Folgers' Tragic Link To The Manson Murders

Is there anything better for coffee lovers than an early morning caffeine jolt coursing through their bloodstream? And as the nation's number one coffee brand in 2020 (selling twice as much as second-place Starbucks), the company arguably makes America's go-to cup of Joe (via Statista). Yes, many people have learned firsthand whether "the best part of waking up is Folgers in [their] cup."

Folgers, however, is known for more than its coffee. The Folger family has become intricately woven into America's history. For example, did you know that they earned a mention in "Moby Dick?" According to the Melville Electronic Library, this well-known family is referred to in chapter 24 — "Mary Folger, one of the old settlers of Nantucket, and the ancestress to a long line of Folgers and harpooneers — all kith and kin to noble Benjamin." This brings up another part of their famous American lineage: Benjamin Franklin. As the Johns Hopkins University Press shares, a Folger family ancestor, Peter Folger, was Benjamin Franklin's grandfather.

But, like every family story, their history is not all sunshine and lollipops. In 1989, 12-year-old heiress Abiah Folger was nearly abducted when she got off her school bus (via LA Times). And in a dark example of the family's connection to U.S. history, the Manson Murders of 1969 led to a family tragedy.

Abigail Folger, the daughter of Folgers Coffee Company chairman, Peter Folger, was among the murder victims of Charles Manson's followers. Folger and her boyfriend, Wojciech Frykowski, knew Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate and actually became house-sitters for the couple at their 10050 Cielo Drive home (per All That's Interesting). They moved into the residence on April 1, 1969 — just four short months before the crimes that would become etched in the national consciousness.

On August 8, after having dinner at the Mexican-themed restaurant El Coyote, Folger, Frykowki, Tate, and Jay Sebring went back to the Cielo Drive mansion (via Paper). According to Britannica, after the clock struck midnight, members of Manson's cult entered the property after being told to kill the people inside "as gruesome[ly]" as possible. Folger and her boyfriend were able to get out of the house but were pursued and murdered. Sadly, it was later revealed that the former resident of 10050 Cielo Drive was record producer, Terry Melcher. Melcher once denied Manson a recording deal, sparking Manson's wish to get even and leading the killers to this address. The victims, including Abigail Folger, were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.