Benjamin Franklin Peale was born October 15, 1795, to painter Charles Willson Peale and his second wife, the former Elizabeth de Peyster.
 As well as pursuing his art, Charles Peale ran a museum of curiosities housed in Philosophical Hall in Philadelphia, home of the American Philosophical Society.
The boy was born in the family quarters in the museum.
 He was given the name Aldrovand, after the Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi.

Charles Peale recorded family births on the flyleaf of a copy of Matthew Pilkington's Dictionary of Painters, rather than in a Bible, and after recording "Aldrovand" added the notation, "if he likes that name when he comes of age".
The father was a member of the American Philosophical Society, and in February 1796 brought his young son to a meeting, and asked the members to select another name for the child.
 They decided on Benjamin Franklin Peale, naming the boy after the Society's founder, Benjamin Franklin.
 Society legend holds that the boy was given the name while placed in the chair of the president of the Society, which had been donated by Franklin.

Franklin Peale was one of sixteen children his father would have by his three wives.
Elizabeth Peale died when Franklin was eight years old, but his father soon remarried, and the child was thereafter cared for by his stepmother.
 He was given little classroom education, though he did spend some time at a local school in nearby Bucks County, as well as at Germantown Academy and the University of Pennsylvania.
 For the most part, his education was informal, as was usual in the Peale family, with the student given the means to study what interested him, or what he appeared to be good at.
 In Franklin Peale's case, he made toys as a boy, and surveyed his father's farm near Germantown.
Although he lacked the artistic talent of some of his brothers, such as Titian Peale, he proved mechanically inclined.

At age 17, Peale began to work for the Delaware cotton factory of William Young, on the Brandywine River, learning the making of machines.
 He was an apt student, becoming adept as a turner, founder, and draftsman.
He was tolerated in his desire for a mechanical career by his father, who considered it a foolish whim.
 Within a year, one of the Hodgson brothers, who ran a nearby machine shop, described Peale as highly capable with tools.
 At age 19 Peale returned to Germantown, where, having designed and supervised the installation of the machinery for a cotton factory there, he was put in charge, and continued to manage the factory for several years.
 He then moved to nearby Philadelphia, and worked for the firm of John & Coleman Sellers, which made machinery for card sticking.

On April 24, 1815, Peale, still a minor at age 19, married Eliza Greatrake without his father's consent.
 Almost immediately, it became evident she had mental problems.
Although Eliza bore Peale a child within the first year of the marriage (a daughter, Anna), she thereafter left him, returning to live with her mother, who had her committed to Pennsylvania Hospital as a "lunatic".
 The Peale family began a lengthy effort to show that Eliza Peale was mad when she married Franklin, a ground for annulment.
 With aid from the testimony of Captain Allen McLane, they were successful, and the annulment was granted on March 22, 1820.
Franklin Peale was required to post assets as security for the support of his former wife; his sister Sophy lent him some of her stock in the museum for that purpose.

In 1820, Peale left factory management to assist his aging father in running the museum, and remained there for over a decade.
 When Charles Willson Peale died in 1827, Franklin became the manager of the museum, and like his siblings, inherited stock in it.
He not only maintained the exhibits, but added to them, contributing a "curious speaking toy" as well as the model for an early locomotive, which was used to draw two small cars in the museum, with seating for four people.
 At the time, the museum was located in the Old State House (today, Independence Hall), and Peale worked out a s
Benjamin Franklin Peale was born October 15, 1795, to painter Charles Willson Peale and his second wife, the former Elizabeth de Peyster.  As well as pursuing his art, Charles Peale ran a museum of curiosities housed in Philosophical Hall in Philadelphia, home of the American Philosophical Society. The boy was born in the family quarters in the museum.  He was given the name Aldrovand, after the Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi.
Charles Peale recorded family births on the flyleaf of a copy of Matthew Pilkington's Dictionary of Painters, rather than in a Bible, and after recording "Aldrovand" added the notation, "if he likes that name when he comes of age". The father was a member of the American Philosophical Society, and in February 1796 brought his young son to a meeting, and asked the members to select another name for the child.  They decided on Benjamin Franklin Peale, naming the boy after the Society's founder, Benjamin Franklin.  Society legend holds that the boy was given the name while placed in the chair of the president of the Society, which had been donated by Franklin.
Franklin Peale was one of sixteen children his father would have by his three wives. Elizabeth Peale died when Franklin was eight years old, but his father soon remarried, and the child was thereafter cared for by his stepmother.  He was given little classroom education, though he did spend some time at a local school in nearby Bucks County, as well as at Germantown Academy and the University of Pennsylvania.  For the most part, his education was informal, as was usual in the Peale family, with the student given the means to study what interested him, or what he appeared to be good at.  In Franklin Peale's case, he made toys as a boy, and surveyed his father's farm near Germantown. Although he lacked the artistic talent of some of his brothers, such as Titian Peale, he proved mechanically inclined.
At age 17, Peale began to work for the Delaware cotton factory of William Young, on the Brandywine River, learning the making of machines.  He was an apt student, becoming adept as a turner, founder, and draftsman. He was tolerated in his desire for a mechanical career by his father, who considered it a foolish whim.  Within a year, one of the Hodgson brothers, who ran a nearby machine shop, described Peale as highly capable with tools.  At age 19 Peale returned to Germantown, where, having designed and supervised the installation of the machinery for a cotton factory there, he was put in charge, and continued to manage the factory for several years.  He then moved to nearby Philadelphia, and worked for the firm of John & Coleman Sellers, which made machinery for card sticking.
On April 24, 1815, Peale, still a minor at age 19, married Eliza Greatrake without his father's consent.  Almost immediately, it became evident she had mental problems. Although Eliza bore Peale a child within the first year of the marriage (a daughter, Anna), she thereafter left him, returning to live with her mother, who had her committed to Pennsylvania Hospital as a "lunatic".  The Peale family began a lengthy effort to show that Eliza Peale was mad when she married Franklin, a ground for annulment.  With aid from the testimony of Captain Allen McLane, they were successful, and the annulment was granted on March 22, 1820. Franklin Peale was required to post assets as security for the support of his former wife; his sister Sophy lent him some of her stock in the museum for that purpose.
In 1820, Peale left factory management to assist his aging father in running the museum, and remained there for over a decade.  When Charles Willson Peale died in 1827, Franklin became the manager of the museum, and like his siblings, inherited stock in it. He not only maintained the exhibits, but added to them, contributing a "curious speaking toy" as well as the model for an early locomotive, which was used to draw two small cars in the museum, with seating for four people.  At the time, the museum was located in the Old State House (today, Independence Hall), and Peale worked out a s
Franklin Peale