The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition

[One letter was added in August 2012.]

These documents, which cover the years 1884-1912, consist of correspondence by Louise Igoe Miller (1858-1937), a friend of Mina Miller Edison who married her brother, Robert Anderson Miller, in 1887. The letters are addressed to Mina and to Mina's mother (Louise's mother-in-law), Mary Valinda Miller. Included are letters pertaining to invitations to the Boston home of Ezra and Lillian Gilliland, where Edison proposed to Mina Miller in September 1885. Also included is an item in which Louise claims that roller-skating "seems to be quite the rage in Canton" Ohio. Some of the letters denote enthusiasm for Edison's work on the kinetograph and his alkaline storage battery. One item relating to investments in his ore milling technologies contains notations by Edison. Other letters concern visits with Mina Edison, news of her children, and gifts from her. There are also references to Mina's brother, Theodore W. Miller, who died as a result of wounds received in combat during the Spanish-American War. Some of the letters from 1901-1902 were written in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where Robert was serving as U.S. Postmaster.

Seven additional letters from 1901-1902, along with four undated letters, have not been selected. Two of the undated items are probably from 1902-1903, while another dates from 1911-1912. The last letter was written in the summer of 1912, a few months before Mary Valinda's death. The letters contain occasional references to Mina Edison. Included are brief comments about Mina's troubles with her cook; a gift of Thanksgiving bowls from Mina to Louise and Robert; and a visit to Oak Place, the Miller family home in Akron, by Mina and the children in June 1902. Other topics mentioned in the unselected letters include an impending visit to Puerto Rico by Mina's sister, Mary Emily Miller; the fifteenth wedding anniversary of Robert and Louise; Robert Jr.'s enrollment in Oak Place School; plans to build a cottage at Chautauqua; and the funeral of automobile manufacturer Clement Studebaker.