Of Flemish descent, Peter Folger (1617 – 1690) is the maternal grandfather of Benjamin Franklin, and was instrumental in the colonization of Nantucket Island in the Massachusetts colony. He left Norfolk for America in 1635, settling initially in Watertown, Massachusetts, and later moving to Martha’s Vineyard. In 1644 he married Mary Morrill, whom he may have met on the voyage from England. Mary was mentioned by name as a historical figure in Herman Melville’s fictional Moby Dick.
Norfolk's American Connections 