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Part III: Series Notes
The small vertical arrows (
) on this page link back to the top of the "Contents" page. The link on each series and subseries title leads to the appropriate series or subseries title on the "Volume/Folder List" page. Those titles, as well as the titles of the individual volumes and folders, are linked to their appropriate editorial descriptions ("targets"). The small horizontal arrows (
) next to the series and subseries titles on the "Volume/Folder List" pages lead back to the appropriate series or subseries on the "Contents" page. Because the "Volume/Folder List" pages for Parts II-V are quite large, they are each divided into sets of three. The boxes at the top and bottom of each "Volume/Folder List" page enable users to easily move from one page to another.
Contents:
- Part I (1850-1878)
- Part II (1879-1886)
- Part III (1887-1898)
- Part IV (1899-1910)
- Part V (1911-1919)
- Outside Repositories
- Edison-Miller Family new!
- Notebook Series
- West Orange Laboratory Records Series
- Patent Series
- Litigation Series
- Document File Series
- General Letterbook Series
- Miscellaneous Letterbook Series
- Legal Series
- Published Works And Other Writings
- Scrapbook Series
- Unbound Clippings Series
- Primary Printed Series
- Special Collections Series
- Company Records Series
- Vouchers And Attached Correspondence Series
- Family Records Series
- Supplement To Parts I And II
| Series Notes |
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NOTEBOOK SERIES (REELS 98–108) |
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- NOTEBOOKS BY EDISON
- These standard-size (6" x 9") books contain notes, drawings, and calculations relating to phonographs, kinetoscopes, electric lighting and power, electric railways, ore milling, and other subjects. There are also drafts of patent caveats, items regarding Edison's plans for the West Orange laboratory, and theoretical notes on physics, electricity, and other subjects. Although most of the entries are by Edison, there are also a few entries by associates such as Arthur E. Kennelly and William K. L. Dickson.
- NOTEBOOKS BY OTHER EXPERIMENTERS
- These standard-size (6" x 9") books were used primarily at the West Orange laboratory, although some contain work performed at other locations such as the Edison Lamp Works in Harrison, N.J.; the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Concentrating Works in Ogden, N.J.; and the Edison Machine Works in Schenectady, N.Y. The books contain notes, drawings, tables, and calculations similar to those in the Edison notebooks. In addition, there are records of chemical experiments and tests of electrical instruments. Among the individuals whose work appears in these books are Jonas W. Aylsworth, Charles Batchelor, William K. L. Dickson, Reginald A. Fessenden, James W. Gladstone, H. De Coursey Hamilton, Joseph W. Harris, John F. Ott, Arthur C. Payne, Franz Schulze-Berge, and Erwin Von Wilmowsky. There are also numerous notebooks generated by Arthur E. Kennelly and his assistants in the Galvanometer Room. A few books contain scattered entries by Edison.
- ARTHUR E. KENNELLY NOTEBOOKS
- These notebooks contain transcriptions of material from the rough record books used by the experimenters in the Galvanometer Room. Included are notes, drawings, tables, and calculations regarding a variety of electrical experiments.
- POCKET NOTEBOOKS
- These books generally measure 3" or 4" in one direction and 6"
or 7" in the other. They contain
notes, drawings, and calculations by Edison and other experimenters relating to phonographs and
phonograph cylinders, electric lighting, meters, batteries, ore milling, x-ray tubes and apparatus,
metals and alloys, chemical experiments, and other subjects.
- Notebooks by Edison
- Notebooks by Other Experimenters
- Notebooks by Edison
- MISCELLANEOUS NOTEBOOKS
- These books contain notes and drawings relating to phonographs, electric lighting and power, ore milling, and x-rays. Among the individuals whose work appears in these books are Edison, Mina Miller Edison, William K. L. Dickson, Clarence B. Fargo, and H. M. Phillips.
- UNBOUND NOTES AND DRAWINGS
- These loose items relate to a variety of subjects, including phonographs, electric lighting and power, ore milling, batteries, kinetoscopes, telegraphy, and telephony. Many of the items are by Edison. There is also material by Charles Batchelor, Arthur E. Kennelly, John F. Ott, and other associates. In addition, there are notes by various laboratory experimenters, including Jonas W. Aylsworth, John Joseph Force, H. De Coursey Hamilton, and Joseph W. Harris.
| WEST
ORANGE LABORATORY RECORDS
SERIES (REELS 108–113) |
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The West Orange Laboratory Records Series consists of bound volumes, loose correspondence, and account books that deal mainly with administrative operations at the laboratory complex. Certain items, such as the Arthur E. Kennelly Letterbooks, also pertain to experimental projects.
