History Made Personal: Book from Franklin’s personal library

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One
of the best known and loved of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin was a
scientist, philosopher, diplomat, statesman and a voracious reader. In short,
he loved learning, exploring, widening his perspectives and gaining new
insights by continually encountering new people, places and things. Chris
Sanderson was in some ways the same kind of man. Chris enjoyed meeting people
from all walks of life, learning from their experiences and saving pieces of
Americana from his thousands of interactions over the more than eight decades
of his life.

Sanderson
collected things from around the country and all over the world that he felt
were important in helping people gain an understanding of history. The
Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford holds roughly 18,000 artifacts, including a
book from the personal library of Benjamin Franklin. The book is titled
“Nouveaux Opuscules” (from the French and Latin meaning “new minor work”). The
book stands behind glass in a tall cabinet within the Chadds Ford Room of the
museum, just above a photo of Teddy Roosevelt taken for his inauguration as president
on March 8, 1905. On the reverse side of the title page is, “This book was
owned by Benjamin Franklin and is from his library,” purchased by Christian C.
Sanderson on June 18, 1947. Our research shows that the book was sold to Chris
at the Nannie T. Bache sale for $4. Underneath the book title is written
“Signed January 17, 1956- the 250th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin
Franklin.”

Deciphering
the clues that link this book to Franklin is even more fascinating. When
Franklin died in 1790, his personal library was bequeathed to one of his
grandsons, who quickly sold the collection. The books eventually landed in the
inventory of a Philadelphia book dealer. The dealer was frustrated that the
books would never sell and disposed of many of them at auction for ridiculously
low prices.

In
the 1950s, Edwin Wolf II worked to reacquire and identify Franklin’s original
collection, but struggled to determine a way to authenticate the books. He
began noticing a mysterious set of notations within books he believed belonged
to Franklin. Inside each volume were the letters “C” and “N”, each followed by
a number. After a lengthy examination of thousands of books, Wolf determined
that the annotations were Franklin’s ‘shelfmarks’ — “C” indicating the case or
shelf in Franklin’s bookcase where the book was held, “N” for the number or
placement on the shelf. After Wolf’s death, Kevin J. Hayes took up the task,
locating close to 4,000 titles that were part of the collection of this great
American patriot. Most of the books are scientific or philosophical in nature,
with very few novels- different from the collections of many people from his
time period.

As
Chris cherished pieces of our heritage, gaining possession of one of Franklin’s
books was special to him, as it represented a link to the men who made this
nation possible. The founders of this republic left an indelible imprint on our
country and the world. Along with
their memories, the collection of one man, Chris Sanderson, keeps our past very
much alive. Visit the Sanderson Museum - A Man's Life, A Nation's History at
1755 Creek Road in Chadds Ford, just north of Route 1 or on-line at www.SandersonMuseum.org.

Gene Pisasale worked as a petroleum
geologist, then later as a portfolio manager/analyst for 24 years in the
investment industry. He retired in 2010 to pursue his writing career and
lecture tours. He is the author of several historical novels including
"Abandoned Address- The Secret of Frick's Lock" and "Lafayette's
Gold- The Lost Brandywine Treasure." Gene is married and lives in Kennett
Square. Contact Gene at gpisasale@FoodWineTravelHistory.com or www.GenePisasale.com

About Gene Pisasale

Gene Pisasale is an historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square, Pa. His eight books and historic lecture series focus on the history of the mid-Atlantic region. Gene’s latest book is Alexander Hamilton: Architect of the American Financial System, which delves into the life and many accomplishments of this important Founding Father who almost single-handedly transformed our nation from a bankrupt entity into the most successful country in the history of mankind. Gene’s books are available on www.Amazon.com. His website is www.GenePisasale.com; he can be reached at Gene@GenePisasale.com.

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