Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Jane Mecom

Subject(s): Anniversaries, Declaration of Independence, Families, Family, Soap, Spelling reform

Transcript of Benjamin Franklin’s letter to his sister Jane Mecom on the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin thanks her for the soap and explains that “bad spelling” is not her fault.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1786-07-04

Creator(s)

Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790

Recipient

Mecom, Jane, 1712-1794

Language

English

Period

Ancestry (to 1858)

Repository

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Page Count

2

Production Method

Typed

Record Type

Multi-image

Resource Type

Letter

Rights

These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.

Citation

Cite this Record

Chicago:

Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Jane Mecom. [July 4, 1786]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o25446. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

MLA:

Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790. Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Jane Mecom. [4 Jul. 1786]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o25446.

APA:

Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790., [1786, July 4]. Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Jane Mecom.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o25446.

Cite this Collection

Chicago:

Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

MLA:

Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.

APA:

Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.