- BOUND VOLUMES
- These books contain notes, drawings, and draft correspondence, relating to the construction of the laboratory, the ordering of equipment and supplies, and the administration of experimental projects. Also included are labor records, notes regarding technical books and journals in Edison's library, and other administrative items. Among the individuals whose work appears in these books are Edison, Charles Batchelor, John F. Ott, and Franz Schulze-Berge. Much of the material is by unidentified storekeepers and office personnel.
- ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS
- These drawings by Joseph J. Taft relate to outbuildings at the laboratory complex. Included are plans and elevations of the metallurgical and galvanometer buildings, the chemistry laboratory, and the carpentry shop.
- LABORATORY LETTERBOOKS
- These letterbooks deal mainly with routine orders of equipment and supplies. Also included is material by William K. L. Dickson pertaining to the experimental development of the kinetoscope.
- ARTHUR E. KENNELLY LETTERBOOKS
- These letterbooks contain material relating to the experimental work in the Galvanometer Room, as well as to Kennelly's professional activities.
- ACCOUNTS
- These books contain records detailing experimental and operating costs, Edison's royalties and investments, and various other personal and business accounts.
| PATENT SERIES (REELS 113–115) |
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- CAVEAT FILES
- The caveat files (preliminary patent applications) cover the period 1887–1896. Included are draft caveats in Edison's hand and typed copies retained by Richard N. Dyer, Edison's patent attorney. The individual caveats frequently deal with several technologies, including the phonograph, the kinetograph, ore milling, and fluorescent lamps. The caveats bear a close relationship to the notes and drawings in the Notebook Series, many of which carry inscriptions indicating that they were used in the preparation of caveats or patent applications.
- PATENT APPLICATION FILES
- These files consist of formal applications, notes and drawings relating to patent applications, and correspondence between Edison's attorneys and the U.S. Patent office. Many of the applications pertain to improvements in Edison's phonograph. There is also material dealing with electric lighting and power, ore milling, motion pictures, and various other technologies. A related set of application files for Edison's successful U.S. patents can be found in the National Archives (Record Group 241, Records of the Patent Office) and is available on microfilm.
| LITIGATION SERIES (REELS 115–118) |
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The Litigation Series contains records relating to civil court litigation, along with records of Patent Office interferences, which are similar in many respects to litigation.
- ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER CASES
- Two cases containing Edison-related testimony and exhibits have been selected: (1) Electric Railway Company of the U.S. v. The Jamaica and Brooklyn Road Company, which includes material concerning Edison's work on electric railways; and (2) William Kemmler v. Charles F. Durston, which contains information regarding Edison's electrocution experiments.
- MOTION PICTURE CASES
- Thomas A. Edison v. American Mutoscope Company and Benjamin F. Keith, a patent infringement suit filed in 1898, details the early work on motion pictures undertaken at the West Orange laboratory. The testimony and exhibits from this case were subsequently entered into evidence in several infringement cases brought by Edison and his companies on his U.S. Patent No. 589,168 and its reissue, No. 12,192. Additional items from two cases involving the reissued patent have also been included, along with a set of letters to and from William K. L. Dickson, which were entered into evidence in Armat Moving Picture Company v. American Mutoscope Company and Benjamin F. Keith.
- PHONOGRAPH CASES
- Several patent infringement suits detail the work by Edison and his assistants on phonograph and recording cylinder technology. American Graphophone Company v. The United States Phonograph Company, Victor H. Emerson, and George E. Tewksbury contains the record of an earlier case, American Graphophone Company v. Edison Phonograph Works, which concerns the basic phonograph patents of Edison and his rivals, Chichester A. Bell and Charles S. Tainter. Several cases involving the patents granted to Edison's chemist, Jonas W. Aylsworth, have also been selected. Other suits arose from the complicated business arrangements made between Jesse Lippincott's North American Phonograph Company and various subsidiary companies. The most important of these cases, New York Phonograph Company v. National Phonograph Company, has been included.
