This folder contains documents, primarily correspondence, covering a wide variety of subjects. Some of the material relates to personal matters. Also included are documents that deal with more than one subject, such as a letter about both the electric light and the telephone. Documents concerning subjects that do not fall under the main subject categories are also filed in this folder. Among the items for 1886 are several legal documents relating to the lawsuit brought against Edison by Lucy Seyfert, the widow of an investor in the Automatic Telegraph Co. Related material can be found in the printed court record for Seyfert v. Edison in the Litigation Series.

Approximately 80 percent of the documents have been selected. Duplicate copies of correspondence, third-party correspondence unrelated to Edison, and unanswered fan mail have not been selected. Unsolicited requests for personal favors, for loans and exhibits of inventions, and for information about Edison have not been selected except in cases where a significant answer has been found.