: I don't know if this is true or not, but I read that at the
: place where Benjamin Franklin lived in London, they found
: 10 skeletons buried in his back yard, 4 adults and 6
: children..dating from his time..and he was a masonic
: grandmaster..

Here's one take on the source of the bones in Ben Franklin's basement:

Bones in the Basement

During digging to achieve structural repairs to a footing in the rear wall, contractors uncovered dissected human skeletons from the eighteenth century, and yet another exciting chapter in the history of 36 Craven Street was revealed.

In 1770, Margaret's daughter (and Franklin's great friend) Polly married a young surgeon, William Hewson, who had studied under John and William Hunter, for whom the Hunterian museum of anatomy located at England's Royal College of Surgeons is named. Hewson is known for his pioneering study of immunology and haematology.

The bones, and subsequent research, prove that Hewson operated an anatomy school from the lower level of the House, and for a time, Franklin and Margaret Stevenson sought other lodging on Craven Street to make room for the endeavour.

In 1998, the Westminster coroner declared "it most likely that these are anatomical specimens that Dr. Hewson disposed of in his own house". Such unconventional disposal may have been necessary because specimens were often obtained from "resurrectionists who scoured graves for newly buried corpses. Grave robbing was, of course, illegal, a crime warranting the death penalty or deportation.

Quite apart from adding another fascinating detail to the life of Benjamin Franklin in London, the discovery has excited those interested in the history of surgery. The discovery is seen as providing an important insight into a time when significant developments were beginning to take place. As someone aiding Polly and Hewson, Franklin can be seen as part of that history. There is of course, no suggestion that Franklin knew what was happening below stairs in the house during his absence.

Hewson died in 1774, at the age of 34 from septicaemia contracted during a dissection at Craven Street leaving Polly with two young sons and an unborn daughter. After the War of Independence, Polly moved to Philadelphia uniting her family with Franklin's American household. Her sons became doctors and in fact Thomas, was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, founded, of course, with help from Franklin.