Sample of loyalist poetry by Rebecca Franks

Socialite Rebecca Franks (1760-1823)

Rebecca Franks is known to history as a Jewess, but it is likely that this designation refers more to her ancestry than her practice. She was likely raised as a Christian with very little (if any) Jewish identity, although her extended family was Jewish. She was a Tory during the Revolutionary War, siding with the British, although she maintained her ties and acquaintances with her friends on the American side. She led quite a social life during the revolution; her letters speak constantly of parties, dances, and dresses, in spite of the material struggles endured by many because of the war. After the war, Rebecca Franks married Sir Henry Johnson, a British officer, and in 1782 they moved to England. She had family there as well; her uncles were active members of the metropolitan London Jewish community.