- ORE MILLING CASES
- Thomas A. Edison v. Allis Chalmers Company, Empire Limestone Company and the Casparis Stone Company details the work of Edison and his assistants in the development of rock crushing technology at the Ogden mine during the period 1889–1899 and the subsequent transfer of that technology to the Edison Portland Cement plant at Stewartsville, N.J.
| DOCUMENT FILE SERIES (REELS 119–137) |
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| 1887 1888
1889 1890
1891 1892
1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 |
The Document File is primarily a collection of incoming letters addressed to Edison. There are also letters addressed to Charles Batchelor, William E. Gilmore, John F. Randolph, Alfred O. Tate, and other Edison associates. The letters frequently contain notations by Edison or his secretaries indicating the nature of the reply. Occasional drafts of outgoing letters can also be found in this file, along with unbound tissue copies (similar in character to the material in the General Letterbook Series) and a variety of other documents such as intra-office memoranda, reports, lists, circulars, and, occasionally, a laboratory sketch on the back of another document.
Many of the letters relate to the manufacture and marketing of Edison's improved phonograph and to legal and financial dealings among the various phonograph companies. Much of this material pertains to the business of the North American Phonograph Company., which controlled Edison's phonograph patents in the United States and Canada. This company served as the exclusive marketing agent for the phonograph in North America from its establishment in 1888 until Edison forced it into bankruptcy in 1894. There are also numerous items from the late 1880s and early 1890s regarding the Edison Phonograph Toy Manufacturing Company, which produced and marketed Edison's talking doll. A substantial portion of the Document File for the late 1890s consists of documents relating to the activities of the Edison United Phonograph Company, which handled the phonograph business in Great Britain and Continental Europe.
During most of the period 1887–1898, Edison continued to maintain an interest in electric lighting and power, and there are many letters relating to the technical and commercial development of that technology. Among these are documents pertaining to the business of the Edison Machine Works, the Edison Lamp Company, and the Edison Electric Light Company, and to the affairs of various local illuminating companies, particularly the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of New York and the Edison Electric Light Company of Philadelphia. There is also material regarding the organization and operations of the Edison General Electric Company, established in 1889, and its successor, the General Electric Company
Other letters deal with mining and ore milling, the phonoplex system of telegraphy, electric traction systems, and the mimeograph. There is also correspondence pertaining to the technical and commercial development of motion pictures. Among the documents for 1896 are a sizeable number of letters concerning Edison's x-ray experiments. In addition to the business correspondence, there are documents relating to Edison's personal finances and to his family affairs. The "Edison, T.A.—Family" folders for 1897 and 1898 contain numerous letters by and about Edison's oldest son, Thomas A. Edison, Jr.
The documents are arranged by year and by subjects within each year. Documents that deal with more than one subject or that do not fall under any of the main subject categories are filed in the "Edison, T.A.—General" folder. Readers interested in a particular topic should always consult the various "General" folders in addition to more specific subcategories relating to their interests. Undated documents that were likely generated within the year of attribution, along with others that present no compelling evidence of being misfiled, remain within the main run of dated folders. Undated documents for which no specific year can reasonably be conjectured are filed in an "Undated Documents" folder at the end of the run of dated folders.
Incoming correspondence and other unbound documents can also be found in other series. See, particularly, the Company Records Series, Legal Series, Special Collections Series, and Vouchers and Attached Correspondence Series.
Explanatory targets for both selected and unselected folders precede the documents for each year.
| GENERAL LETTERBOOK SERIES (REELS
138–143) |
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These letterbooks contain tissue copies of Edison's outgoing correspondence. Although there are occasional letters in Edison's hand, most of manuscript correspondence is in the hand of Edison's secretaries. Similarly, the retained copies of Edison's typewritten letters are frequently signed or initialed by one of his secretaries.
Many of the letters relate to the manufacture and marketing of Edison's improved phonograph and to legal and financial dealings among the various phonograph companies. In addition, there are numerous documents pertaining to mining and ore milling and to the operations of Edison's plant in Ogden, N.J. Included also are letters, many addressed to the Edison Machine Works and the Edison General Electric Company, regarding Edison's work on improved filaments, meters, and other components of his electric lighting system. Some of the documents relate to the business of the Edison Manufacturing Company and to the production and promotion of the Edison-Lalande primary battery. Other letters deal with Edison's phonoplex system of telegraphy, electric traction systems, the mimeograph, and motion pictures. There are many letters addressed to the law firm of Dyer & Seely and to Edison's personal lawyer, Sherburne B. Eaton, concerning patent applications, interferences and infringements, and various other legal concerns. In addition to the business correspondence, there are numerous letters relating to Edison's personal finances and to family affairs.
