[LB059255], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to Nathan S Boynton, December 21st, 1896
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/LB059255
Transcription
Dec. 21. 1896. N. S. Boynton, Esq., Mayor, Port Huron, Mich. My dear Sir: I duly received your letter of Nov. 30th, which was forwarded to Menlo Park, and subsequently reached me here. I have been away so much recently, however, that my personal mail has necessarily been neglected. I would very much like to accept your very kind invitation to be with you at the commemoration of my birthday on February 11th next, but my mining interests at Edison, N. J., are just at a point that they require my personal attention continuously. I cannot say at this writing whether I shall be in a position to take advantage of your kind invitation or not, not only for the above reason, but also that important matters here, which must necessarily remain in abeyance until I return, will also tend to preclude my visiting you at that time. There is so much depending on my personal labors for the next few months to come that I doubt very much whether I will be able to go to Port Huron, but if it is at all possible I will advice you in due time. The compliment which you and the citizens of Port Huron intend paying me, in changing the name of Pine Grove Park to Edison Park, is very highly esteemed indeed, and the fact that this Park was formerly my home makes the compliment all the more honored by me. I very much regret that I cannot say at this writing definitely whether I can be present or not, but you can rest assured that if my business interests can be so arranged that I can leave here I shall deem it a great pleasure and honor to be with you to meet yourself and citizens of Port Huron and to at the same time renew some of the old acquaintances, many of which have now passed somewhat out of my recollection. With best wishes, and with the compliments of the season, believe me, Yours very truly, Thomas A Edison