Barbara Siggers Franklin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Barbara Vernice Siggers (1917-06-29)June 29, 1917 Shelby, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | March 7, 1952(1952-03-07) (aged 34) Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, New York |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5, includingAretha,Erma, andCarolyn |
Barbara Vernice Franklin (néeSiggers; June 29, 1917 – March 7, 1952) was an American gospel singer and pianist, the mother of American singer–songwriterAretha Franklin and wife ofC. L. Franklin, the African-AmericanBaptist minister ofNew Bethel Baptist Church inDetroit.
She performed in church and later worked as a pianist.[1]
Barbara Siggers marriedClarence LaVaughn Franklin on June 3, 1936. The couple had four children:Erma (1938–2002), Cecil (1940–1989), Aretha (1942–2018), andCarolyn Franklin (1944–1988). Prior to the marriage, Barbara had a son, Vaughn (1934–2002) from a previous relationship, whom Rev. Franklin adopted shortly after their marriage. Barbara was a gifted pianist and, according toMahalia Jackson, one of the finest gospel singers in the country.[2] Though her primary role was that of wife and mother, she actively participated in the musical affairs of the churches where C. L. served as pastor.
Following marital trouble stemming from C. L.'s numerous and ongoing infidelities, including fathering a daughter (named Carol Ellan Kelley [née Jennings]) by Mildred Jennings, a 12-year-old congregant in Memphis in 1940,[2]: 61 she left Franklin in 1948 and moved toBuffalo, New York, where her mother resided and where Franklin had served as pastor ofFriendship Baptist Church from May 1944 to June 1946. She made a life for herself working in a music store, giving private music lessons, and training to be a nurse's aide.[2]: 123 She and Franklin never officially divorced.[2]
Although it was widely reported that she had deserted her children, Aretha Franklin disputed that claim, and Nick Salvatore ofCornell University took pains to discredit it in his biography of C. L. Franklin. According to Salvatore, she visited Detroit to see her children, and they traveled to Buffalo duringsummer vacations for stays with her.[2] She died of takotsubo cardiomyopathy on March 7, 1952, at 34 years of age.[2]: 125
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