This folder contains correspondence and other documents by and about Edison's family. Included are letters pertaining to the financial difficulties of Edison's sons Thomas A. Edison, Jr., and William L. Edison. Additional correspondence with Thomas, Jr., discusses Edison's alkaline storage battery, country houses, and the illumination of Christmas trees. One item concerns Edison's plans to visit his daughter Marion Oeser, who was living with her husband in Germany. Other documents relate to members of Mina Miller Edison's family. Included are letters about Robert A. Miller, U.S. Postmaster at Ponce, Puerto Rico, who died in 1911. Also included are reminiscences from Clara A. Avery and other family friends about Edison's childhood.
Approximately 50 percent of the documents have been selected. Most of the unselected items are receipts relating to the periodic transfer of funds from Edison to members of his family. These include a $1,000 monthly allowance to Mina Edison, $200 to Marion Oeser, $150 to Nellie Edison Poyer, $100 to Simeon O. Edison (subsequently reduced to $40 when he moved from Ohio to New Jersey), and $50 to Nancy Elizabeth Wadsworth. In addition, there are receipts for a $25 weekly allowance to Sarah F. Stilwell and for $4 in monthly rent payments on behalf of William L. Edison. Also not selected are unsolicited offers for genealogical services and other unsolicited correspondence, as well as duplicates and variants of selected documents. Courtesy of Thomas Edison National Historical Park.