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Pamela Ford

The things we learn when we least expect it

Research for me is a double-edged sword. I love it and I hate it. While I love learning about the past, I too often find myself reading far more than necessary because I’m fascinated by what I’ve found!

While researching A Rush of White Wings, which is set in the Boston area, I naturally came across many mentions of Benjamin Franklin; he was born in Boston and was one of the founding fathers of the United States. But what kept me reading were the stories about his three children: Francis, William, and Sarah.

Ben Franklin adored his younger son, Francis (Franky), who died from smallpox at the age of four. Though a vaccine had been in use for many years, and though Ben Franklin was a longtime advocate of vaccination, Franky had not been inoculated. At the time, many people chose not to vaccinate their children out of fear. A recent analysis of Franklin’s writings raises the possibility that Mrs. Franklin’s reluctance was why the boy had not been inoculated.

Ben Franklin later wrote in his autobiography, “In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the smallpox taken in the common way. I long regretted bitterly and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of the parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it; my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.”

Franklin’s older son, William, grew up to become the governor of New Jersey. In late 1775, Ben urged his son to resign his post and join the revolutionary cause. William refused. Not only was he loyal to the crown, but he believed that that most Americans wouldn’t join the revolution. He tried to arrange a reconciliation between the colonies and the king, which only served to deepen the animosity between him and his father.

Two years later, William was arrested and held in custody until he was swapped in a prisoner exchange in 1778. Eventually he moved to England. Though Ben and William had a small reconciliation after the war, things were never the same.

Finally, there is Franklin’s daughter, Sarah, who gave birth to a son, also named Benjamin (Benny). The boy so reminded Ben Franklin of his late son, Franky, that he insisted Benny accompany him (at age seven) on a diplomatic trip to France. He didn’t return the boy to his parents for nine years.

Ah, the things we learn when we least expect it. While good times and bad have been part of every year in history, I hope you find only health, peace, and joy in 2021.

Book Description:

The best journey brings you home. Boston, 1849. Shattered by the devastating loss of his wife and children during the Irish famine, Sean Deacey has given up on love and happiness. So when he rescues an infant from an immigrant shipwreck, he gives the orphaned babe to his sister Kathleen and her husband. They raise the boy as their own – until Ailish Sullivan arrives two years later claiming the child is her last living relative and demanding his return. A legal fight ensues, and Sean befriends Ailish, determined to change her mind and keep her from destroying his sister’s family. But when friendship leads to understanding, he is torn between the desires of both families. And as his feelings grow for a woman he knows he should not want and can never have, he faces an agonizing choice – stand with his sister or follow his heart. Award-winning author Pamela Ford explores the bonds of family as she takes readers on an uplifting emotional journey through grief, sacrifice, and the power of forgiveness.

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Also Available in Pamela Ford’s An Irish Historical Love Story Series:

Book Details:

Book Title:  To Ride a White Horse: An Irish Historical Love Story by Pamela Ford
Book Series: An Irish Historical Love Story
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +), 376 pages
Genre:  Historical Romance
Publisher:  Aine Press
Release dates:   January 2015
Content Rating: PG-13: There are two pretty mild love
scenes, short and not explicit. Virtually no swearing except the more
common Irish versions: “Jaysus” or “Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”

Book Description:

Gold Medal Winner, IPPY Awards • Finalist, National
Readers’ Choice Awards • Finalist, Maggie Awards for Excellence •
Finalist, Kindle Book Awards

“A sweeping historical love story that hits all the marks.” –Publisher’s Weekly starred review

Your feet will bring you to where your heart is.
Ireland 1846. With Ireland ravaged by famine and England unsympathetic to its plight, Kathleen Deacey faces a devastating choice – leave her country to find work or risk dying there. Despising the English for refusing to help Ireland, she crosses the ocean to support her family and search for her missing fiancé.

But when her voyage goes awry, she must accept help from an English whaling captain, Jack Montgomery, who represents everything she despises – and with whom she is reluctantly falling in love. As Kathleen fights to save her family back in Ireland, she finds herself facing yet another devastating choice – remain loyal to her country or follow her heart.

Award-winning author Pamela Ford captures the anguish of a devastating period in Irish history and delivers a historical saga of hope, loyalty, the strength of the human spirit, and the power of love. With more than a half million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is known for creating stories that are emotional and moving.

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