The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition

This collection contains photocopies of documents relating to John Kruesi (1843-1899), a Swiss-born machinist who served as foreman of the Menlo Park machine shop, general manager of the Electric Tube Co., and superintendent of the Edison Machine Works in Schenectady, N.Y. The selected items, which date from the 1870s through 1905, consist primarily of correspondence from Edison to Kruesi. Some of the letters relate to the manufacture of underground conductors for Edison's electric lighting system; others pertain to the business of the New Jersey & Pennsylvania Concentrating Works. Also included is a letter inviting Kruesi to leave his job in Schenectady to become the superintendent of the Edison Phonograph Works; an undated description by Charles Batchelor of a formula for calculating the vibrations of a tuning fork, written in 1875 or 1876; and a sketch by Edison of his formula for treating neuralgia. The photocopies were donated to the Edison National Historical Park in 1962 by Kruesi's son Paul J. Kruesi. Also included in the donation are copies of newspaper and journal clippings from the period 1919-1962 pertaining to Edison and various members of the Kruesi family, along with copies of letters to Paul J. Kruesi from Edison, Mina Miller Edison, and others.