Mary Folger ( Morrell (Morrel/Morrill/Morrills/Morill); –1704) was the maternal grandmother of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

, a

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. In

Herman Melville Herman Melville ( born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are ''Moby-Dick'' (1851); ''Typee'' (1846), a rom ...

's ''

Moby-Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant whi ...

'' she was cited as ancestor of the Folger whalers.

Personal life

Folger immigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony from

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, England in 1635 with Rev. Hugh Peters and his family. She was an

indentured servant Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an "indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repaymen ...

, working for the family as a maid on the same ship as Peter Folger and his parents. Peter Folger paid Hugh Peters the sum of 20 pounds to pay off Mary's servitude, which he declared was the best appropriation of money he had ever made. She married Peter Folger in 1644. They lived in

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End. Waterto ...

before moving in 1660 to Martha's Vineyard, where he was acquainted with the Mayhews. He was a strict teacher, surveyor, and translator for the Wampanoag people. They had nine children. Eight of their children were born on Martha's Vineyard. In 1663, they moved to Nantucket, where they were among the few people of European heritage. Their youngest daughter, Abiah (1667–1752) was born there. She married Boston candle-maker

Josiah Franklin Josiah Franklin Sr. (December 23, 1657 – January 16, 1745) was an English businessman and the father of Benjamin Franklin. Born in the village of Ecton, Northamptonshire, England, Josiah was the ninth child of blacksmith Thomas Franklin (b. 1 ...

and they had a son,

. Her husband died in 1690, and she died in 1704. They are both buried at the Founders Burial Ground on Nantucket.

Legacy

Folger was referenced in defense of the whaling industry in

's fictional ''

''. In it, Melville sets up a series of objections to that industry, one of which is "No good blood in their veins?" The response is:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Folger, Mary Morrell 1620s births 1704 deaths Year of birth uncertain American abolitionists Benjamin Franklin American indentured servants American domestic workers People from Nantucket, Massachusetts Place of birth missing