Thomas Edison Data "Genius is one percent inspiration,
ninety-nine percent perspiration." - Thomas Alva Edison September 1931
A picture of
the Thomas Alva Edison Estate about 1920 in Ft. Myers, FL
Fort Myers, Fl ©2008 Genealogy Trails
Thomas Alva Edison
(February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931)
An American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which
greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph and
a long lasting light bulb. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park"
by a newspaper reporter, he was one of the first inventors to apply
the principles of mass production to the process of invention, and therefore
is often credited with the creation of the first industrial research
laboratory.
Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history,
holding 1,093 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many patents in the
United Kingdom, France and Germany.
Thomas Alva and Mina Miller Edison were early winter residents of Fort
Myers.
Contributed by Norita Shepherd Moss
Thomas Alva and Mina Miller Edison were early winter residents of Fort
Myers. Born February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio, Thomas Edison invented
the
light bulb, the phonograph and held 1,093 patents. Edison began building
his winter home, the Seminole Lodge, in Fort Myers in 1885. For the
next 45
years, Edison and his second wife, Mina Miller Edison, periodically
wintered there. Mrs. Edison became deeply involved with the life of
the
community, while supporting her husband’s career. He worked to develop
a
domestic source of rubber while in Fort Myers, conducting experiments
at
his laboratory until his death on October 18, 1931. Edison attracted
other
notables, such as Henry Ford and George Firestone, to Fort Myers. Mina
Edison donated the Edison Estate to the City of Fort Myers just prior
to
her death in 1947. The Edisons’ Great Floridian plaque is located on
the
entrance pillar to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor
Boulevard, Fort Myers.
When you visit Thomas A. Edison's winter homes, you enter a world unlike
any you have ever seen. The furnishings and architecture of these gracious,
rambling buildings are reminiscent of a bygone era; yet there are many
innovations which we do not have in the most modern of homes.
The Ford porch, adjacent to the vintage automobile garage, offers a
spectacular riverfront view of the Caloosahatchee.
A portrait of Mina Edison graces the fireplace wall in the Edisons'
living
room, which is furnished with their much-loved whicker, a popular style
in
the 1920's. The doors opened on the spacious verandas of the home and
the
connected guest house and provided cooling ventilation when needed.
Among Florida's first modern swimming pools, this one was built by Edison
in 1910. It is constructed of Edison Portland Cement, for which he had
40
patents dealing with its development and production. He built the seven
foot deep pool for the entertainment of his children and guests. For
himself, Edison felt mental exercise was the only type needed.
Edison worked long hours in his laboratories, totally unaware of the
time,
eating when he was hungry and taking "cat naps" in the workshop
as needed.
He is quoted as having said, "I owe my success to the fact that
I never had
a clock in my workroom."
Edison celebrates his 82nd
birthday with President Herbert Hoover, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone.
Ft. Myers, Florida, February 11, 1929.
On December 25, 1871, Edison married
16-year-old Mary Stilwell, whom he had met two months earlier. They
had three children:
Marion "Dot" Estelle Edison (1873–1965)
Thomas "Dash" Alva Edison, Jr (1876–1935)
William Leslie Edison (1878–1937)
Mary Edison died on August 9, 1884.
On February 24, 1886, at the age of thirty-nine, Edison married 19-year-old
Mina Miller in Akron, Ohio. They also had three children:
Madeleine Edison (1888–1979)
Charles Edison (1890–1969), who took over the company upon his father's
death and who later was elected Governor of New Jersey
Theodore Edison (1898–1992).
Mina outlived Thomas Edison, dying on August 24, 1947.
[source: wikipedia.org]
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