Jacobus Johannes Bernardus Franswa was born in Amsterdam in 1898 and died in 1964. His parents were Jacobus Johannes Bernardus Franswa and Maria Hogendoorn. His father worked as a house and teaching painter in (Amsterdam?) and had a dance school. From 1911 to 1917, Franswa attended the Evening Craft School for Carpenters: Concordia Inter Nos. From [1915] to 1919 he took classes at the Industry School. Here he received the first prize in 1918 for the subject architecture / drawing. In a follow-up class, he took classes in architecture / drawing and graphostatics, for which he also received the first prize. In 1920, Franswa began the course in Higher Architecture Education. He did not finish this course. During the years Franswa attended various courses, he was employed by Aannemers- en Makelaarskantoor B.H. and H. Koolhaas in Amsterdam from 1913. In 1916, Franswa was subcontracted to architect A.M. Smit in Beverwijk, where he worked as superintendent-draughtsman on the construction of a villa in IJmuiden. In 1918, Franswa was subcontracted to architect P. van Dijk in Amsterdam, where he worked, among other things, on the construction of a new home for J.M. Schmidt's Optical Instrument Trade in Amsterdam. This is how he developed as a draftsman. In 1919, Franswa began working as an architectural draftsman for J.M. van der Mey. Records of salary payments show that Franswa worked for Van der Mey until 1926. These records also show that Franswa worked for Gulden and Geldmaker. Franswa also worked for Van der Mey at the Shipping House. Franswa developed as an architect of the Amsterdam School, working primarily in Amsterdam. Later, he also realized many residential buildings in Eindhoven. Little has been published about Franswa. Much of the information has been obtained from son J.J.B. Franswa and grandson Schato Franswa.