Thomas Edison

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many important devices. "The Wizard of Menlo Park" was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production to the process of invention. In 1880 Edison founded the journal Science, which in 1900 became the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Family background

Thomas Alva Edison's ancestors, the Dutch Edesons, came to New Jersey in 1730. John Edeson remained loyal to England when the colonies revolted. That got him arrested and nearly hanged. He and his family fled to Nova Scotia, Canada, settling on land the British government gave those who had been loyal to it. In 1811, three generations of Edisons took up farming near Vienna, Ontario. Among them was Samuel Ogden Edison, Jr., a shingle maker, tailor, and tavern keeper who would marry Nancy Matthews Elliott.

Related Topics:
New Jersey - Nova Scotia - Canada - Vienna, Ontario

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Samuel Edison was a rebel in the MacKenzie Rebellion that sought Canadian independence. The revolt failed and, like his grandfather, Sam fled for his life. He went to Port Huron, Michigan, temporarily leaving his wife Nancy and children behind.

Related Topics:
MacKenzie Rebellion - Port Huron, Michigan

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From Port Huron, Sam Edison moved to Detroit, then Peru, Ohio, and finally to Milan, Ohio. That town was enjoying an economic boom. Sam's family joined him and in 1847 grew with the birth of their seventh child, Thomas Alva Edison. The economic success in Milan was soon over, though, and seven-year-old "Al" and his family moved again, this time to Port Huron, MI.

Related Topics:
Port Huron - Detroit - Peru, Ohio - Milan, Ohio - 1847 - Thomas Alva Edison - Port Huron, MI

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