At the age of 5, his grandmother, Molly Welsh, taught him how to read. In the same year he could read the Old and New Testaments. On March 10, 1737, Robert, Benjamin’s father, got land that was situated on high ground with a stream running through it, exchanging 7,000 pounds of tobacco for it. Benjamin didn't attend school until he was 9 years old. As a teenager, he spent most of his daytime growing tobacco and doing chores. He always was interested in the subject of time.