In 2007, University of California-San Diego professor Alan Houston uncovered a collection of correspondence written by Benjamin Franklin in the spring and summer of 1755.  Known as the lost "wagon affair" letters,  the collection includes the correspondence of Franklin, his son William and wife Deborah as well as with British General Edward Braddock and the governor of Massachusetts, William Shirley, Sr. These letters were transcribed by Thomas Birch, an archivist who was a contemporary of Franklin's. 

These letters offer insight into the unexpected death of General Braddock and the defeat at Fort Duquesne.  They also offer a glimpse into the relationship between the British Empire and colonists. Once published, students will be able to use these papers to inquire about the French and Indian War; the "wagon affair;" as well as Franklin's relationship with his family members.  The papers will be published in the April 2009 issue of The William and Mary Quarterly.