Benjamin Franklin was born in Bardstown, Kentucky on December 29, 1805. He grew up there and evidently had some sort of formal education, as we know he could read and write. He was about 21 when he married Saletha Wave Easter. Their three oldest children, daughters, appear to have been born in Kentucky also. The fourth child, also a daughter, was probably born in Texas as most records show they moved to Nacogdoches Co. Texas with his father William in 1833. Benjamin, like his father, was a farmer. This is what is written as occupation on the 1837 tax list.

Old Ben, as some of his friends called, comes as close to being the black sheep of the family that I can find, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

After moving to Texas he signed a “Certificate relative to admission to settle in Texas under Colonization laws of 1825. This was signed in May of 1835. However, when the revolution started, Ben joined the revolutionaries and fought against the Mexicans. He served in the Texas Cavalry and fought in the Battle of San Jacinto. He also served as Justice of the Peace for Nacogdoches Co. in 1838 and 1839.

Following his service in the Cavalry, Benjamin was given a land grant for one league of land which, records show, that he farmed, raising various crops native to that part of the country, perhaps cotton, possibly wheat. We know they raised all their own food, ground their meal and also raised their own meat. After moving to Texas he and Saletha were blessed with three sons, making a total of seven children.

As were other members of his family, Ben was a member of the Union Church (later called Old North Church). He was a very active member of this church serving as clerk pro tem when his uncle Charles Whitaker was ill, and then as clerk for a period of time. The minutes of the Old North Church mention Benjamin Franklin Whitaker many, many times. The church council was evidently the moral police for their members, meeting once a month on the Saturday before the first “Lord’s Day” of each month. In March of 1852, “references called for Brother Gill complained to the church that Brother B. F. Whitaker refused to pay a certain note which was out of date, belonging to the minor children of Charles Whitaker, dec’d”. The church appointed a committee to “wait” on Brother Whitaker and he was to report at the next meeting. At the April meeting the committee admitted that they had not seen Mr. Whitaker, so it was continued over to the next meeting. This was “continued” from month to month until April 1853 at which time “the case of Brother Whitaker was taken up, and the parties were reconciled and Bro. Whitaker restored to fellowship in the church.”

It was in October 1854 that the church “went into the election of a clerk where upon the Brother B. F. Franklin was duely elected.” He served in this capacity for 4-5 years.

It must have been a long cold winter in 1859-1860 because that Spring people really started to "cut loose". Several of the young girls were brought before the council for “dancing” and had to confess their sins and beg forgiveness to be allowed to take fellowship with the church. The young men were also chastised for the same thing. But it wasn’t just the young men who were committing such horrible sins, many of the adult males and females were brought before the council for “being in passion”, or drinking alcohol. It was in March 1860 that our Benjamin was charged with intoxication and a committee was appointed to “wait” on Brother Whitaker and “cite him to appear at the next meeting to answer the charges”. It was two months later, at the May meeting that “the case of Brother B.F. Whitaker was taken up and it being proved to the satisfaction of the Church that he was guilty of the charge of being intoxicated. On motion he was unanimously EXCLUDED from the fellowship of the Church. By July, Benjamin finally decided he would have to face these charges personally and so at that meeting “Brother B. F. Whitaker, an excluded member of this Church, came forward and made satisfactory acknowledgments and was restored to full fellowship.

On September 1, 1845 Benjamin’s wife, Saletha died. She was buried in the Old North Church cemetery and has the oldest “marked” grave in the cemetery. On November 26, 1846 Benjamin remarried to Elizabeth D. Debard. Benjamin and most of his children, as well as his second wife Elizabeth, continued to live in Nacogdoches County for the rest of Ben’s life. He died on February 4, 1886 and is buried in the Old North Church Cemetery.

(HELEN’S NOTE: I’m not sure but if memory serves me right I believe he is buried next to his first wife Saletha. Both graves are marked and I believe I remember seeing them side by side)