Copies of outgoing correspondence can also be found in the Document File Series in folders such as "Edison, T.A.—Outgoing Correspondence" and "Edison, T.A.—Employment—Outgoing Correspondence." Letters similar to those in the General Letterbooks appear in some of the letterbooks in the Company Records Series.
| MISCELLANEOUS LETTERBOOK SERIES (REEL
143) |
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This series consists of three letterbooks that do not fall within the main run of General Letterbooks. The first book contains letters concerning Ezra T. Gilliland's relationship with Edison and Edison's phonograph business. The second book contains letters written on behalf of Stephen F. Moriarty regarding the business of the Edison-Bell Consolidated Phonograph Company, Ltd. and the Edison United Phonograph Company. The third book (not selected) contains correspondence relating to the personal affairs of Alfred O. Tate.
| LEGAL
SERIES (REELS 144–145) |
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The Legal Series consists of agreements and other legal documents, along with related items such as correspondence, financial documents, and litigation records. The Harry F. Miller File and the Richard W. Kellow File were maintained by officials in Edison's companies. The Miscellaneous Legal File contains documents of a similar character, not part of any formal legal file. Documents of a legal or quasi-legal nature also appear in numerous other series. Agreements and other legal documents relating to the various Edison companies appear in the Company Records Series. Memoranda by Edison regarding proposed contracts, along with drafts in his hand that possibly were never drawn up into formal agreements, are filed in the Document File. A number of agreements and other legal documents involving Edison and members of his family appear in the Family Records Series.
- HARRY F. MILLER FILE
- The Harry F. Miller File consists of contracts and agreements,
assignments and licenses, powers
of attorney, deeds, bonds, mortgages, and other legal documents. Often these items are in the
form of drafts or fair copies. Included also are correspondence, often from attorneys; occasional
caveats and other patent-related documents; financial documents such as bank notes, stock
certificates, accounts, bills, and receipts; and various company records, such as minutes of
meetings, reports, and memoranda. In addition, there are occasional affidavits, transcripts of
testimony, and other litigation records.
The documents relate primarily to electric lighting, the phonograph, ore milling, electric traction, and telegraphy. There are many items pertaining to the Edison Ore Milling Company, the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Concentrating Works, the Edison United Phonograph Company, the North American Phonograph Company, the Edison General Electric Company, and other Edison companies. Among the documents for 1889 are testimony and other litigation records relating to Edison's controversy with Ezra T. Gilliland and John C. Tomlinson. Family-related legal items, especially regarding Thomas A. Edison, Jr., are also included. - RICHARD W. KELLOW FILE
- The Richard W. Kellow File consists of deeds, releases, correspondence, and other material relating to the purchase and sale of property belonging to Edison, Mina Miller Edison, and Mary Stilwell Edison in Menlo Park; patent assignments from Thomas J. Handford and William K. L. Dickson to Edison; correspondence associated with the elimination of expired patents; and agreements and correspondence concerning dynamo improvements made by Justus B. Entz of Schenectady. In addition, there are agreements and correspondence regarding the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Concentrating Works and the Spurr Iron Mining Company in Michigan and letters pertaining to the financial affairs of Osgood S. Wiley, one of Edison's ore milling agents in Britain.
- MISCELLANEOUS LEGAL FILE
- This file contains contracts, agreements, assignments, depositions, deeds, related correspondence, and other documents similar to the material found in the Miller and Kellow files. Many of the items pertain to the legal affairs of the various Edison phonograph companies, including the Edison Phonograph Works, the North American Phonograph Company, the Edison Phonograph Toy Manufacturing Company, the Edison United Phonograph Company, and the Automatic Phonograph Exhibition Company. Among the documents for 1888 are lengthy depositions by Edison and by Jesse Lippincott concerning Edison's dispute with Ezra T. Gilliland and John C. Tomlinson. Included also are items pertaining to electric lighting, ore milling, and motion pictures and material regarding the estate of Mary Stilwell Edison and other family matters.
| PUBLISHED WORKS AND OTHER WRITINGS
(REEL 146) |
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This series consists of articles, letters to the editor, and other items published in technical and scientific journals, popular magazines, and newspapers during the period 1862–1898. A comprehensive bibliography contains links to the works previously published in Parts I-III of the microfilm edition. Images of the original articles transcribed for the book edition will eventually be added. Included are nine articles describing Edison's x-ray experiments of 1896, as well as other articles dealing with a variety of electrical technologies and general topics. In addition to the published works, there is a lengthy manuscript in Edison's hand regarding American monetary policy and the federal regulation of business, which was probably composed in reaction to the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890.
