Personal life Franklin Benjamin Sanborn

franklin sanborn in 1900

sanborn lived @ concord, massachusetts. twice married, first ariana walker in 1854 8 days until died. following first wife s death, sanborn courted nineteen-year-old edith emerson, daughter of ralph waldo emerson of concord. sanborn proposed miss emerson in 1861, , rejected. apparently took offense, , launched series of letters miss emerson s mother. letters apparently inflamed emerson family, result ralph waldo drafted chilly letter sanborn, informing sanborn of emerson s wife s displeasure @ having been accused. matter did not end happily, mrs. emerson writing own letter of reproach sanborn.

ultimately, sanborn begrudgingly apologized , moved on. married second wife cousin louisa augusta leavitt in 1862—said enough sanborn sister—the daughter of sanborn s uncle joseph melcher leavitt, boston merchant (sanborn s other uncle benson leavitt, once partner of wife s father , later acting mayor of boston). louisa leavitt had worked schoolteacher @ concord school sanborn founded. couple married @ church of disciples in boston abolitionist minister james freeman clarke. had 3 sons, poet thomas parker sanborn, genealogist victor channing sanborn, , francis bachiler sanborn.

the sanborn home in concord

in 1880, frank sanborn built large house on banks of sudbury river in concord, placing plaque name of first wife, ariana, in gable end. in home sanborns eldest son, tom, committed suicide in 1889, @ age of twenty-four, after sanborns stayed several months in emerson home. in 1891 frank sanborn moved ailing , elderly friend, transcendental poet , walking-companion of thoreau, ellery channing, home, channing subsequently died in 1901. although sanborns second son, victor channing sanborn, engaged in real estate living, wrote father , authored book researching ancestor thomas leavitt s origins.