The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition

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These items consist primarily of letters from Grace Miller (1870-1952) to her mother, Mary Valinda Miller, and her older sister, Mina Miller Edison. The dated letters by Grace, as well as the numerous undated letters, are all from 1898. There is also a letter from Mina to Grace dated June 17, 1944. The earliest letters were written during the late spring or early summer of 1898 when Grace was vacationing at the New Jersey shore prior to the birth of Mina's youngest son, Theodore. Included is an assurance by Grace that Mina's children "will be cared for as our own" should she die in childbirth. Two letters written from Akron in August discuss the state of mind and physical condition of Mary Valinda and other family members following the death of Theodore W. Miller, as well as Mina's plans to attend Theodore's funeral. The remaining five letters by Grace were written from Atlanta, Georgia, where she and her friend Grace Waymouth were teaching at the Washington Female Seminary, a prestigious finishing school headed by Mrs. Alice Scott Chandler. One letter contains a reference to the preparation of a book about Theodore, which was published in 1899 as Theodore W. Miller: Rough Rider. The 1944 letter by Mina describes a visit to Chautauqua followed by a trip to Canton, Ohio, and Mount Union College, where Mina received an honorary degree.