| SCRAPBOOK SERIES (REEL 146) |
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These scrapbooks contain clippings from newspapers, popular magazines, and technical journals regarding Edison's attempt to determine the etiology and control the spread of yellow fever, the controversy surrounding his dispute with Ezra T. Gilliland and John C. Tomlinson, and the introduction of the kinetoscope in Great Britain.
| UNBOUND CLIPPINGS SERIES (REEL 146) |
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These clippings contain articles, interviews, and other material pertaining to the commercial and technical development of Edison's inventions and the personal affairs of Edison and his family. Included are items relating to Edison's return to phonograph experimentation in the late 1880s, his dispute with Ezra T. Gilliland and John C. Tomlinson, the development of the talking doll, the Paris Exposition of 1889, the controversy over alternating and direct current, and the formation of the Edison General Electric Company and its subsequent merger with Thomson-Houston. There are also items concerning motion pictures, x-rays, and Edison's gold separation experiments at the Ortiz mine in New Mexico.
| PRIMARY PRINTED SERIES (REEL 147) |
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- Electric Light Companies—Domestic
- Electric Light Companies—Foreign
- Phonograph Companies—Domestic
- Phonograph Companies—Foreign
- Other Companies
- Bound Pamphlets
- Serial Publications
The Primary Printed Series contains printed documents that were issued by the various Edison companies. Included are official reports, instruction manuals, lists of equipment and devices, price lists, reprints of scholarly papers, and promotional brochures. In addition to the unbound materials, there are two bound volumes of pamphlets and a sample issue of the Phonogram, a serial publication that offered news, feature stories, and promotional material about Edison and his products.
| SPECIAL COLLECTIONS SERIES (REEL 148) |
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- J. H. VAIL PAPERS
- These papers relate primarily to Vail's work as general superintendent of the Edison Electric Light Company, in which position he oversaw the design and construction of central stations.
- WALTER S. MALLORY PAPERS
- These papers relate primarily to Mallory's personal business, his family and friends, and his private affairs. Some material pertains to his work for the Edison Iron Concentrating Company, the Edison Portland Cement Company, the Edison Storage Battery Company, the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Concentrating Works, and other companies associated with Edison.
- ALEXANDER ELLIOTT, JR., PAPERS
- These papers relate primarily to Elliott's administration of the real estate interests of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Concentrating Works. There are also documents pertaining to Elliott's work as counsel for the Edison Portland Cement Company and other companies associated with Edison, as well as items concerning his private law practice.
| COMPANY RECORDS SERIES (REELS 148–160) |
|---|
This series contains correspondence, minute books, account books, letterbooks, and other records pertaining to the operations of the various Edison companies. Related material can be found in the Document File Series and in the Primary Printed Series.
ORE MILLING COMPANIES
Documents concerning Edison's mining and ore milling ventures can also be found in the Alexander Elliott, Jr., Papers and Walter S. Mallory Papers and in the Charles Batchelor Collection.
NEW JERSEY AND PENNSYLVANIA CONCENTRATING WORKS
PHONOGRAPH COMPANIES
- EDISON PHONOGRAPH COMPANY
- These records consist entirely of account books and other financial material. Included are accounts for Edison, patent attorneys Dyer & Seely, and the Edison Phonograph Toy Manufacturing Company; patent, experimental, and cash accounts; and a list of stockholders from 1887.
- EDISON PHONOGRAPH WORKS
- These records consist of minutes and financial material. The minute book contains entries relating to the purchase of the factory in Bloomfield, N.J.; the construction of the factory in West Orange, N. J.; and the sale of assets to Thomas A. Edison, Inc.. There are also discussions and resolutions regarding contracts and agreements with Edison and Edison-related companies. The ledgers and journals summarize transactions pertaining to the manufacture of phonographs and cylinder recordings, as well as Bates numbering machines, talking dolls, batteries, and motors.
- NATIONAL PHONOGRAPH COMPANY
- These records consist primarily of minutes and financial material. The minute book contains entries relating to agreements involving Edison, the Edison Phonograph Works, the Edison Phonograph Company, and the American Graphophone Company. Included also are entries pertaining to the company's purchase of property from the Edison Manufacturing Company; litigation against the company and other Edison interests by regional phonograph companies; and threatened litigation involving the Pooley Furniture Company (makers of Amberola cabinets) and the Victor Talking Machine Company. The ledger and journal summarize transactions pertaining to the sale of phonographs and cylinder recordings.
