floundered, she married John Rogers in 1725, only to separate from him within a year. Rogers left Philadelphia, and Franklin returned in 1727. By law Read was blocked from marriage by strict divorce laws, so Read and Franklin publically established a common law marriage which lasted until her death in 1774. Engraving of a portrait attributed to Benjamin Wilson, c. 1758-59
Picture No
13124498
Media ID
45380874
Size
1741px x 2100px
(1.5MB)
Credit
Mary Evans / The Everett Collection
Source
Courtesy Everett Collection
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