Items

[LB071-F] Letterbook, LB-071 (1904-1905)

General Letterbook Series

Title: [LB071-F] Letterbook, LB-071 (1904-1905)
Description: This letterbook covers the period July 1904-May 1905. Most of the correspondence is by Edison and John F. Randolph. There are also letters by Mina Miller Edison and others. Many of the items relate to the business of the Edison Portland Cement Co. Included are references to the finances of the company and to production difficulties at the factory in Stewartsville, New Jersey. There is also correspondence concerning the technical and commercial development of Edison's alkaline storage battery and its use in electric vehicles, and Edison's efforts to persuade John Jacob Astor to invest in the Edison Storage Battery Co. Also included are letters to Sigmund Bergmann and John H. Harjes regarding the organization of battery manufacturing companies in Great Britain, France, and Germany, as well as letters discussing technical difficulties that led to the shutdown of the battery factory at Glen Ridge, New Jersey, in the fall of 1905. In addition, there are letters relative to Edison's interest in ore milling, mines, and ores; to employees and former employees; and to supplies of chemicals and equipment for the West Orange laboratory. One letter refers to Edison's intention to start a rubber factory. Another discusses a lawsuit by the American Graphophone Co. against the National Phonograph Co. Among the items pertaining to family and personal matters are letters concerning Edison's health, his election as an honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, his contributions to the Republican party, and his properties in Fort Myers, Llewellyn Park, Menlo Park, and New York City.
The label on the front cover contains the following notation: "T.A. Edison - Letter Book. from July 27 - 1904 to May 25 - 1905." There is an inscription on the spine with similar information. The spine is also stamped "5." The book contains 497 numbered pages and an index. Approximately 30 percent of the book has been selected.
URL: https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/folder/LB071-F
Identifier: LB071-F
Type: General Letterbook
Rights: Courtesy of Thomas Edison National Historical Park.
Is Part Of: General Letterbook Series
Alternative Title: Letterbook, LB-071 (1904-1905)
Has Version: Archive.org Viewer, Microfilm Series Reel 197

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