- NORTH AMERICAN PHONOGRAPH COMPANY
- These records consist of minutes and financial material. The minute book contains entries relating to agreements involving Edison, Jesse Lippincott, the Edison Phonograph Company, the Edison Phonograph Works, the Automatic Phonograph Exhibition Company, and various regional phonograph companies. Also mentioned is the removal of the company's principal office from New York City to Jersey City; litigation with the American Graphophone Company; advertisement expenditures; the introduction of installment sales; the discontinuation of the nickel-in-the-slot business; and proposed manufacturing activities in Canada. The ledgers and journals summarize transactions pertaining to the sale of phonographs, graphophones, nickel-in-the-slot machines, and cylinder recordings in the United States and Canada.
OTHER COMPANIES
- BATES MANUFACTURING COMPANY
- These records consist of legal documents, correspondence, and financial records. Many items relate to agreements with the Edison Phonograph Works, which assumed most of the company's indebtedness and all of its manufacturing operations in 1892. Also included are Edison's 1895 proposition for revisions in the 1892 agreement; correspondence concerning the company's accounts and financial condition; and documents pertaining to the controversy over Bates's continued manufacture and sale of automatic numbering machines through the Bates Machine Company of Brooklyn.
- EDISON ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY AND RELATED COMPANIES
- These records contain financial, historical, and technical data regarding the operations of various Edison central stations.
- EDISON ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY OF EUROPE, LTD.
- These records consist of correspondence and other documents pertaining to the financial, legal, and general administrative affairs of the company. Included are items regarding relations between the company and its associated European firms.
- EDISON MACHINE WORKS [NOT SELECTED]
- These records consist of a letterbook from 1887 and two scrapbooks covering the period 1886–1889. The letterbook deals mainly with routine financial matters involving credits, notes, invoices, stocks, payrolls, and sundry expenses. The scrapbooks contain blueprints, mostly drawings and technical data, relating to dynamos.
- EDISON MANUFACTURING COMPANY
- Letterbooks
- Most of the letters in these books pertain to the technical and commercial development of the Edison-Lalande primary battery, which Edison refined and began marketing in 1889. Included are items concerning the marketing of the battery for use with the phonograph. Other documents relate to additional applications for the battery, including electric lighting, fire and burglar alarms, dental and medical instruments, and cigar lighters.
- Financial Records
- The ledgers, journals, and other financial documents summarize transactions relating to the company's works at Silver Lake, N.J., its New York City office, and its operations in Europe. Among the products covered are primary batteries, motion pictures, phonographs, talking dolls, fan motors, and x-rays.
| VOUCHERS AND ATTACHED
CORRESPONDENCE SERIES (REEL 160) |
|---|
The vouchers in this series record the payment of bills and other expenditures by Edison. Attached to these vouchers are incoming correspondence, notes by Edison, and other material similar to that found in the Document File Series. The documents relate to the technical and commercial development of the electric light, the phonograph, motion pictures, and most of the other technologies in which Edison was involved during the period 1887–1898. There are also items pertaining to the construction and equipping of the West Orange laboratory and to Edison's personal affairs, including his charitable contributions and his memberships in clubs and societies. Some of the material concerns legal matters. In addition, there are items pertaining to the estate of Mary Stilwell Edison; debts owed by Samuel Edison; payments made to Samuel's companion, James Symington; a loan to Simeon O. Edison; and other family matters. The documents appear in two subseries: (1) vouchers containing substantive correspondence and other significant attachments; and (2) vouchers containing bills and other items pertaining to Edison's early work on motion pictures.
| FAMILY RECORDS SERIES (REELS 161–162) |
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This series consists primarily of correspondence addressed to Mina Miller Edison. There are numerous letters from her mother, Mary Valinda Miller; her sister, Jane (Jennie) Miller; and her stepchildren, Marion, Thomas Jr., and William. There are also letters by various other members of the Miller family, including her father Lewis, as well as some items authored by Mina Edison and some letters addressed to Thomas A. Edison. In addition to the correspondence, there are contracts and other legal documents and financial records.
| SUPPLEMENT TO PARTS I AND II (REEL 162) |
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These documents, found or recovered after the microfilm editions of Parts I and II had been published, were filmed at the end of the Part III microfilm edition. The documents have been integrated into their appropriate places in the digital edition. A more complete description of the contents of the Supplement can be found by clicking on the link above.
