Franklins’ Philadelphia Ledgers Project

The Postal Ledgers

A six-column post master's bill listing rates, unpaid letters, sums due, paid letters, sums paid, and free letters from Franklin's Philadelphia post office. It was signed by Franklin on June 13, 1745.

Benjamin Franklin was an astonishingly prolific Founding Father. He looms large in popular memory as an accomplished writer, newspaper printer-publisher, statesman, scientist, and socialite. But before he invented the lightning rod, charted the Gulf Stream, or helped to draft the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin was Postmaster of Philadelphia beginning in 1737. He remained in leading postal administration roles until he retired as the nation’s Postmaster General in 1776, at the age of 70. Curiously, despite his involvement of nearly 40 years, this aspect of Franklin’s civic engagement has been the subject of little study in comparison with his other achievements. Use the sections below to learn more about this understudied aspect of Franklin's life.

Examine the Evidence

Franklin left behind many account books relating to his time as a postal official, many of which are held by the American Philosophical Society. This section allows the user to learn more and examine the evidence on their own.

Visualizing Postal Data

Ever wonder who used the post office in Colonial Philadelphia or the seasonal impact on mail delivery? This section visualizes data from Franklin’s postal accounts to answer these questions and many more.

Franklin's Post Office

Benjamin Franklin was an astonishingly prolific Founding Father yet his career as postmaster has been the subject of little study in comparison with his other achievements. This section explores the evolution of Franklin’s postal work.