The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition

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These letters are primarily from Madeleine Edison Sloane to her husband, John Eyre Sloane. There are also three letters to Madeleine from her mother, Mina Miller Edison, along with a transcription from a Swann Galleries auction catalog (March 9, 1989 ) of a letter from Thomas Edison to Madeleine. The letter by Thomas Edison, dated September 7, 1920, encloses six hundred dollars "as a special fund to buy tires & pay repairs on your new car." The two letters by Mina Edison from 1920 both discuss family matters. Included are comments about Mina's inability to warm up to her daughter-in-law Carolyn; her fear that she was becoming estranged from her son Charles as a result; her feelings of inadequacy and depression, and her belief that "I have made a downright failure of my life." Thomas Edison's dislike for his brother-in-law Ira Miller and Mina's friend Georgia Blankenship, Mina's desire that Charles and Carolyn should have children, and the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 are also mentioned in Mina's letters.

Most of the letters from 1921 were written by Madeleine in October, while she was recuperating in Pittsburgh and Akron from an arm injury and a possible mental breakdown. Included are comments about the personalities and lifestyle of her Pittsburgh hosts Halbert K. Hitchcock ("Uncle Hal"), a wealthy manufacturer, and his wife (Madeleine's aunt) Grace Miller Hitchcock. There are also remarks about Madeleine's children John Edison (Jack) Sloane, who was staying with his great-aunt Mary Miller Nichols in Scarsdale while his mother was away, and Thomas Edison (Teddy) Sloane, who was staying at Glenmont and just starting school. There is also a letter by Mina Edison, who accompanied Madeleine to Pittsburgh but left for home shortly afterwards. The two letters from Akron mention the business affairs of manufacturer Frank Seiberling, who had recently been forced out of the management of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., as well as his lavish Tudor revival style house, Stan Hywet, which Madeleine visited during her trip. There are also comments about the home of Harvey Firestone, which Madeleine compared unfavorably to Seiberling's.

Other topics mentioned in the correspondence include Madeleine's vacation in Quoque, Long Island, in July 1921; the birth of twin daughters by her friend Marie Cozzens Bodell; and the pregnancy of friend Carol Douglass Gordon.